No More Waiting, She Chooses Love novel Chapter 817

For ages, she hadn't been this close to him, allowing him to pat her head like he used to when they were kids.

Fanny and I barely slept a wink all night, feeling jittery and uneasy.

Jacqueline was another insomniac, keeping watch at the makeshift memorial in the living room, refusing to leave despite Conrad's gentle coaxing.

We hadn't seen Dustin all night, and Fanny was half-convinced he'd made a break for it.

But I knew better. Dustin wouldn't run. He was too far down the rabbit hole of betrayal. He wouldn't flee now, though he might scheme something else. What we needed was to catch him red-handed with the evidence to finally bring him to justice.

"Felicia, are you up?" Jacqueline's voice came from outside our door.

I opened the door. "Morning, Aunt Jackie."

"You're up! Come on down and grab a bite. You'll need your strength today," she said, and it was then I noticed she was wearing an apron.

Breakfast? At a time like this? It seemed odd to me, and Fanny picked up on it too, teasing, "Think she's poisoned the pancakes to protect her son?"

"You're a doctor; a little poison shouldn't scare you," I joked back.

Even though we couldn't quite understand how Jacqueline could focus on breakfast at a time like this, we joined her at the table.

Dustin was still a no-show, but his place was set.

"Should we wait?" I asked.

Jacqueline shook her head. "No need, we can start."

To ease our discomfort, Jacqueline urged us to eat and even served us from the spread. "Come on, dig in!"

Jacqueline checked the time. "Let's give it another half hour."

Conrad delayed the service, and by 9:20, Dustin finally walked in, and he wasn't alone.

"That's Ernest!" Fanny nudged me, eyes wide.

I saw him too, and Ernest was looking right at me.

He looked slimmer, his sun-kissed skin even more pronounced, standing tall and commanding like a mountain.

"Did Dustin drag Ernest here as a hostage?" Fanny whispered to me.

"Possibly," I replied, feeling a knot of uncertainty and a hint of panic tighten in my stomach.