ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 3 - Season 11 Episode 12

George smiled and delightedly expressed his gratitude before he turned his attention back to Sula. He shrugged at her and explained in a casual manner, “He’s my friend. There’s nothing to worry about. I know him. He’s just kidding, so don’t take it to heart.”

Sula shook her head slightly and said, “Forget it.” Then again, she was more bothered about his behavior, so she asked in confusion, “What I don’t understand though is why you didn’t tell him that I am not your fiancee?”

Deep inside, she felt a bit of joy in her heart. However, she suddenly felt like on crossroads. On one hand, she expected an answer; on the other hand, she was afraid that the answer she was about to hear was something that might take that bit of joy away. Still, she had to ask him so as not to keep being bothered about this all. She wore an emotionless face so that he would not be able to read the fear and expectation on her face.

George looked at her and chose to ignore her question. He heaved a sigh as a smile formed on his face. “How do you like it here?” he asked, his eyes around the place and finally landing into Sula as he waited for her answer.

Sula’s eyes widened a little bit in surprise at him for changing the subject, but she was quick to regain her composure. She did not want George to think that she was desperate. She stood by the French window and removed her eyes from George to look out. The whole place was splashed and glazed with different and beautiful colors created by the lovely flowers patched on the ground, stretching all the way from the vast land and into the distance.

She took in the mesmerizing landscape for a while, wondering what he expected her to say. Finally, she replied, “This place does look lovely.” She then turned to face him and added, “A good place to unwind and to breathe. Maybe have some peaceful tea with friends.”

“Exactly.” George nodded as he replied in agreement. Encouraged by Sula’s same opinion of the place, George started to point out and describe the charming points of the place. “Being away from the center of the city, it is no wonder that the natural system around here provides good air quality, better and clearer than most places, as well as organic and healthy food. Besides the sense of smell and taste, our sight, too, feeds on the breathtaking view. Oh, and look, over there. You can see people having a wedding ceremony on the grass.

Choosing this place for such a valuable occasion speaks volumes of this place.”
Sula looked over the direction George was pointing. There were indeed people wearing lilac themed dresses and ties. Lilac and white balloons sprinkled the bright blue sky. What caught her eyes most, however, was the bride. Her snow-white wedding dress was shining and complimenting the fresh color shade of green. She was hard to miss and for some reason, she felt a pang of sting deep in her heart.

She sighed under her breath, and without taking her eyes off the people, she gave out a bitter smile and said, “Indeed, it is a sweet and romantic place to have weddings.”

To hide the ache inside her heart, she turned to him and complained, “Say, are you trying to show me the place where you and Miss Myers are going to get married?

Bringing me here is a mistake. You are cruel for doing this, don’t you know that?”

She chuckled and was about to tease him more until she caught his eyes, which strangely turned serious, making her stop talking. She swallowed a lump on her throat before she spoke again.

“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Have I said anything wrong? Is there something on my face?”

George frowned a little as he stepped closer towards her, making Sula’s heart beat race. With a soft voice, he said, “Sula, it won’t be Holley and my wedding. It will be ours, you and I.”

Sula’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? What are you talking about?” she cried, trying to absorb what she just heard right now, and deduced whether or not she heard him right. Thinking that this might all be a joke, she chuckled under her breath. However, she immediately stopped when she noticed how his eyes looked at her in such seriousness that it looked like he actually meant what he just said. Her cheeks turned pink as she said, “Stop making fun of me! This is not funny at all.”

As she felt the warmth on her cheeks, she was about to turn her back on him, but George was able to pull her to face him back by holding her hands.

Sula felt embarrassed as she felt George’s eyes frozen on her face that she was able to look at anything but him. “Let me go!” she demanded.

“Sula, please,” George said, making Sula stop struggling and face him unconsciously. When he got her attention, he felt even more determined to speak the words in his heart. “I know that this is all too sudden for you, but I really have thought this over and took you here to ask for…your hand in marriage.”

“Stop! Don’t say another word!” she interrupted. This was really too sudden for her and too overwhelming to the point that she felt hesitant and almost afraid to answer. “I-I don’t know what happened to you and Miss Myers, but I have already made up my mind to leave the city and decided that I will never stand between you two. So please, cut the act, and stop making fun of me anymore.”

Sula gave George a serious look, not minding anymore if she was expressing what she truly felt. Before he could reply, she added, “Well, it is true that I love you, but I already have accepted long before that I will have no place in your heart.

