Love's Redemption

Redmption 36

I never imagined that a man I had only met twice would want to marry me. Yet, the man I had dated for ten years had cheated on me.

After a brief shock, I smiled and said, “Mr. Howell, isn’t this a bit too abrupt?”

Brandon’s expression remained unchanged. He looked as serious as ever as he replied, “Don’t people date to marry? Since you don’t want to date, let’s just get married.”

His words made sense in a way. But coming from him, it seemed odd. Would a normal person randomly marry a stranger? This kind of plot was common in

novels, but this was real life.

I raised my eyebrows and smiled sarcastically. “Do you say this to every blind date, Mr. Howell?”

At this moment, the setting sun cast its light on us. Brandon’s shadow enveloped me as he said, “You’re the first.”

My throat felt a little dry. “We… don’t know each other that well.”

Brandon didn’t respond, and we stood facing each other. In this atmosphere, felt myself getting warm. Even the tip of my nose was sweating.

I scratched at the wall behind me, thinking of something to say. Then, Brandon said, “I’ll go buy the chicken.”

“I don’t eat cilantro,” I blurted out, not knowing why.

Brandon acknowledged my words with a hum and strode away.

I watched him walk away. He was over six feet tall, with a straight posture. Under the sunset light, he radiated a strong sense of security.

A bold thought crossed my mind. Perhaps a spontaneous marriage with someone like him wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, he was a soldier. He was tested by the country and likely capable of handling life’s challenges.

When I returned home, Kelly wasn’t around. Otherwise, she would’ve cornered me with questions. Or, she’d try to persuade me about how good Brandon was.

Pushing open the door to my room, I heard my phone buzzing on the bed. It

217

was a call from Lisa.

“How was the first day of your trip? Any joys or gains?” Lisa’s voice sounded tired. As a top–notch doctor, it wasn’t easy for her. She often spent five or six hours straight in surgery. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Lying on the bed, I reflected on the day and finally told Lisa. “Does a romantic encounter count as a gain?”

“What? That’s exciting!” Lisa exclaimed and sounded excited.

I giggled and recounted the story about Brandon.

Lisa sighed, “Maddie, God is fair. When He closes a door, He opens another.”

“You haven’t even met him, yet you’re calling him an opportunity? Besides, I’m not in the mood right now.” As I said this, I felt a cool breeze pass through my

chest.

“A man who wants to marry you right away must mean that he fell in love with you at first sight,” Lisa said confidently as if she were an expert.

I snorted. “Why don’t you say he might have just found me attractive ?” I was confident in my looks, having won the beauty pageant.

“You said he’s a soldier. Trust the country.” Lisa’s thoughts aligned with mine.

I stayed silent, and Lisa continued, “I was worried you’d feel lonely and cold on this trip. But now you’ve had this romantic encounter. I believe you’ll soon heal from the wounds Chris left behind.”

Mentioning Chris made my heart feel heavy with a mix of grievance and suffocation. It was something I hadn’t felt yesterday. This feeling made me a bit nauseous and even gave me a slight urge to run to the restroom.

When I was nervous, upset, or uneasy, my stomach would act up.”

“Maddie, if I were you, I’d marry the soldier and show up at the Gildons doorstep. That’d shake up that bastard Chris. It saves you the trouble of arguing with the Gildons.” Lisa was an angel, but she could be quite venomous and ruthless.