LUCASAs I watched Ella get into her car and drive off, I smiled happily to myself. Tonight went really well, better than I had expected. I knew I had fallen too; I had fallen for her. She was such a sweet girl, full of life and so adorable. She had no idea how much effort it took for me to hold back tonight. I was actually looking for common ground between us; something fun we could do together. I could not remember the last time I went swimming though; it wasn't really a hobby for me. It was something I probably did once in two years but it was an opportunity to spend time with her, so when I heard her say that swimming was her hobby, I instantly took advantage of the opportunity and told her it was mine too. With that, I was able to arrange another date. This time, we will meet as a couple and I was so badly looking forward to it. As I drove back home, I kept thinking about how I was going to tell my daughter, Nova that I was now in a relationship. Since we were both open to

ELLAI did my best to prepare for my test, which was coming up in two days. However, I was distracted. Thoughts of Lucas filled my day and made it difficult for me to focus. But then, when the day came for me to write my test, I was still able to do well—not as good as I would have done if it were the old me, but pretty good enough.Nova had become even more friendly. She smiled at me that Friday since we both had our tests on the same day. Aiden also came around, but I didn't get the time to talk with him. After our test, Nova was all over him. At this point, it was obvious that something was going on between them. But for reasons best known to him, Aiden didn't want to tell me. I let it go because I believed that eventually, he was going to talk about it.That Friday night, I could barely sleep. I was filled with so much excitement as I knew that I was going to spend the next day with Lucas. Despite how busy he was, he still made out time to call me every night before going to bed.

Nova held on to Lucas' body as she cried. Lucas stared at Ella and then back at Nova, "What is it, Nova? Why do you keep crying?" he asked. Nova looked up at Ella and asked, "Why? Why did you do this to me, Ella?" Lucas stared at Ella in surprise, "What's going on here? What is she talking about, Ella?" Nova said, "Dad, I told you about Aiden, isn't it?" "Yes, you said he's your boyfriend. You guys have been going out and you were very happy about it," Lucas replied. Nova nodded, "Everything was all planned by Ella. She sent Aiden into my life, she sent him to pretend to be my boyfriend all because she wants to beat me in school, just for the sake of bigger grades. She sent Aiden to my life so he can destabilize me.""What?" Lucas looked at Ella who was shaking her head and said, "Ella? That's not possible." "But she did, Dad." Nova cried. "Do you remember the girl I used to refer to as my archenemy? Well, she's the one standing right in front of you. I'm pretty sure she's....

ELLAAfter listening to Aiden, I felt sick to my stomach. What a stupid excuse! He didn't want to hurt Nova, so he chose to date her and told her he loved her. That was a recipe for heartbreak, so how could he say he didn't want to hurt her? And his reasons for not telling me about his feelings for me were all crap. As far as I was concerned, Aiden betrayed me. He betrayed my trust. I loved him so much as a friend, and perhaps if I had known about his feelings for me, I wouldn't have been so close to him. I would have set boundaries.I was so close to him because I thought he saw me like a sister, just like I saw him as a brother. I thought he would never think of me in that way. I mean, we've been so close since we were little, but he broke my trust. He caused me so much pain, and now because of what he did, I may never get Lucas back. And that was the most painful part of it all.But no, I was not going to lie down and accept what I did not do. There were things I was guilty of, an

ELLAI was surprised when Nova took the initiative to speak to me and wanted me to meet someone. Although I wouldn't deny that a part of me was worried and afraid, as I knew Nova was vindictive. She may have thought of a plan to teach me a lesson or even get me beaten up. That was probably why she wanted me to meet someone. However, I couldn't back down. I had to meet this person because it was the only way to show my sincerity. Of course, I wasn't hoping that Lucas would forgive me, but getting Nova's anger to calm down would make me feel better. Maybe, just maybe, sometime in the future, she might not hate me so much, and Lucas might be inclined to take me back. As far as I was concerned, I was going to love him for probably the rest of my life.So I followed her, got into my car, and drove behind her. She was driving towards a private garden, which was high-end and very few people ventured there. I became scared considering how private it was. If it turned out that she was planni