Three days after Sandra's visit, Noelle finally went to the hospital.She had a mask over the lower half of her face. Through a quick conversation with one of the nurses, she was able to confirm that Matilda was indeed hospitalized. However, when she pressed for details about the illness, the nurse refused to provide any further information.Left with no choice, Noelle silently stepped into the elevator and rode it to the designated floor. As she approached the hospital room, she heard Matilda and Sandra talking."I think Maxwell is a good match. After marrying him, I'm sure you—""But Mom, I don't even like him!" whined Sandra, close to tears. "And he doesn't like me, either. Did you know that he didn't get his injuries from a car accident at all? It was because—"She abruptly stopped speaking."Because of what?" pressed Matilda."In any case, he doesn't love me, and I don't want to marry him, either!"Matilda fell silent.Sensing an opening, Sandra clutched Matilda's hand ti
"If I had known what you would go through, I would've kept you by my side, never letting you stray even a step away from me. But Noelle, as hard as those years were for you, they weren't any easier for me. "You once nearly became a mother yourself. Surely, you can understand the love a mother has for her child, can't you?"Tears streamed down Matilda's face.Noelle stared at her for a long moment. "Just say it. What is it that you want from me?"Her voice was unnervingly calm. It was clear she refused to pay along with Matilda's charade.Matilda looked up at her in disbelief. "H-How could you speak to your own mother like that?""Did I guess wrong?" Noelle smiled faintly. "If this isn't about anything, that's even better. I'll be on my way, then."Seeing Noelle actually stand to leave, Matilda couldn't hold back any longer. "Wait!"It was exactly as Noelle had expected. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she turned and looked at Matilda with mockery in her eyes.Matilda
Noelle had long grown accustomed to the Swansons' cursing at her. In the past, it often felt like a sharp sting, but it no longer affected her at all. She could even smile as she turned to face Matilda."It's a shame you didn't do that back then because you're incapable of doing anything now."Matilda was left stunned, unable to find her voice. It wasn't because of Noelle's words but the way she had looked down at her arrogantly. Before this, Noelle had always looked at her with a timid, almost fearful expression, so when had things between them turned into this?Matilda didn't know. All she could feel now was the blood in her veins slowly freezing, rendering her motionless.However, Noelle didn't look back. She felt no regret for coming here today. After all, if she hadn't overheard the conversation between Matilda and Sandra earlier, she wouldn't have been so thoroughly disappointed in them.And it was this "test" that confirmed what she had already suspected—she was truly don
Hendrix immediately got into the car. "I'll head over there now.""We're at Bar Street. Noelle is really drunk, so I'm going to take her to rest at a hotel," replied Sandra."There are only two of you, so don't do anything rash. Just send me the address, and I'll be there right away."After that, Hendrix immediately instructed Levi to start the car. However, it seemed that Sandra hadn't even registered what he had said about not doing anything rash. She simply sent him an address.Hendrix realized something wasn't right the moment he saw the address. He quickly called Dan and asked him to head over to Noelle's apartment to see whether she was there. After that, he tried to call Noel himself. The phone kept ringing, but no one answered.By the time Hendrix reached the hotel lobby, Dan had already messaged him back, confirming that Noelle hadn't returned to her apartment.With no further concerns, Hendrix made his way to Room 1608. He hadn't even pressed the doorbell for long bef
As Sandra spoke, she slowly slid her shoulder strap off. Her skin seemed to glow under the dim light.But Hendrix only glanced at her briefly before saying firmly and coldly, "I thought I made myself very clear the last time we were at Freeman Manor."Sandra froze. She couldn't help but recall that moment when he had pushed her away after she tried to kiss him at the entrance of Freeman Manor.This time, she cast away all of her dignity and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly."Rix, I really, really like you. Even if we don't get married, I just want to do it once with you. I want to give my most precious first time to the man I love the most. So Rix, please take me!"Sandra's eyes were filled with tears. Her tear-streaked face made her look so delicate and pitiful that anyone who saw it would find it hard to remain unmoved. However, after glancing at her, Hendrix calmly pushed her away. "I only see you as a sister.""Impossible! You were so kind to me be
"Why didn't you answer any of my calls, then?" Hendrix questioned."I didn't hear it because my phone was on silent," Noelle replied.Hendrix suddenly stood up and stormed toward her. His tall figure filled the narrow entryway, and as he approached, Noelle instantly felt the pressure radiating from him. She instinctively tried to step back, only to bump into the door, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.She had no choice but to lift her eyes to look at him. Her gaze seemed to carry some confusion, but there was not a trace of guilt or fear in it.Hendrix lowered his eyes, locking his gaze with hers. After a moment, he said, "Sandra called me earlier and told me you were drinking with her.""With her?" Noelle scoffed. "Do you really think that's possible?"Hendrix nodded. "Yeah, I know it's impossible. But she told me you were drunk, and since you weren't at home or answering my calls, I thought I'd go check on you."His piercing gaze seemed to look right through Noelle. She o
