It wasn’t him. It was someone else. It was something else. It wasn’t him.
Elsie’s face burned. But I wanted it to be him.
“Elsie. Please. Please talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t know why you think there is when there isn’t.”
“What have I done wrong?”
She stopped in the middle of her driveway.
“Why won’t you look at me? Why won’t you just—”
“Hildreth, please. Just stop.” She turned to face him. “I’m tired and that’s all. It’s not you. It’s…”
His face fell.
“It’s nothing but tiredness. That’s all.” And I am tired. Tired of being tugged between Hildreth and Ambrose when all I really want is Hildreth.
“Is it that vampire again?”
Her face burned like a wildfire. She turned and walked stiff-backed to her house.
“Oh, Elsie. Why?”
She pulled out her house key and unlocked the front door.
He came over to her. “Elsie.”
“Elsie…” His voice made her simple name sound like something sparkling.
She shuddered.
He laid his hands on her shoulders.
“So, then. Let’s dance.”
Elsie opened the door, entered her house, and left Hildreth without even a good-bye.
She took off her coat, kicked off her boots, and she saw Ambrose’s face.
His black eyes. Looking at her. Admiring her. Wanting her. Loving her.
She felt his touch. Always too warm. His breath on her skin.
His kiss.
His kisses turned more eager and passionate, making her heart flutter and her pulse dance.
“Stupid vampire. Stupid rotten worthless vampire!”
She went downstairs to her training room.
He grabbed her hair and whacked her head against the floor.
She punched the boxing dummy. Over and over.
He lunged for her throat.
Stupid vampire.
Stupid.
Rotten.
Worthless.
Scum.
Of a.
Vampire.
She felt the sharp sting of his fangs piercing her wrist.
She screamed and punched the dummy harder and faster until her knuckles bled.
Elsie saw Hildreth.
His green-blue eyes.
His light brown hair.
His smile.
His patience.
How deeply he adored her.
She stopped in mid-punch.
He loves me.
Even though I can be so difficult, he loves me. And he has stayed with me through all of my ups and downs.
“I am the worst kind of idiot imaginable.”
She pulled out her cellphone and dialed his number.
The phone rang and rang and rang.
“Pickuppickuppickup.”
“Hello?”
“Hildreth.”
“Elsie. What—”
“Don’t talk. Just come back here. Please come back to me.”
He didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll be right there.”
ambroseandelsie 
Wow! 👏 👏 👏 👏
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Thank you!
This was Elsie’s big epiphany moment where she realizes just how right Hildreth is for her. Hopefully, she’ll start treating him better. 😉
I will say that I still feel bad for Hildreth because of *upcoming spoilers*. But it will take me probably several chapters to get to that *point of spoilerage*. And, even though it makes me feel bad to admit it, I’m totally looking forward to writing that part. 😀
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Haha, I understand. It’s good she now realizes it.
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I figured it was about time she connected those dots. 😆
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😆😆😆
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I like how in these last few parts you have been showing the growing nature of their relationship. There are tender moments, action moments, and just moments where both of them are trying not to reveal what they are thinking. I feel the storm building in all this, and I like that slow, steady progression. 🙂
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Thank you!
I’m very happy with how their relationship is turning out. I really didn’t want her to do a sudden jump from missing Ambrose in one chapter and then confessing her love for Hildreth in the next. I was hoping to show the growth of her feelings for Hildreth. So when WQX moment arrives, her reaction will feel natural and convincing.
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Wait, nevermind! I know what Hildreth looks like now lol
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For a moment there I thought it was going to turn into a huge fight between Hildreth and Elsie because he wouldn’t give her space to sort through her thoughts and she’d say something she really regretted. Good thing she calmed down and realized how much he cared for her.
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Fortunately for him, he didn’t follow her into the house. I think that would have pushed her into exploding at him. Poor Hildreth! It made me happy to give her that cool down moment to figure things out.
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