Elizabeth's Choice (The Choice Series, Book 2)

Life after the elopement was not as wonderful as Elizabeth dreamt of. Love and passion were slowly devoured by the poor life and ugly reality. Charles Fairfax, the choice made by Elizabeth, was neither mature nor of good character. He treated her love with utmost unkind gestures. Elizabeth believed herself must have been blinded to seeing him attractive all those years ago! However, as they all said, when God closed the door, he would open a window for you. In Austria, Elizabeth met her childhood friend who now became a Baron Amsburg. Though she forgot about him, he never had. Could she redeem her first choice by her second one? Yet, could she find herself the courage to believe in love again after so miserably cheated by it?

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"Leave me, Friedrich," she silently wept, "I'm not to be toyed with nor obliged to receive your pathetic kindness."

He ignored her words, invaded their distance and said, almost in a beg, "I'm not as less tortured in love as you are. To have been waiting for the woman I love since boyhood and found her got married to a thug who absolutely didn't deserve her. And, to be told that my love for her is nothing but a pathetic kindness. My word! Elizabeth, you are -"

"Stop! Please stop!" she walked away from him and said with her gritting teeth, "I'm ruined! Don't you understand?"

He followed her path, held her waist and turned her to face him, "I'm in love with you! Don't you understand?" His burning eyes met with her soft blue ones, almost in tears he said carefully, "It's been twenty years since you stole my heart away. I love you. I've always loved you. I don't care what life made of you! My offer is not pathetic kindness. I love you! Don't you understand?"

He kissed her, with the most passionate heat she could ever feel in a man's arms. She felt, at that moment, he could have stolen her heart away too.