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Chapter 132: Chapter 132: The Life I Was Afraid to Choose

Audrey walked through the front door of her parents’ house.

Her small overnight bag felt incredibly heavy in her hand. She closed the door quietly behind her.

Her mother was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of tea. She immediately noticed the bag resting against Audrey’s leg.

”You’re staying?” her mother asked, her eyebrows rising.

”Just for a little while,” Audrey said quietly.

Her father looked up from his reading glasses in the living room. He set his book down on the coffee table.

Neither of them pushed immediately. They knew her entirely too well. They saw her red, swollen eyes. They saw the pale exhaustion on her face. They knew exactly when something was terribly wrong.

Her mother wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked closer.

”Did something happen with Alexander?” her mother asked gently.

Audrey went completely quiet. She set her bag down on the floor.

”We broke up,” Audrey said.

Total silence fell over the house.

Her mother looked genuinely shocked. Her father slowly stood up from his armchair.

”What?” her father asked.

”I ended things with Alexander,” Audrey repeated. Her voice trembled, but it didn’t break.

Her parents didn’t immediately get angry at Alexander. They didn’t celebrate Mason.

They loved Alexander too. He was kind, stable, and completely safe. That was exactly what made this so incredibly difficult for everyone.

Her mother stepped forward, her face lined with worry.

”Did he do something?” her mother asked softly.

”No,” Audrey shook her head.

”Did you fight?”

”No.”

”Then why?”

Audrey struggled to find the words. She stared at the hardwood floor. There wasn’t an easy villain in this story. No one had done anything wrong.

”I still love someone else,” Audrey finally admitted.

Her parents exchanged a long, heavy look.

Her father leaned heavily against the back of his chair.

”Mason?” he asked quietly.

Audrey nodded.

That single name carried a massive amount of weight in this house. Her mother clearly remembered how entirely serious Audrey was about him years ago. She remembered the absolute heartbreak of the airport.

”I thought you had moved on,” her mother whispered.

”I thought I did too,” Audrey explained, her eyes filling with tears. ”But I hadn’t. And I just can’t continue pretending otherwise.”

Her mother walked over and gently guided Audrey to sit down on the hallway bench. She sat right beside her.

”Does Mason know?” her mother asked.

”Yes.”

”And you’re together?”

Audrey hesitated for a fraction of a second. ”Not yet.”

Her mother looked confused.

”But you want to be?”

Audrey smiled faintly.

”Very much.”

Her mother studied her face incredibly closely.

”Are you sure, Audrey?” her mother asked.

Audrey looked at her. ”I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

Her father walked over. He wasn’t immediately convinced. He looked at his daughter with deep concern.

”Audrey, you just ended a serious relationship,” her father warned gently. ”Don’t make another massive decision simply because you’re hurting.”

”I’m not,” Audrey told him.

She looked at both of them. Her eyes were completely clear, despite the tears.

”I spent seven years trying not to make this decision,” Audrey said.

That completely got their attention. They realized she wasn’t speaking impulsively. She wasn’t reacting to a sudden fight. She was finally admitting a heavy truth she had been desperately running from.

”Alexander was good to me,” Audrey told them.

Her voice was thick with emotion. She absolutely refused to diminish him. He didn’t deserve to be painted as a mistake.

”Then why?” her mother asked, clearly heartbroken for the man she had come to view as a future son-in-law.

Audrey’s eyes spilled over.

”Because being loved by someone doesn’t mean you can force yourself to love them in the same way,” Audrey whispered.

Her parents went entirely silent.

That was the tragic reality. She wasn’t saying Alexander wasn’t enough. She was accepting that love wasn’t a merit competition. He deserved someone who loved him completely, without any ghosts standing between them.

Her father let out a long, heavy sigh.

”He’s going to be hurt,” her father noted sadly.

”I know,” Audrey nodded.

”Are you?”

Audrey gave a tiny, completely broken smile. ”Very.”

Her mother reached out and pulled her into a warm hug.

”You can stay here,” her mother said softly.

Audrey nodded against her shoulder. ”I’ll find somewhere of my own soon.”

