He Promised Me A Home And Gave It To Her Chapter 09

In my sophomore year, I won a prestigious national scholarship.

The university invited me to speak at the freshman convocation as a student representative.

Before I went onstage, Summer straightened my collar.

“Nervous?”

“A little.”

“What for?”

She gave my shoulder an encouraging pat.

“It’s not like anyone out there is going to eat you alive.”

The auditorium was packed.

As I walked onto the stage, I spotted Orion in the back row.

In the end, he hadn’t dropped out to apply to Westhaven University.

He’d stayed at Kingswell University and continued studying the subject he loved most.

Jace and Julian were sitting beside him.

All three seemed much quieter than I remembered.

I looked away and finished my speech.

When the applause began, I suddenly thought of that rainy night when I was eighteen.

Back then, I’d stood outside three locked doors, convinced I had nowhere left to go.

But I’d since learned that there was more than one path I could take.

And having a home didn’t have to depend on someone else being willing to take me in.

After the ceremony, Orion was waiting for me backstage.

He held out a small box.

Inside was the ring.

“I’ve kept it all this time.”

“Elena, I won’t ever put you second to anyone again.”

“Could you give me another chance?”

He spoke slowly, without trying to pressure me or reach for my hand.

I picked up the ring.

Inside the band were two tiny initials: O & E.

I used to think seeing our initials together meant we’d be together forever.

Now they were just a reminder of a chapter of my life that had already ended.

“Orion, do you know why I don’t want this ring anymore?”

“It’s not because you went to the hospital with Vivian.”

“It’s because when I was waiting for you that day, I truly believed you were coming.”

“I waited from morning until dark.”

“Every time a nurse opened the door, I thought it was going to be you.”

Tears began rolling down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

I placed the ring back in its box.

“But you can’t turn back time just because you showed up too late.”

Jace stood a short distance away, his eyes red, too.

“What about us?”

“Can’t we even be friends anymore?”

I looked at all three of them.

“You saved me when I had nowhere else to go. And you really did care about me.”

“I’ll never pretend those good memories didn’t happen.”

“But I don’t want to go back to the way things were between us.”

Julian was the first to nod.

“I understand.”

He gave Jace’s arm a tug.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

Jace muttered under his breath.

“Of course you figure it out before I do.”

The three of them headed for the door.

Just before leaving, Orion turned around one last time.

“Elena.”

“Congratulations on graduating. I know I’m early.”

I smiled a little.

“You too.”

This time, he didn’t come after me.

And I didn’t stand there waiting for him.

Summer came running down the hall and thrust a lease into my arms.

“The landlord said we can have that apartment we liked!”

“Come on! If we don’t move fast, someone else is going to snap it up.”

I held the lease tightly against my chest.

“Let’s go.”

Outside, the sun was shining.

There was a new home waiting for me, and this time, I’d be picking up the keys myself.