John (Third Person POV)

John could hardly believe that Ella had already been married and loved someone else. No matter how shocking, he knew this new information wouldn't, couldn't, stop him from loving her. He felt pity swell in him for her.

For a moment the world seemed to freeze, but he couldn't just let her go.

"I'll still wait for you, Ella. I can't just give up and abandon my love for you all because you were married and divorced. I love you from the very bottom of my heart and won't stop. Please just...think about it some more," he said in a low voice, not knowing what else he could possibly say.

Ella lowered her head so she didn't have to look at him. "John, I respect your feelings but you are young, handsome, and a very kindhearted man; you have a long life ahead of you. I don't know what will happen in the future but I hope and pray that you marry someone who will always love you truly," she mumbled, trying to hold herself steady as she got up from the seat.

"Thank you. If you ever need help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask me." John acted purely as a gentleman and asked to walk her to her own car.

John, strangely, didn't feel the stab of rejection as vividly as it would seem. He knew that Ella was the only woman whom he could ever wish to marry. And after listening to her heart-aching story and taking her to her car, he calmed himself down and went to drink, trying to forget what had happened.

Laura's POV

After Daniel left, my life seemed empty and colorless. Jennie was ill and had grown weak so it we barely talked. And John was sad about Ella's clear rejection.

"Didn't I warn you? She isn't the woman you can marry! She has loved someone and it's not easy for her to love again," I attempted to explain this to John who seemed quite upset while telling me of what had happened.

"But I like her! I just want her to trust me and at least give me a chance!" He groaned, frustrated.

"You do what you feel is right, just don't push her," I replied to him, vigorously calming myself down.

Later on, I decided to visit the Cancer Society and pay all the children a long-needed visit. They needed more funds so I decided to ask Stefan if he could help me out.

"Sure, Laura! I would love to help as well as I can." Stefan was the man whom I felt closest to, after John. He had always helped me when he could and acted like a perfect gentleman.

"I myself am in crisis these days, so I have asked my colleagues and friends to help you," Stefan told me with a tired, dark look in his eyes.

"Thank you Stefan, you have always helped like a true friend would. I'm so in your debt!" I chuckled.

Stefan laughed and gave me a shy smile.

"Don't thank me, Laura, it's my duty to help you out. I have always considered you as one of the most important people of my life." He gently kissed my hands, making me blush.

***

It was Friday morning and I was having breakfast when Walter gave me a surprise I never could have thought of.

"Laura, I have got two tickets for a trip to France. My ambassadors gave them to me for a work trip. So, if you want to...I mean, if you would like to..." he began to mumble.

"If I'd like to what?" I asked desperately, leaning on the edge of my seat.

He took a heavy breath. "Would you like to come with me? To France? It's only about two days unfortunately. I mean, I couldn't take you on a honeymoon and I figured this would be a good refreshment for you." He explained all of the details to me as my mouth hung open. I quickly came to my senses, though not knowing what to say.

'Don't even think, just say yes! This is your chance!' I was thinking in a flurry of excited thoughts.

"Are you sure you want to take me with you? It's your office trip...I might be a hurdle for you," I said, immediately regretting pointing this out.

"No! It's fine; only if you are willing to go." He smiled.

"Of course! I've never traveled so it will be fun. Thank you so much, Walter!" I said, secretly thanking him for being at least a bit kind to me.

"You should thank my ambassadors, not me." He smirked, getting up and leaving for the office.

I was so excited about the trip that I couldn't help but call Ella and blab away.

"Yes! We leave Sunday! I can't believe I will be spending all of my time with him," I told her excitedly about three minutes into our call.

"Better do something fun! We are all awaiting great news." Ella chuckled, making my heart flutter at what she was implying.

"Ella, stop it!" I groaned.

"Don't leave him alone; not for one minute," she giggled as we both talked away.

"Well, I wanted to ask why the hell did you break my best friend's heart?" I asked her once we'd finished discussing this trip.

