The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 280

It was a photo from Jocelyn's wedding.

And the back of the man standing in the background of the shot...

Seeing her crouched on the floor completely zoned out, Liam walked over, curious.

"What are you staring at? Did you find buried treasure or something?"

But as he got closer and saw the man's back in the photo, he froze too.

Liam quickly snatched the picture out of her hand.

Anyone else might have doubted who the man was just from his back.

But Liam knew without a shadow of a doubt.

It was his best friend. Who else could it be?

When Sarah finally spoke, all the playfulness was gone from her face. Instead, she looked profoundly melancholic.

"That's Julian, isn't it?"

Liam hesitated for a long time.

"No. You're seeing things."

"Liam, do you think I'm blind, or do you think I'm stupid?"

Liam let out a heavy sigh.

"Just pretend you didn't see it."

Sarah stared at the spot where the photo had been for a long time.

"How is that even possible..."

Knowing he couldn't hide it completely, Liam tried to spin a half-truth.

"It was probably just a coincidence. He just happened to be there. Maybe he was just walking by."

The second the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

What kind of garbage excuse was that? Even he didn't believe it!

Sarah took the photo back from him and studied it intensely.

It was finally clicking into place.

Sarah had been at Jocelyn's wedding.

And in the crowd that day, she remembered noticing a man who, despite trying to blend in, radiated an incredibly powerful, undeniable presence.

Even though she had only seen his back, she hadn't been able to forget him.

Curious, she had actually tried to go over and say hello to him.

But by the time she made her way through the crowd, he had vanished.

Even now, Sarah felt a pang of regret when she thought about it.

If she hadn't hesitated, if she had just walked a little faster, she might have found out who that radiant, magnetic man was.

Liam knew the gig was up. He gritted his teeth.

"Yeah. You're right. Julian knew she was Storm a long time ago, and he loved her even back then."

"He was going to confess to her. But then she fell for Adrian, so he backed off."

"On the day she got married, Julian flew all the way from Austin just to see her."

"He just wanted to see what she looked like in her wedding dress. He wanted to make sure she was happy."

"Once he saw her smiling in her dress, looking so content, he left quietly. But before he left, he dropped off a massive wedding gift."

Sarah suddenly felt a hard lump form in her throat.

"A gift?"

"Yeah. A custom necklace he designed himself. The pendant was shaped like a jasmine flower."

Because Jocelyn's Chinese name had the character for jasmine in it.

And because of the ancient legend surrounding the flower.

According to the legend, The Jasmine Pendant was tied to an ancient Eastern myth about The Jasmine Fairy.

The Jasmine Fairy was a celestial being of unparalleled purity and gentle beauty. She infused her own magic into a jasmine pendant, granting it a mysterious, captivating charm.

Liam let out a deeply regretful sigh.

"It's a shame that necklace vanished without a trace. Who knows if the Lowells kept it, or if Diana Evans stole it. Either way, it never made it into Jo's hands."