Reputation's Bloom

Chapter 100. Wishes

Chapter 100

Lily

Lily knocked softly on Wendy's dorm room door, her heart thudding a little harder than she'd expected. She didn't know what she was walking into—only that her brother had come home with a hollow look in his eyes and a heartbreak. And Lily needed answers.

When the door opened, Wendy stood there, her hair pulled into a loose bun, eyes slightly puffy, and a faint tightness around her mouth that Lily immediately recognized as a sign she'd been crying.

"Hey," Lily said gently.

Wendy stepped aside without a word, letting her in.

Lily walked in slowly, her arms crossed over her chest as she turned to face her friend. "What happened?" she asked softly. "Mason's a mess. And you don't look so good either."

Wendy exhaled, rubbing the heel of her hand against her temple. "I didn't mean for it to be like this," she said, her voice low, like every word was a weight she had to drag out.

"Then why?" Lily asked, brows furrowing. "Why break his heart if you didn't mean to?"

Wendy sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "Because he deserves more than what I can give him," she said finally. "Mason... he's so full of love. He cares so deeply, so openly. And I—" Her voice cracked, and she blinked fast. "I'm just not built that way, Lily. I can't love him back the way he wants to be loved."

Lily's expression softened as she moved closer. "Wendy, don't do this. Don't push him away just because you're scared you're not enough. Mason doesn't need perfect. His day is made if you evenjust look at him."

"But that's the problem," Wendy said, shaking her head. "He thinks I'm enough. He thinks I'm everything. And what if one day he realizes I'm not? What if one day he realizes he gave up on his hopes and dreams because he settled for me?" Her voice cracked again, and she looked down at her hands. "I'd rather walk away now than watch him lose himself."

Lily knelt in front of her, gently resting her hand over Wendy's. "You don't get to decide how much you are worth to him. If he's choosing you, it's because you're who he wants. Don't break his heart just to protect him from a fear that might never come true."

Wendy's eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling as she whispered, "But I am hurting him, Lily. Every day that I stay and pretend, I hurt him a little more. I see it in his eyes when I pull away, when I can't say the things he deserves to hear. I can't keep doing that to him. I can't keep breaking a heart that only ever tried to love me."

Lily's throat tightened as she looked at her friend, the weight of Mason's pain echoing in her chest. "When someone cares for you like that," she said quietly, "you don't just walk away. You hold on. You fight for them. You meet them halfway even when you're scared. Do you know how rare it is for someone to love like Mason does?"

Wendy's lips trembled as she looked down again, struggling to steady herself. "You and Gabriel are different," she said, her voice soft but certain. "At least you both want the same things—love, marriage, a future... kids. You're headed toward the same destination, even if the road is messy."

Lily's heart gave a dull ache at the mention of Gabriel, but she stayed focused on Wendy, her brows drawing together. "This isn't about me and Gabriel."

"It is," Wendy said, meeting her gaze. "Because you keep thinking Mason and I could be like you two. But we're not. I'm not the girl who dreams about white dresses or a house with a picket fence. I'm not the person who knows how to plan a forever. And I'm scared, Lily. I'm scared he'll keep giving and giving until there's nothing left of him—and it'll be me who drained him dry."