Aitana went on, “And if you’re coming here just for me, then please don’t. If you’re here to seek my second uncle’s medical advice, I can’t stop you—but I won’t entertain you.
“My marriage is my decision. No elder in my family—second uncle, second aunt, or even my parents—can decide for me.”
She was telling Joaquin plainly that sweet-talking her relatives wouldn’t work.
Even her parents, who gently encouraged her to date, respected that the final choice was hers.
Joaquin stared at Aitana, his eyes pleading. He reached for her hand, but she drew back.
“Aitana,” he said hoarsely, “we’ve known each other for so many years. I liked you from the first moment I saw you. Back then you were still in school, and I was afraid to scare you or disrupt your studies. Plus, you were with Ibrahim.
“I kept my feelings hidden, waiting for the day you’d be free. I waited until you broke up with him. I knew you’d be hurting and wouldn’t want a new relationship right away, so I kept waiting.
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