That’s why I gave up hoping that we could be together.”

George looked at her in surprise and awe. This was the first time Sula had been actually expressing her genuine feelings. He held her hands firmly and said, “Believe me, I’m not making fun of you.” He felt sad and down when Sula still did not believe him, but he continued, “I remember you mentioned that you dream of a lawn wedding, so how about this place? This place is perfect, isn’t it? Just say the word, and I will make a reservation here immediately, and then we can arrange the rest of the wedding preparations as soon as the date is set. What do you think?”

Sula was driving mad at all this. “What the hell do you want, George?” She managed to push him away, making George finally let go of her. She buried her face under her palms and cried, “I don’t understand. In fact, I am very much confused right now. What did you do to me the time I still hoped that you would love me back? You just pushed me away and ignored me as if it was really impossible for you to love me back.

However, right now, when I already decided that I would give up on you and leave for good, you are asking me to marry you. What is it that you really want after all?”

She took her hands off her face to look at him for a moment and then turned to look down on the floor. She heaved a deep breath before she continued, “I beg you, George. Please, just let me go. I don’t want to be the spice of your life. I’ve already accepted my place in your life, so please.”

George tenderly seized her shoulders and said in a gentle voice, “Sula, look at me.” She hesitated for a moment and eventually looked at him. He then said, “Listen to me first. Don’t reject me right away or even speak until I am done speaking, okay? Just know that I meant every word that I said a while ago and those that I will be saying right now, so please listen.”

Sula wanted to turn her back again and push herself away from him, but she knew she was already trapped in those dark but soft eyes the moment she stared at them. She could do nothing or even say nothing but listen to what he was about to say.

George cleared his throat and started to speak. “First of all, I would like to apologize for hurting you deeply. I realized that I had done so many foolish things for Holley before, and I had let you and my mother down. It wasn’t my intention, but still, I admit that I had done you wrong. Right at this moment, I have decided that I am ready to pay for my mistakes. I promise. I will let the past stay in the past, and for my present and future, I want to live with you for the rest of my life. Believe me, Sula. I mean what I say. I will be nice to you, and I promise that I will make you happy as you deserve to be.”

Sula looked at him in his eyes for a moment, trying to find any hint of lie in them. When she found nothing, she shook her head and said, “I still don’t understand you. Do you really mean that you want to marry me?”

George felt down for still feeling a doubt in Sula’s heart, but he knew he deserved it, so he nodded eagerly and said with conviction, “Yes.”

Sula’s eyebrows furrowed into a frown as she asked, “But, why?” Here was George in front of him. He was the man, who had just claimed that he was going to lay his life down for Holley, and now that very same man was asking her to marry him. She was very much confused at this sudden change of heart.

George heaved a deep sigh. “Well, you see, I need to thank you for exposing the truth about Holley. Last night, when you got drunk, you had said something about her, which made me see right through her. It was like the final piece to a puzzle I didn’t know. I was trying to figure out until that piece of information you told me was a perfect fit. Holley has been cheating me all these years. I feel disappointed with myself for not realizing that sooner.”

He paused for a while to look down on the floor and then returned his gaze back to Sula before he added, “I admit that I did something wrong, so now I am very much determined to make up for it before it’s too late.

So please, Sula. Trust me. If you agree to marry me, I promise that I will make you happy, and you won’t have to worry about anything else.”

Without thinking, Sula asked suddenly, “Do you love me?” For Sula, that was the most important thing to consider before she could make any further decision on this matter. Regardless whether or not George really meant what he said, Sula had to know his feelings towards her to even consider answering his marriage proposal.

Love?

As for George, the question caught him off guard that he was left speechless.

Sula looked at him and saw the hesitation in his eyes, which made her feel sad. His hesitation answered it all. It was clear that he did not love her back.

After knowing that his beloved had been cheating on him, he probably just proposed out of impulse, and since she was the person beside him when he felt sad and down, she was the one he asked to. At this point, if she was not there for him, he would probably have asked anyone.

At this thought, a bitter smile formed on Sula’s face to cover the fact that her heart ached even more. She knew that she loved him, but it was not enough to accept his marriage proposal. Even though she could not deny her love for him, the mere fact that George did not reciprocate that love gave her no intention to say yes.

Sula heaved a deep sigh and raised her head to look at him straight in the eyes. “If you don’t love me, then why offer to marry me?”