Chapter 257: All This Time
Sarah’s POV
I stared at Reagan, my breath caught somewhere between my chest and my throat. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. No one—no man—had ever said something like that to me before. His reason for helping Nancy wasn’t about favors or debts or power. It was... me.
He did confess his feelings for me a while back, but I didn’t realize how strong it was, or how desperate he was.
For as long as I can remember, my eyes have only been on Nick. Ever since our parents introduced us, he was the center of my world. I built my dreams around him, convinced that someday, if I tried hard enough, he’d look at me the same way I looked at him.
I’d even slept with other men in moments of frustration, hoping to numb the ache of waiting for him. But my heart never strayed. It always circled back to Nick.
I was so blinded by that love, so wrapped up in my own longing, that I never saw Reagan—never really saw him. All this time, I thought his kindness was just friendship, a habit, an easy generosity.
But now, as I stood here remembering every small thing he’s done for me, I can see the truth shimmering through: Reagan treated me differently. Different from Nancy. Different from every other woman. Even from his own sister, Vicky.
He was gentler with me. More careful. More patient. He never turned down my requests unless they’d harm me. That was his quiet way of loving me, a language I didn’t understand until now.
I don’t even know how I could remember those things now. Maybe a part of me somehow did feel his love for me, but I was too blinded by my own delusions. Maybe my subconscious kept those memories in the hope that someday my heart would see it too.
And I’m tired.
Tired of crying myself to sleep.
Tired of breaking my own heart over and over.
Tired of men who pretend to care but only ever want my body.
Nick will never love me. His heart is with Georgia, and no amount of waiting will change that. But mine—mine is overflowing. I have so much love inside me that it sometimes feels like I’m going to burst. I’ve always thought if only Nick gave me a chance, if only someone gave me a chance, I could finally pour it all out.
And here he is. Reagan. Standing right in front of me. The one man who’s been seeing me all along—not the pretty face, not the body, not the name—but me.
I might not love him yet, not in the way I’ve always imagined love should feel. But I want to be loved. I deserve to be loved. And deep down, in a place I don’t want to admit exists, I can feel it: this man will never leave me.
All I have to do is let him in.
Let him show me how beautiful his love could be.
Let him teach me what it feels like to be cherished.
This tired, wounded heart of mine has been chasing someone who will never be mine. Maybe it’s time to stop. Maybe it’s time to turn around and finally see the man who’s been waiting—Reagan.
And in this quiet moment, I think my heart is finally ready to say yes.
I stared at him, my chest tightening at the sight before me. "W-What do you mean, I—I don’t need to help Nancy anymore?" Reagan stammered.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him like this—vulnerable, trembling, unsure. Reagan was always the strong one, the steady one. The firstborn of the Knights. The self-declared leader who carried himself with quiet authority.
But tonight, he had stripped all of that away. His walls, his composure, the nonchalant mask he always wore—gone. In front of me stood not the untouchable Reagan Knight, but the man who had been silently holding his heart out to me all this time.
I took a slow breath, my voice shaking but sure. "What I’m saying is... I want to give ’us’ a try. With marriage in mind. Our parents already agreed to it, and I’m ready to as well. But..." I swallowed, pressing my hand to my chest. "...all I ask is a little time. I don’t want you to be a rebound, Reagan."
The words came easier as I went on, as though they’d been sitting inside me for years. "To tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. I’m tired. I want to move on from Nick. I think I’ve finally reached my limit.
And maybe—" my voice softened "—maybe I already knew this when I saw how he looked at Georgia the first time they met. He didn’t know it yet, but I saw it. I saw everything in his eyes. And maybe, at that point, I had already accepted that I had lost him. I was just too stubborn to admit it."
I met Reagan’s gaze, my heart trembling but steady now. "I know you’ve always known how I felt. And if you’ll let me—if you’ll help me take it one step at a time—then I’m saying yes. From this moment on, I’m entrusting my tired, wounded heart to you. Will you keep it safe?"
There. I’d said it.
My heart pounded, not from fear, but from a strange, dizzy excitement. Like a weight had been lifted from my chest. Like sunlight after years of rain.
For the first time in so long, I felt free—free from the prison of my own heartbreak. Free from chasing someone who was never mine.
I know I won’t forget Nick right away, but little by little, I will create a life that’s no longer revolving around his, but in mine, while Reagan is right by my side.
I watched Reagan cover his mouth with both hands, his eyes wide. Then, to my surprise, he turned away, crouching low, his shoulders trembling.
For a heartbeat, I was confused—until he stood again, tears streaking down his face. He wiped them quickly, but his smile was blinding as he crossed the room in two swift strides and wrapped me tightly in his arms.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Sarah!" he breathed against my hair, his voice breaking. "I swear you won’t regret this! I—I’ll do my best. I’ll be your best boyfriend, your fiancé, your husband. I’ll do everything to make you happy!"
And in his arms, feeling his heartbeat race against mine, I believed him. For the first time, I felt like maybe I could believe in love again, and this is the love that I have been looking for all this time.