Chapter 1127: I Will Not Give Up

Hannah remained silent.

Justine spoke again, "Hannah, please don't take my earlier words to heart. You're Susan's best friend, you grew up with Manuel, and your parents and Edward are old friends. To me, you're always Hannah, and I hope you'll visit more often. And, not to mention, I’ve liked you since childhood and wanted to pair you with Manuel, but Susan beat you to it."

Hannah chuckled. "Manuel and Susan are a perfect match—he's careful, she's careless; he's introverted, she's passionate; he's cautious, she's easygoing. They complement each other perfectly. As for Manuel and me, we're too alike; there's no spark."

"I was initially dissatisfied with Susan because I thought my son deserved better," Justine continued, "but now I think..."

"You think she's a good person," Hannah finished, smiling.

"I'm not comparing you two," Justine quickly clarified.

"Don't worry about me being jealous of Susan," Hannah said. "I genuinely like her. She's pure-hearted and has a good character—qualities I admire."

"It seems fools do have all the luck," Justine added indulgently, smiling. "Anyway, I find her increasingly pleasant to be around."

"She's likeable," Hannah agreed.

"Yes, I think so too," Justine replied. Their happiness was palpable.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go find Susan. She's angry with me, and I need to explain."

"Alright. Thanks for trying," Justine said, content with her daughter-in-law.

Hannah stepped onto the balcony to find Oscar waiting. She looked at him calmly. "Your aunt tried to persuade me to get back together with you."

"I know," Oscar replied.

"I refused," Hannah stated firmly.

"Mm-hmm," he acknowledged.

"I'm going to see Susan now," she said, walking past him.

"Hannah," Oscar stopped her. "I won't make things difficult for you."

"Okay."

"But," he said, his throat working, "I won't give up either."

Hannah's eyebrows furrowed.

"If you find someone better, I'll quit. Until then, I'll pursue you," he declared.

"Suit yourself," Hannah replied. It was his choice; accepting it was hers. She continued to Susan's room.

The baby had just woken. Hannah watched her breastfeeding. "Is she getting enough milk? The way you feed her, it should be rich."

Susan huffed, still angry. "You know about me and Oscar, why are you asking?"

Susan seethed.

"Okay, I won't provoke you. Breastfeed first, I'll be here," Hannah said, sitting calmly.

Susan focused on feeding her daughter. Manuel, seeing Hannah enter, had excused himself to be with Oscar, giving them space.

Susan finished feeding and burped the baby skillfully. Hannah watched, amused by her friend's sudden motherly demeanor.

"What are you laughing at? Do I look like an old mother?"

"A middle-aged mother," Hannah corrected.

"Hannah, you're trying to annoy me, aren't you?"

"I'm older than you," Hannah retorted.

"Humph."

Hannah hugged the baby. "She's getting more and more like you," she observed, noting the baby's large black eyes and long eyelashes.

"They say daughters resemble their fathers, but why does mine look like me? Maybe she'll be even more beautiful than Manuel."

"Not bad like you," Hannah said.

"You're praising me?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"You're trying to appease me."

"Has she been named?" Hannah changed the subject.

"No," Susan snapped. "I don't even know what ridiculous name Manuel will choose. He rejected all the names I suggested, saying they weren't good enough. It was a waste of my effort."

"What names did you choose?" Hannah asked.

"It doesn't matter now," Susan replied, although Hannah suspected they weren't very good.

"Don't always bring the conversation back to me. Your love life is a mess—Charles Sawyer, Oscar, Doyle. How can it be so chaotic?"

Hannah was speechless.

"Okay, forget that. What's going on with you and Oscar?"

"I'm staying with him temporarily because of Doyle."

"And there are no other feelings?"

"No," Hannah insisted.

"Well, actually..."

"Your mother told me everything."

"Oh... Justine mentioned it?"

"Yes."

"She didn't convince you. My arguments are more convincing," Susan declared confidently.

Hannah laughed at her friend's stubbornness. "While your logic is usually sound, there's nothing between Oscar and me."

"Not even a little hope?"

"Nope."

"Fine," Susan sighed, studying Hannah's face. "Speaking of which, aren't you going to fix your face? It looks strange."

"I'm not used to it either," Hannah admitted, shaking her head. "I'll look into restoring my original face when I have time." She didn't want to live with someone else's face forever.