When Fate Intervenes (Giselle and Anthony)

Giselle got this strange feeling as though many decades had passed when she met Melanie at a cafe.

The last she saw Melanie was a month ago. Curiously, Melanie looked a little gaunt and exhausted now. The state of her energy levels and complexion seemed to have deteriorated as compared to how she was before. Giselle was quite surprised as she took in those changes. Still, she greeted Melanie politely.

After making an order, the two of them, who were not familiar with each other to begin with, were at a loss for what to say.

Eventually, Melanie took the lead and broke the silence.

"Giselle, I asked you out today because I wanted to apologize to you. I'm sorry."

Upon receiving such a sincere apology, Giselle's eyes widened with shock. She quickly waved her hands before her.

"What happened between us wasn't that big of a deal. You didn't have to apologize to me."

The look of regret in Melanie's eyes grew more evident when she realized how forgiving Giselle was.

"I had no idea you and Tony were married back then, and I said a lot of hurtful things to you. I'm so sorry."

Giselle finally realized that Melanie was apologizing to her for that minor incident.

Somehow, she felt rather moved. Giselle looked at Melanie endearingly.

"I hid it from you in the first place. You had merely shared your true feelings. So, I won't take it to heart. Besides, I had already made up my mind to get a divorce at the time.

"Your words even helped me strengthen my resolve, so I should be thanking you instead. Otherwise, it might have taken me a lot longer to get things over with."

Melanie knew that Giselle was only saying that to make her feel better. Still, she could not forgive herself for what she had done. Her eyes were bright with tears. "Tony and I are both responsible for how things have turned out today. What we did to you was wrong."

With Melanie insisting that the fault was on her, Giselle was not sure how to respond to that.

Melanie, who was overwhelmed with guilt, was overcome with emotion.

"Giselle, I also want to tell you that Tony and I have talked it out. He and I will only remain friends. So, can you give him another chance?"

The sudden change in topic made Giselle pause for a moment.

"Didn't these two like each other so

much that they'd get married to each other right after divorcing their respective partners? Why are both of them asking me to consider

ver

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reconciling with Anthony again?" Giselle pondered.

She had been having these questions on her mind for a while now. Finally, Giselle decided to ask straightforwardly, "He and I are divorced now. So, why haven't you two gotten together?" Melanie's voice was choking with emotion.

"I knew very early on that Tony liked me, but I only saw him as someone who was like an elder brother to me all along. So, I acted as if I had no idea about his feelings.

"A few months after I married my first love, I caught my then-husband cheating. I was completely heartbroken at the time.

"Back then, Tony had helped me get through some of the darkest moments of my life. I didn't know he was married, so I thought he still liked me. Gradually, I fell for him.

"However, as time went by, I could sense that the way he was nice to me was different from how he was in the past. Back then, I could see the attraction he felt toward me through his gaze.

"Yet, after I got a divorce, even

though Tony still tried his best to help me, kept getting the feeling that he was treating me well like an older brother would. Sometimes, it ever felt like I actually had two older brothers.

"Didn't we talk about a lot of things the other day? In the end, I asked you what you thought about Tony because I was confused about a lot of things.

"I couldn't say for sure how he felt about me. After listening to your answer, I thought I got the wrong impression previously. That was how I started having thoughts of dating Tony.

"After you divorced Tony and went

missing, I finally learned the truth from him when I went looking for Tony. I was so overwhelmed with regret. After all, my marriage ended because my husband got involved with another person.

"That's why I can't forgive myself for ruining Tony's marriage. Regardless of how he sees it, from that moment onward, he and I can only ever be friends.

"Later on, I also saw how Anthony tried to look for you everywhere like a madman. I could see from his eyes the look he once had back when he liked me. Then, I finally understood that my gut feelings were right. "He doesn't like me anymore. He has his own family, and he's overcome his past sorrows and started a new chapter of his life. Everything was supposed to take a turn for the better for him, yet I changed that. "Giselle, how am I supposed to not feel bad about it?"