Chapter 200 Under the Stars
The night was cool and quiet, with a soft breeze brushing against the trees outside Annabelle’s home. The stars above shone brightly, scattered like diamonds across the dark sky.
Annabelle had just returned from a long day at the office. Her heels clicked lightly against the path as she walked toward her front door, humming softly to herself. She looked peaceful—calm in a way she hadn’t been in years. But as she lifted her eyes, her steps slowed.
Someone was waiting for her.
Fred stood at the end of the path, half-hidden in the shadows. His hands were in his pockets, and his shoulders were tense. When he saw her, he straightened, his face filled with something she hadn’t seen in a long time—pain mixed with hope.
“Annabelle,” he said quietly, his voice almost breaking.
Annabelle froze for a moment. She hadn’t seen him since the trial, since everything fell apart. Memories rushed through her—his betrayal, her anger, the lies. But she also remembered the laughter they once shared, the warmth of his smile, and how safe she had felt with him before everything went wrong.
“Fred?” she said softly. “What are you doing here?”
He stepped closer, the porch light touching his tired face. He looked different—older, worn, and guilty. “I needed to see you,” he said. “Please, just a few minutes. I owe you an explanation.”
Annabelle hesitated. Her first instinct was to walk away. But something in his eyes stopped her. There was no arrogance, no excuses—just sorrow. She sighed, folded her arms, and nodded slightly. “All right,” she said. “I’m listening.”
Fred took a deep breath. “You deserve to know why I did what I did,” he began. “I never wanted to betray you. You have to believe that.”
“Then why did you?” she asked quietly, her tone calm but steady.
He swallowed hard. “Victoria found out about my sister. You remember Lily—she’s been sick for years. Victoria threatened to stop her treatments if I didn’t help her. She also said she’d ruin my family. I thought I could find a way around it, that I could protect you and my sister at the same time. But I was wrong.” His voice shook. “I was so wrong, Annabelle.”
Annabelle’s face softened, though she didn’t speak yet. Fred continued, his voice low and filled with regret.
“Every time I lied to you, it tore me apart. I couldn’t sleep. I hated myself. But I was trapped. Victoria controlled everything—my job, my finances, my sister’s medical care. I let fear make me weak. And in the end, I hurt the one person who believed in me.”
He took a shaky breath and looked down. “I’m not asking for forgiveness,” he whispered. “I just needed you to know the truth.”
Annabelle’s heart ached as she listened. She could see the truth in his trembling hands, in the pain etched across his face. The anger she once held had burned away over time, replaced now by quiet understanding.
“I didn’t know,” she said softly. “You never told me.”
“I couldn’t,” he said. “Victoria made sure of that. If I said a word, she’d have destroyed everything.”
Silence settled between them for a long moment. The only sound was the rustling of leaves and the distant hum of the sea.
Annabelle finally stepped closer. Her voice was gentle but sure. “Fred, I was so angry with you for a long time. I thought you were just like the others—selfish and cruel. But looking at you now, I can see you were just… scared.”
He looked up quickly, his eyes glistening. “I was,” he said hoarsely. “But that doesn’t excuse it. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
“No,” she agreed softly. “I didn’t. But I can see that you’ve carried this guilt for a long time.”
Fred nodded, unable to speak.
“I forgive you,” Annabelle said quietly.
His breath caught. “You—what?”
“I forgive you,” she repeated, her voice warm but steady. “Not because it’s easy, and not because I’ve forgotten. But because holding on to the pain won’t help either of us. You were forced into an impossible choice, and I can’t hate you for that anymore.”
For a moment, Fred said nothing. He simply stared at her, as if trying to believe her words were real. Then, slowly, tears filled his eyes. “Annabelle…” he whispered. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
She smiled faintly. “Maybe I do.”
Fred took a hesitant step closer. The distance between them felt smaller now, filled not with bitterness but something fragile—hope. “There’s something else I need to say,” he said. “Something I’ve held back for too long.”
Annabelle tilted her head, watching him. “What is it?”
He met her gaze, his voice trembling but honest. “I never stopped loving you. Not for a single day. Even when everything went wrong, even when I was forced to hurt you—I still loved you. That’s what made it unbearable.”
Annabelle’s eyes widened slightly. The confession hung in the air between them, raw and unguarded. For a long moment, she said nothing, her heart pounding.
“Fred…” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.
He stepped closer again, his tone soft. “I’m not expecting anything. I just needed you to know the truth. You’ve always been the best part of me.”
Annabelle looked down, her mind swirling. She had promised herself she wouldn’t fall again, that love was too dangerous. But standing before him now, seeing the man who had once broken her heart stripped of pride and fear, she felt something shift inside her.
When she looked up, her eyes met his, and the truth slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “I still love you too.”
Fred blinked, stunned. “You… you do?”
She nodded slowly, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I tried not to. I told myself it was over, that I had moved on. But I never stopped caring.”
Emotion broke across his face like a wave. Without thinking, he reached for her hand. She didn’t pull away.
The two stood beneath the quiet night sky, the stars shining gently above them. Fred’s thumb brushed against her skin as if afraid she would vanish. “I don’t deserve this,” he said.
“Maybe not,” Annabelle said softly. “But we both deserve a chance to start again.”
Fred smiled through his tears, and she stepped into his arms. The embrace was slow, careful, but full of years of unspoken words and buried feelings.
Above them, the stars seemed to glow brighter, the night holding their secret close.
He went down on his knees and brought out a diamond ring. “Will you marry me, Belle?”
Anabelle gasped, her hands flying to her mouth but she nodded quickly. “Yes. Yes, Fred. I would!”
For the first time in a long while, Annabelle’s heart felt light—not broken, not guarded, but whole again. And as they stood together beneath the vast, starlit sky, it felt like the beginning of something new.