My Daughter Taught Me To Stop Chasing Love Novels & Stories

“Thank you. Truly. I’m grateful you said that. At one point, I thought I was in love with you too.” His eyes flicker up. “But when I met Stephen,” I continue gently, “he showed me what real love actually is. Real love isn’t hiding someone. It isn’t taking them for granted. It isn’t blaming them for things you caused. Real love is loving every part of a person. And… that wasn’t us. Not really.” He smirks faintly. “You’re right. How’d you get so wise, at such a young age?” “My mom and my grandma,” I say. “I learned from the best.”

Without wasting a single second, I began typing my reply on my phone, pouring every ounce of love I had into the message. *“Oh, my sweet girl, no,”* I typed frantically, tears blurring my vision. *“Love is never a competition. Finding my biological family does not mean I have stopped loving you. You are my daughter, and nothing in this entire universe could ever replace you. I will never ask you to choose between your parents. I just want to rebuild our relationship, one small step at a time.”* I hit send, leaning back against the wooden garden chair, feeling completely emotionally exhausted. The realization washed over me that I was finally learning how to offer my daughter the exact kind o

"I know it isn't the one your mother left you." She held the box out to me. "I still want you to have it. Think of it as a blessing. I hope life treats you well from now on. Chris, I'm sorry." There were no tears this time. No begging either. She simply placed the box in my hand. "I used to think loving someone meant seeing if they'd come running for me. Now I know that when you love someone, you shouldn't make them spend their life chasing after you." I closed the box.

He paused, then looked at me with such warmth and devotion it made my heart ache. "Your mother taught me that, little one. She taught me that love is not something you feel. It is something you do. Every single day. Especially on the days when it is difficult." Elara followed his gaze to me, her eyes soft with reverence. "And you taught me that too, Mama. That love means staying. Even when it hurts. That is the greatest gift you ever gave me. The knowledge that I am loved… always. No matter what."

After dinner, I did what I usually did and went to the front desk to pay. The poor signal held me up for a while, and by the time I finally sorted everything out, my girlfriend and my best friend were nowhere to be seen. I called them more than a dozen times before they finally picked up. "You took too long, so we left without you. We're at the LEGO-building studio on the first floor. Come over." It was during holiday, so the mall was even more crowded than usual. I waited through two rounds of the elevator, but both were packed, so I had no choice but to take the escalator. By the time I reached the studio, there was not a single seat left. Nicole and my best friend were sitting side by

He waited a second and kept going. "I loved a woman before you. I'll always love her. You never once asked me to stop. You put her picture on the table today before I could think to ask. You loved my daughter before you had any reason to. You taught me that love isn't a pie you cut into smaller pieces. It's a house. You just keep building rooms." Somewhere in the back, Ann's mother let out a small, broken sound.

At least now, I could start healing. I finally understood what Lory meant when she said the greatest form of love was self-love. Clearly, I had been running a deficit in that department. I'd loved Damien while accepting every piece of shit he threw at me. Then came Alan, and once again, I loved him more than I loved myself. I was always the one understanding, compromising, waiting and hoping. I couldn't keep doing that. I was going to be a mother. If I wanted to teach my child to love and value themselves, I had to learn how to do it first.

"What if I can't?" "Then we try again." I pull her down, press a kiss to her forehead. "That's what living is. Trying. Failing. Trying again." She looks at me for a long moment. "When did you get so wise?" "When I stopped running." I smile. "Turns out, staying in one place teaches you things." "Like what?" "Like love isn't about never being afraid. It's about being afraid and staying anyway." She stares at me. Then she kisses me — soft and slow and full of promise.

"I betrayed them, and they disowned me as their daughter. I lived my life for six years in hell." "I know I did too much to you before, to you and Kyle that's why I apologize. I'm already forgiven by Kyle. It's just you and Mom and Dad who can't forgive me yet. I'm having a hard time, I'm having a hard time praying for your all forgiveness." Seeing her crying melts my heart. Somehow, she became my teacher when I was still in school. She was once a kind and loving teacher, not until she falls in love with Kyle. Maybe the saying 'when you love, you go blind' is true because that's what happened to her. She is blinded by her love which leads her to desperation.

He taught me a lot of things and lessons for keeps. Now, I'll love him the way he deserved. Because that's one of the things he taught me, to love without asking for exchange. I will love him right. I finally found my way home and it's him. I'm gonna be a good wife and a mother to our future child. The bad girl is now sweetly signing off. END