The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 469

"I... shouldn't have fallen for him..."

"No, that's not what you should be apologizing for." Jocelyn shook her head gently. "You should apologize for hiding it from me, for letting it twist our friendship without giving me a chance to speak."

"You should have told me and heard what I had to say."

Sarah hesitated. "And what... would you have said?"

Jocelyn lifted her gaze, a deep sense of disappointment radiating from her eyes.

"What do you think I'd say?"

"Do you... have feelings for him?"

Did she have feelings for him?

"Heh, it seems like everyone keeps asking me that question."

Now she understood it was a secret known to everyone in the world but her.

"I do." Jocelyn's expression turned incredibly solemn. "I do care for him, the exact same way I care for you, for Liam, for Maria, for Penelope and Quentin. I have never once considered crossing that line with him. Never."

"Does that answer suffice?"

Sarah looked incredulous. "A man like him... it's almost impossible not to fall for him."

"That's how all of you see it, not me." A suffocating wave of despair crashed over Jocelyn, making it hard to breathe. "I deeply admire him. I practically revere him. He is undeniably more exceptional and far wiser than I am."

"I constantly remind myself that he is my benchmark—that I need to become a person like him. I want to claw my way to the top and stand at my own summit, relying solely on my own strength!"

"I refuse to ever be trapped by romance again. I will never be blinded by love. I have to stay awake, hyper-aware of what I'm doing every single day and what my ultimate goals are!"

"You all have wonderful families and empires your parents built for you. I have absolutely nothing."

"I don't have family who loves me. I don't have siblings. I only have myself. My three years of marriage to Adrian taught me the harshest lesson of all: in this world, nothing is reliable. The only person I can depend on is myself!"

Her dark eyes glistened with unshed tears, swimming dangerously close to the edge.

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