For a moment there wasn't a response. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke.

"I don't want your best friend to suffer. He deserves someone better than me. Please, Laura, I can't do this." By the strained, husky tone of her voice I could tell she was fighting back tears.

"Ella, it's okay, but you need to open your heart and see how much people care about you. You have to get out of that dark past and live in a bright future." I don't know but somehow those words seeped out of my mouth.

"I'll think about it, but for now let me give you more tips about the trip!" she laughed away her tears.

***

It was Sunday morning. I was packing my things as well as Walter's because he was still busy working on finalizing a project. Being in his room for the third time was exciting as ever. His eyes were continuously on the laptop while my eyes were on him. Sometimes seeing his face alone made me want to kiss him so badly. I continued to stare at him while I folded his shorts.

"Don't stare at me! I'm not some science exhibit!" he smirked.

"What?! I am not looking at you! I was just...thinking about something," I cleared my throat.

"Something like...? How to spend a romantic night with me in Paris?" He laughed as I blushed crimson.

"No! That would be the last thing I'd think about! I am just thinking of how beautiful Paris will be and all the beautiful places we should visit," I told him who was constantly smiling.

"Poor me! I have such a boring wife!" He folded his hands under his head lying on the bed.

"I am not boring! You're the one who's boring! All you ever do is work!" Before he could respond, I muttered, "All your things are packed, check if you want!" I rushed out of the room, trying to act normal.

John came to see me off and I said goodbye to him as Walter's and I's things were being loaded onto the plane along with the luggage of the other passengers. While going to the departure area I began to feel weak and dizzy. I tried to hold myself up and took a painkiller for the time being.

After an hour we were ready to fly to Paris. I was sitting next to Walter in First Class. My condition was worsening with the time and I was feeling as if I was going to need to vomit into a little paper bag tucked into the back of the seat in front of me.

"Laura? Are you okay?" Walter held my arms tightly as I looked down at my feet. The plane floor was covered in an odd blue and green carpet. I groaned when a flight attendant rolled by with a cart of refreshments and asked if I wanted anything. Walter waved her away.

"I'm going to hurl," I said in a low tone so no one else would hear.

"Do you have travel sickness? What are you; an idiot? Why didn't you take some medicine before sitting on the plane!" Walter scolded me but at that time I quickly grabbed the trusty paper bag nearby and retched my regurgitated breakfast into it.

I was feeling extremely down. Walter quickly grabbed my arms and went to look all over his bags to find medicine. Thankfully the woman sitting behind us borrowed us an unlabeled tablet and I got to swallow it.

"We are about to take off. Please make sure your seat belts are adjusted and that all overhead luggage is secured." This was the last thing I could hear and I knew nothing about what happened after that.

"Laura! Laura! Wake up!" Walter jolted me awake as I slowly opened my eyes. Everything seemed blurry to me and my stomach was growling. I looked at him closely, trying to stand up.

"Where are we?" I questioned him who was standing looking angrily at me.

"We've arrived! You were sleeping the whole time. We have to get out of the plane and walk to the exit. My workers are waiting for me at the gate," he explained as I returned to my senses.

"Oh! We are in Paris?"

Walter just nodded.

"Sorry for causing you trouble," I said to him while walking with him as he was carrying all of the luggage.

"This was my biggest mistake; bringing you with me! Oh Lord, this is giving me a headache!" Walter scowled as we were waiting for his men to pick us up.

"Sorry! But it was my first time in plane." I mumbled.

"Seriously? Still...you should've said something about motion sickness," he grumbled.

Just after fifteen minutes his men reached to pick us. Thankfully they reached us or otherwise Walter would have buried me alive.

"Where are we going?" I asked quietly.

He didn't say anything and showed no expression on his obviously angry face; for some reason it was odd to hear him so quiet.

After one and half an hour we reached the beach hotel. It seemed that Walter had been here many times before as he was well acquainted with the hotel's layout. I was silently watching over him as the car stopped. A man in a black suite appeared and opened the gate for us.

