Chapter 25

Laurel's tears started spilling into her coffee. Choking back sobs, she started telling a story Willow had never heard of. Chad had indeed once harbored feelings for Laurel—and she had sensed it long ago. However, having been indebted to her adoptive parents, she couldn't bring herself to commit something so morally taboo. The only thing she could do was run away, and she ended up marrying her ex-husband Jason Cadney in a hurry. "After the divorce, the first thing I did was to beg my parents to dissolve the adoption." Tears streamed down Laurel's face as she continued, "Chad was so gentle when he helped me with my divorce procedures, so I thought… I thought we could finally be together." She looked up tearfully at Willow. "But once you left, he started frantically looking for you everywhere. That's when I realized… he no longer loved me." Laurel's soft sobs blended into the soft piano music playing in the cafe, making the atmosphere seem all the more heartbreaking. She hiccuped a