”There’s no rush,” her father added gently. ”You don’t have to figure out your entire future this week.”

For once, Audrey just let herself accept the help.

She picked up her heavy bag and carried it upstairs. When she walked into her childhood bedroom and closed the door, the absolute weight of the last twenty-four hours finally hit her.

She sat on the edge of the familiar bed.

She had chosen Mason.

But choosing him didn’t make losing Alexander painless.

Across the city, the morning traffic was heavy.

Chloe and Leo were driving toward the medical district. They were heading to the fertility specialist.

Chloe was completely nervous. She kept twisting the rings on her fingers. It wasn’t because she didn’t want the possibility. She wanted it more than anything in the world.

And that made the uncertainty absolutely frightening.

Leo drove smoothly, keeping his eyes on the road.

Chloe kept looking down at the appointment information glowing on her phone screen.

”What if they say no?” Chloe asked quietly.

Leo glanced at her. ”Then we hear what they have to say.”

”And if there’s nothing they can do?” Chloe pushed.

”Then we’ll figure out what comes next,” Leo said calmly.

Chloe looked at him. His profile was strong and steady.

”You’ve already thought about this,” Chloe realized.

”I’ve thought about everything,” Leo admitted.

She smiled faintly. ”Of course you have.”

At a red light, Chloe reached across the center console and grabbed his warm hand.

”I’m scared,” Chloe whispered.

Leo immediately squeezed her fingers.

”You don’t have to be brave for me,” Leo told her.

She looked at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. ”I want a baby so badly, Leo.”

”I know.”

”And I’m terrified of getting my hopes up,” she cried softly.

Leo’s expression completely softened. He lifted her hand and pressed a gentle kiss against her knuckles.

”Then don’t promise yourself anything today,” Leo said firmly.

He looked directly into her eyes.

”Just go to the appointment,” Leo told her. ”We are just asking questions.”

It was exactly what she needed to hear. He wasn’t promising a guaranteed miracle. He was just promising to stand by her while they found out the truth together.

They arrived at the specialist’s clinic.

The waiting room was quiet, filled with soft music and comfortable chairs. Chloe sat right beside Leo.

For the very first time in months, she wasn’t alone with her fear.

She looked down at their joined hands resting on his knee.

”Thank you,” Chloe said softly.

Leo looked slightly confused. ”For what?”

”For fighting for us.”

Leo smiled. The warm, loving light was completely back in his dark eyes.

”You’re my wife,” Leo said simply.

A comfortable pause passed between them.

”Of course I’m fighting for us,” Leo added.

Audrey lay on her back on her childhood bed.

The room was completely quiet. Suddenly, her cell phone lit up on the nightstand.

She reached over and grabbed it.

Mason: Did you get there safely?

She smiled. The heavy ache in her chest eased just a little bit.

Audrey: Yes.

A few seconds later, another message popped up.

Mason: Your parents didn’t kill me through the phone, did they?

Audrey actually laughed out loud.

Audrey: They haven’t met you yet.

There was a pause. She watched the typing bubble appear and disappear.

Mason: That’s reassuring.

She smiled brightly at the screen.

But then, her expression slowly changed. A deep sense of wonder washed over her.

For seven long years, Mason was just a memory she carried completely alone. He was a ghost she couldn’t talk to. He was a closed door she refused to look at.

Now, he was someone she could actually text.

He was someone waiting for her. He was someone who knew exactly where she was.

And he was the man she had chosen.

She typed quickly.

Audrey: I’ll see you tomorrow.

Mason replied almost instantly.

Mason: I’ll be waiting.

Audrey put the phone against her chest.

Downstairs, she could hear her parents talking quietly in the kitchen, carefully worrying about her future.

Across the city, Chloe and Leo sat outside a doctor’s office, nervously waiting to hear whether they had another chance at becoming parents.

And somewhere else in a quiet penthouse, Mason was waiting for tomorrow.

For the very first time, Audrey wasn’t afraid.

She had spent seven years running from the life she wanted.

Now, she was finally walking toward it.