Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 496

Nikolai settled the matter in the blink of an eye without even letting him inside—he simply shoved the envelope of photos into the man’s hands. In truth, Nikolai already possessed the ability to face problems on his own even though he was still overly dependent on Matthias. Oftentimes, Matthias gladly let Nikolai handle things for him with no worries.

Meanwhile, Matthias didn’t seem anxious at all; he was calm and composed as he gently swirled the glass of wine in his hand. Nikolai could never be sure of what was going on in Matthias’ head.

It seemed that Matthias wasn’t holding back tonight—he drank glass after glass without waiting even for Nikolai to return. The latter frowned as he noticed what was happening; he was only away for a moment and Matthias had already finished half the bottle.

“Slow down, Matthias. I bet you haven’t even had dinner!” Nikolai said out of concern.

However, Matthias turned a deaf ear toward him and continued drinking on his own. As a result, Nikolai was unhappy; he went up to Matthias and grabbed the wine glass from his hand.

“Are you really here to drink with me? Or am I only supposed to watch?” Nikolai complained in exasperation, for Matthias was gulping down wine like it was plain water.

“Do you like Heather?” Just then, Matthias looked up at Nikolai with his tired eyes which were bloodshot-red. Since when had he become this frail and haggard?

This sudden query stunned Nikolai momentarily and he couldn’t react in time. Even though he did have feelings for Heather, he couldn’t possibly admit it in front of Matthias.

“Go after her if you want.” Matthias’ rationality was crumbling under the influence of alcohol, for there was no way he would urge Nikolai to pursue Heather in a sober state.

In Matthias’ eyes, Heather was a dangerous threat—he would never let Nikolai take the risk. If too many things were gathered in one place, Matthias might just go crazy.

“I think you’re the one who likes Heather!” Nikolai exchaimed as his face fell instantly. Matthias’ increasingly odd behavior these days was evidence that he had feelings for Heather.

At this moment, Nikolai could see that Matthias’ suppressed feelings weren’t directed at Myra but Heather; it seemed that his cousin’s feelings for Heather were much stronger. Evidently, Matthias liked Heather a lot—she was someone incredibly special to him.

“Me?” Matthias pointed at himself. It was as though someone had seen through his disguise right then. He could firmly admit that the woman he liked was Myra, but when it came to Heather, he didn’t have the courage to come to terms with how he felt about her.

“You told me that you like Myra, but you have no chance with her anymore. In other words, you already gave up on her since the beginning.” Nikolai didn’t wish to see Matthias in such a confused state anymore; even though he was interested in Heather as well, his rationality was telling him that Matthias was a better match for her.

“Wake up—Heather is the one you like. You’re just holding onto the version of Myra in your memory. Can’t you see it? After so many years, you, Myra, and even Heather have all changed. You guys are no longer who you were all those years ago, so why would you let the past control your present? Just go after Heather openly if you like her.”

Matthias turned his face away and looked elsewhere. Before he knew it, Nikolai had grown up from the little boy he once was to a full-fledged man. He was already an adult who could analyze things from a logical point of view.

“Perhaps the woman who touched your heart has always been Heather, but you’re just unwilling to admit it.” Nikolai had never spoken to Matthias in such a way, yet it was as if he was possessed tonight—he had to give Matthias a wake-up call no matter what.

Just then, Matthias’ heart dropped to his stomach; no one had ever told him that before, and he never thought of things that way either. Perhaps Nikolai was right.

“You’re a lot smarter than I am, Nikolai.” Matthias was so used to taking care of Nikolai and pointing him in the right direction that he’d just realized his younger cousin was a lot more perceptive of the situation than he was.

“You told me that I remind you of your younger self. If that’s the case, maybe you once had feelings for Heather since I’ve also taken interest in her as well.” Nikolai hadn’t experienced what Matthias went through; he was making wild guesses at this point. However, he couldn’t keep it in anymore—he didn’t want Matthias to miss the opportunity to realize his own emotions.

The feeling of falling for someone would always remain in one’s deepest memory even with the passing of time. Back then, Matthias was too young to understand the nervous thumping of his heart whenever he saw Heather. Was fear really the only reason behind it? Perhaps… he was feeling something else as well?

Was impressing Myra with a more successful version of himself the only goal behind his endless grinding all these years, or was he desperate for Heather to stop looking down on him? Out of all people, why did he care so much about her opinion of him? He obviously hated her…

Nikolai took away the bottle of wine on the table and said slowly, “Don’t let hate cloud your feelings; it’s time to let go of the past. If you like her, you should appreciate it and take your chance.”

Matthias suddenly felt even smaller than Nikolai. He let out a self-deprecating cackle—just how much time had he wasted all these years? He’d been living in his own lies, afraid to even come to terms with his feelings for someone else. After all this time, Nikolai finally exposed his secret that he’d been hiding for years.

“You’re encouraging me to go after Heather? She’s the woman you like, though,” Matthias pointed out knowingly. It seemed that Nikolai was running away from reality.

“I do admit that I’m interested in her, but I know I’m not the guy she wants. Besides, the way she looks at you is different.” Just then, Nikolai recalled that one time in Matthias’ home when Heather and Matthias were chatting merrily over some drinks. The two of them were birds of a feather, and they were the rightful couple.

Matthias stood up and went up to Nikolai. He took a moment and stared at his cousin who was awkwardly holding a wine bottle in one hand and a glass in another before he extended an arm and ruffled his hair casually.

“Don’t be so sure of everything. Just speak up if you like her, and we can have an even battle.” Matthias grinned cheerfully as he spoke. He’d been competing with himself all his life, and it was finally time to do something he actually liked.

He used to think he wanted nothing more than to become a man who was worthy to be with Myra, but now, he decided to just follow his heart.