"Good to see you, Sir." The man bowed in respect.

"Good to see you too," Walter said. I, who was standing behind, moved a bit forward to show myself.

"Ah, and this must be your wife," the man stated as if he didn't know who I was.

"Yes, Laura Scott," Walter told the man, placing his arms around my waist.

We quickly got inside the big hotel with a huge entering area. At the reception were two young, hot looking women staring at me as if I was a wanted murderer. Upon entering the gate, one of the two young women welcomed us.

"Hello sir, I'll show you to your room," she said politely to Walter while looking me all the way down.

"Here we are, I do hope you enjoy your stay," she said, still glaring at me.

I looked away to stare in awe at our room. The walls were painted a calming sea blue and the carpet was a sandy tan. Pictures of the ocean were hung around but I preferred to stare out the wall of glass at the real thing. I smiled in the direction of the balcony and the view it was set before. The ocean stretched wide and seagulls flew above it.

"Thank you, Emily," Walter smiled gently.

When she left, I said, "Just one room? I mean, one bed?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Don't tell me you want another room. Are you kidding me? A married couple asking for another room? I had no choice!" he exclaimed, acting like a child with the way he threw his arms up in the air.

"Fine, but there is no way I am sleeping on this floor!" I argued.

"Me either!" he said, lying down on the bed.

I went towards the large window, looking at the roaring waves. The weather in Paris was calm and soothing. It was late in the evening and I was feeling damn tired. Standing out on the balcony was one of the most peaceful moments of my life. The air seemed pure and was beyond refreshing as it filled my lungs with its warmth. Walter seemed normal as usual, lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Do you like the room, Laura?" he asked, standing and walking towards me and throwing himself on the arm-chair nearest the open balcony door.

"Like? I love it!" I said cheerfully.

"I'm glad," he said. I took the chair next to his. We remained silent.

"My mom never liked the ocean or living in coastal areas," he said with his eyes directed towards the high tides.

"Why is that so?" I asked.

"She was afraid of the waves and the noise of the shore. That's why, when I was small, she would never let me out of her grip. Ella and Dad walked to the deep side but my mom never did."

"Are you afraid of it too?" I asked.

"No. What about you?" he glanced curiously at me.

"Well...sometimes."

"I better get to sleep. We have to leave early tomorrow morning." With that he stood up and crawled to bed. As usual he removed his shirt and clambered beneath the thin sheets.

Exasperatedly, I asked, "Do you do it on purpose? There is a washroom, you know!" I couldn't stop myself from blushing.

"Like I care," he replied carelessly, making me want to murder him.

This feeling made me feel terrible and foolish at the same time. After changing myself and wearing shorts and just a small shirt I slowly walked to the corner of the bed.

"Can you turn on the lights please?" I said gently but it seemed he had already fallen asleep.

"What a jerk," I muttered, slowly crawling into the bed. It was quite dark and I was feeling scared and the asshole next to me was sleeping peacefully, making me feel like the most retarded person on the planet.

Somehow I managed to turn on the lamp on the bedside stand. I sighed and took a deep breath. I quickly moved towards the very edge of the bed, placing my pillow at the side. I took a deep sigh and tried to comfort myself.

This was the very first time I was sleeping next to Walter. I couldn't stop myself from drooling all over him. His hair was all messed up and he was lying on his front and his prominent jaw line seemed, if possible, even more prominent. His facial expressions were calm and relaxed and I just wanted to look at him forever. Without thinking, I moved towards him, leaning against his side. I was just about to place my hands on his forehead but he caught me.

"How long are you going to do this?" he asked with a grin plastered to his face.

"W-what?" I murmured, rolling a bit away and covering myself with the blanket.

"Staring at me the whole time? It's creepy," he said, changing his place to the opposite side.

"I saw a bed bug crawling over your forehead," I lied.

"Creepy stares are even more scary than a bed bug!" His giggle made me want to stab him.

