a second chance in love

Chapter 8

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"And when I hold you in my arms I promise you
You're gonna feel a love that's beautiful and new
This time I'll love you even better than I ever did before
And you'll be in my heart forevermore"

- Starting Over Again by Natalie Cole

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After their time together was cut short by the lady herself, the following months welcomed Charles with silence. He hasn't heard anything from Diana and it worries him. Charles wanted to initiate a call but fought the urge to do so fearing that it might frighten her. His mind was set, Charles wanted to make things right with Diana.

He obviously won't achieve such a thing by sitting around, waiting for fate to bring them back together.

Charles had believed in fate once, yet, it only drove them away from each other. Perhaps it was time to hold the pen themselves and take this matter into their own hands.

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It was Monday morning. Her room was bright, light illuminating from the sun through the window just behind her bed. Diana had already drawn the curtains just before the sun rose so she didn't have any excuse to start her day late.

Diana was seated on a sofa, and in her hands was yet another romantic fiction by Barbara Cartland she had always been fond of. Books that always had deep fairy-tale-like elements attached to them. It's quite simple. There's a young, shy, virgin heroine, she marries Prince Charming, they have kids, they never quarrel, they don't have affairs, and they most certainly don't divorce. In short, the characters always live happily ever after.

Diana merely scoffs.

'It was nonsense that people gave so many flowers when someone died and had never thought to take them a bouquet when they were alive.' the book read.

Diana eyed the flowers from last week that sat above her side table— a very bright red colored chrysanthemum. Diana was not dense, and most especially not ignorant of the language of flowers. 'I love you,' it simply says. Last time it was blue salvia— 'I think of you.' Another was morning glory and red carnation— 'My affections have not weakened nor have they vanished. Alas, my poor heart aches.'

Diana had been receiving flowers every Monday for months now to no end, since her 'supposed' date with the Prince of Wales. There wasn't a single note nor an address attached to every bouquet that may give a clue as to who sent the flowers.

Her whole family, Sarah excluded, have wondered as to who might this mystery person be. But none have the courage to ask, so all of them remained in the dark. Diana figured it might be best to keep mum in the meantime.

"Another delivery for you and guess what, there's a note attached this time!" Sarah cheered boisterously as she barged in, carrying another bouquet of daisies. She situates herself beside Diana and when she is about to open the note, Diana straight up closes her book and leaps towards her older sister but alas, Sarah is already reading it out loud before Diana can even get her hands on it.

"'I cannot keep still; constantly at edge, the dreams of you come to taunt me, keeping me at night. Can we start over?' Strange, what does he mean by, 'Start over?'"

"GIVE ME THAT!" she calls out, snatching the note from her sister's grasp. Diana rereads the letter word for word and by the time she finished reading, her heart was thumping. Diana can practically feel her blood stopping from rushing through her veins, benumbing her.