"I wasn't staring! It was a bug!" I exclaimed.

"Good point for staring at me for even longer!"

"I said I didn't!" I snapped back at him angrily.

"Good night, Laura!" He said with a dismissive chuckle.

My mornings have never been so beautiful and soothing as they were in Paris. Rubbing my eyes gently, I felt a heavy hand over my body. Walter, that jackass, was still sleeping as if he were on drugs. With his hands all over my body. Gently moving myself away from him before something happened, I quickly got up and changed myself as fast as I could.

"Wake up! You are going to be late!" I shook him as hard as I could but I know his worst side is when he is sleeping.

"What's with you? I wanna sleep!" He growled, wrapping his arms around his head to shield it from the sunlight shining through the giant window wall.

"It's getting late; we have to visit many places, Walter! Don't give me that!" I cried, but he was acting like a big, hairy, stubborn baby.

"Take the card, the driver is waiting outside the hotel! Go where ever you want! I just wanna sleep!"

I was feeling extremely disappointed but I knew he was a heartless guy. "What the hell did I come here for?" I asked myself.

I just took the card and keys and ran downstairs. Before going to the car, I went to the beach. The weather looked beautiful and serene. The waves were now settled and a breeze of cold air was blowing gently. It was a bit colder there and the mud was cool. I walked towards the shore and gently sat atop a big rock. Seeing the sun shining brightly as ever made me comfortably warm; inside and out. It was time for me to tell Walter how I felt. I knew I was ready to be his wife forever; his real wife.

'I have to tell him, soon. I don't want to end this forever; I want him, need him, to be with me forever.' I thought.

Half an hour passed and I was still sitting along the beach side of the hotel. I quickly got up, rushing towards the main exit. The driver was waiting for me outside.

"Yes, Madam?" he bowed gracefully.

"I want to go to the best place here in Paris," I said hesitantly, obviously not knowing where to go.

"There are many, where would you like to go?" he asked as if I should know.

"Em...are there any famous markets and food streets here?" I asked him and he nodded.

"It's quite a rushy area. Please be sure to return to the car by five o'clock," he warned me but as we reached the spot, I told him goodbye and rushed towards the food street.

"Hello, beautiful woman, taste our famous Baguette Sandwich," a vender presented me the little sandwich and I quickly bought one. Tasting one bite of it made my mouth watery as I wandered around every single stall buying things. Without even caring what time it was, I went to a place famous for hats and shoes on a street adjacent to the food street. I bought every beautiful thing I saw at a glimpse. I also bought a couple of watches for Walter.

Looking at my watch, my heart stopped beating and I couldn't believe it was 6:30 pm.

"This is not good!" I said to myself while running towards the place where I asked the driver to pick me up at.

I swallowed hard and checked for my phone in my pockets. It wasn't there and the driver had left. I didn't even remember the name of my hotel. I picked up Walter's card from my pocket and stared at it. I didn't know what to do. I was sweating and feeling nervous. Everyone around me spoke French; none of them seemed to know English. I also had no money to go back by way of taxi.

It seemed that a group of weird guys were constantly staring at me from their huddle at the curb. I rushed forward in what I believed to be the general direction of the hotel and walked as fast as I could. I wished someone would just appear in front of me and rescue me.

"Miss Laura? You are Laura, if I'm not mistaken!" A tall man seemed to materialize in front of me, smiling broadly. Blake! Walter's school friend.

"Blake?" I responded.

"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" He seemed concerned. Finally I took a deep breath and after that I explained everything to him.

"Walter didn't come along with you? You shouldn't have come here by yourself," Blake told me but I was feeling terrible as it was. All I wanted to do was cry and hug Walter and never let him go.

"I just want to go back!" I cried, nearly in tears.

"You're going to be fine. I can drive you back to the hotel, I know where it is. Walter always visits me or I visit him when he is in Paris," he explained and decided to take me back to the hotel.

"He must be worried about you," Blake said, turning the car.

"Oh no, I'm sure hell be sleeping in his warm blanket. He is such an asshole sometimes!" I snorted in anger and Blake just smiled, accepting my anger.

"He sure is," he chuckled. As we reached the hotel I quickly rushed to my room but it was empty. Not seeing Walter almost made me freak out. I ran back out and told Blake that Walter was gone.

"He must be searching for you! I think we should call him," Blake suggested.

"But his phone is in his room!" I cried, remembering catching a glimpse of the phone left on the hotel bed, not knowing what else to do.

I decided to go the beach side and try and find Walter there. I was praying the whole time that everything was going to be okay.

Blake and I were scanning everywhere but Walter seemed to be nowhere. At the very last corner I finally spotted him standing with three men, shouting at them. Just seeing his face made me cry.

"Walter!" I waved hands and ran towards him. I quickly grabbed his arms and hugged him. I was holding him tightly while tears fell from my eyes to his shirt. It seemed he was in shock, not realizing how nervous I was.

"Everyone back to the hotel! Mr. Walter, please be careful next time," the hotel manager said as he and some of his employees headed back to the hotel.

"You have no idea what you did to me! I was so worried about you! Why did you leave? I was just half-joking; I didn't expect you to really leave me like that," Walter groaned.

"I am so sorry!" I was still grabbing at his arms and holding him tight.

"Stop crying, you idiot!" He pushed me back roughly. I wiped my tears and tried to calm myself. Blake walked up and looked at us, smiling.

"Hey pal! You must have brought her here!" Walter said waving hands to Blake who was watching us.

"No big deal! Make sure you don't leave her next time!" Blake said and went back.

Walking along the shore for a bit, I sat on a rock with Walter sitting next to me. I was feeling embarrassed and idiotic.

"If you could have waited, I would have shown you the best parts of Paris!" he said and hit my forehead with his knuckles like he always did.

"Ouch, I said I'm sorry! It won't happen next time! I was really nervous and the driver left me. It got late and I was all alone in that street of Paris!" I told him everything that had happened to me.

"You got me worried! I thought for a moment that I had lost you! All thanks to Blake, I didn't. I promise I will take you somewhere special tomorrow," he said, staring deep inside my heart.

"I can't wait to see it!" I said excitedly.

"Laura, the sky seems so clear; I can see the stars. Remember what you told me about that brightest star? I want to see it tonight," he said, looking up at the sky and searching for the star.

I began to laugh and giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked, confusion knitting his brow.

"That you are interested in it so much. You don't have to look at it with your eyes. You have to look at it with your heart," I explained, pointing towards the sky.

"What? How the hell am I supposed to do that?!"

"Walter! I can see it and I can feel it!" I said with a chuckle.

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed.

"At least I'm better than you at something...like seeing things that you can't!" I teased.

"And you are happy with that?" He rolled his eyes.

"Kind of," I smirked.

Out of the blue, his tone turned deathly serious, "Laura?"

"Yes?" I replied hesitantly.

"Will you leave me? Ever?" he asked.

For a moment my lips were sealed but I didn't know how to answer that.

"Not until you want," I smiled as tenderly as I could.

He took a deep breath. "Do you hate me?"

He was asking questions that I didn't how to answer.

"Honestly, I have never hated you; not completely." I replied.

"What if I love someone else and ask you to break up with me?"

My body froze as the world began to spin in hyper drive.

'He is asking me to break up with him?' I thought, my heart racing. I couldn't speak. 'We're over?' I rambled in my mind as tears fought my happy resolve.

A/N: Sorry guys for the late update!

Hope you like this romantic chap... I hope you'll comment and tell me how much did you like!

Please leave me a comment!

Also, guys please read this: the next upcoming chaps are very important and that's why don't miss to read them!

So the upcoming updates are going to be very important please make sure you read them :3

Love you all!
Happy Saturday :D
Ps: I love stitches
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