Sandra and Ruth ran into each other in the restroom. Their interactions had noticeably decreased since Sandra's engagement to Maxwell, though not to the point of outright hostility. Now, upon seeing each other, they exchanged polite nods and brief pleasantries."How's Maxwell doing?" Ruth asked, glancing at Sandra, who was touching up her lipstick in the mirror."He's doing quite well. In fact, he's already discharged from the hospital."Even though Sandra was behaving as usual, Ruth couldn't help but feel something was different about her. But before she could probe further, Sandra had finished washing her hands and left the restroom.Back in the private room, the party was already in full swing. However, when Sandra entered the room, she found the crowd surging toward the exit in a chaotic rush. She couldn't dodge in time, but luckily, Ruth managed to pull her back."They're heading to the terrace," explained Ruth when she noticed Sandra's confusion. "It's nearly time for the ci
"What the… It really is her!""Sandra, when did Noelle and Hendrix get back together?""Wait. What does Hendrix even see in her?"The endless chatter buzzed around Sandra, each word a sharp sting that exploded in her mind. Not a single reaction or word came from her. She simply kept her eyes fixed firmly on the couple ahead while her whole body trembled faintly with a mix of anger and agitation.On the terrace, Hendrix noticed something was off. He frowned when he noticed the group watching them. Without hesitation, he pulled Noelle into his arms, shielding her protectively."Hendrix, what a coincidence!" someone in the crowd called out to him immediately. "Is this your new girlfriend? Why didn't you tell us you got yourself a new girlfriend?"Tonight's group were all young people roughly the same age as Hendrix, so no one bothered with formalities.Since earlier, Noelle had been facing away from the group, and now, Hendrix had her pressed against his chest. If Ruth hadn't calle
Noelle had already muted the group chat, but private messages kept popping up.They were from the mothers she'd met in the apartment complex while taking Rosie out to play. They were all asking when Hendrix would arrive today. Some even said that if he wasn't coming, he should've given them a heads-up, since their kids had been looking forward to it all day.Noelle stared at the messages blankly. Truthfully, she should've seen this coming from the moment Hendrix started this charade. Manipulating people and controlling them like puppets were the things he had always excelled at.She had finally found some stability in this apartment complex, but now, he had ruined it. He certainly understood the saying, "Give someone an inch, and they'd take a mile", better than anyone.And the money he spent on all those toys? It meant nothing to him. What he really wanted was to control people's minds and shatter Noelle's peace."Mommy! Mommy!"Rosie's voice brought Noelle back to reality. She
Rosie's straightforward answer made Noelle smile. "Alright. Let's go home, then."With that, they walked away hand in hand, as if the noise and excitement behind them seemed to have nothing to do with them.…The next day, Hendrix came again. This time, he wasn't alone, as several bodyguards followed him, each carrying heavy bags.Without Hendrix even saying a word, all the children rushed over. Even kids from neighboring apartments had heard about it and came running.Hendrix didn't discriminate—any child who approached was given a gift. Today, he didn't need to interact with them personally, so he had time to glance over at Noelle to gauge her reaction. However, he quickly realized that Noelle and Rosie were no longer there. He hadn't even noticed when they had left.The same thing happened on the third and fourth days, but by the fifth day, Hendrix didn't show up. But after several days of free gifts, both the children and their parents had gotten a taste for it. Now, they
"So, does that mean you're not going to accept my apology?" Hendrix asked.Noelle finally snapped out of her daze. She stared at him for a moment before picking up her glass and lightly clinking it against his.Noelle wasn't sure what Hendrix was trying to do. After all, based on his past behavior, he wasn't the type to just apologize like that. Yet here he was, doing exactly that. She found it strange but decided not to dwell on it, pretending nothing had happened as she took a sip of her water.Hendrix didn't say much after that.Surprisingly, the meal passed in relative peace. Noelle couldn't even remember the last time they had shared a meal so quietly.So, when Hendrix later suggested that he might occasionally come over to have meals with Rosie, Noelle was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.Hendrix, however, took her silence as permission granted. He then pulled a plushie from a bag and handed it to Rosie. It was a character from the stage performance they had seen a
Noelle had been to this restaurant a few times before with Dylan, so the server immediately recognized her. One of them started approaching her with a warm smile, but the moment she saw the man walking behind Noelle, her expression faltered slightly.Noelle ignored her reaction and simply said, "I'll have my usual order and an omelette for my daughter.""Got it," the server said with a nod, though she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Hendrix before turning and heading back to the kitchen."Have you been here before?" Hendrix asked.Though the restaurant was decently decorated, it showed its age. The tables and chairs were made of lacquered wood, clean but with a noticeable sheen of grease from years of use.Noelle noticed Hendrix frowning slightly, but he didn't say anything. The frown lasted only for a brief second before he sat down as if nothing had happened. Then, he looked at her, waiting for her answer."Yeah. I've been here a few times.""With Dylan?" Hendrix aske
"Mommy, why hasn't Mr. Pritchett come to see me lately?"Rosie's sudden question caught Noelle off guard. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "He's been really busy lately, so he can't find the time to come."Rosie let out a soft "oh" and continued swinging. Her movements were gentle, and Noelle sat quietly beside her, watching.But after a while, Rosie suddenly hopped off the swing and ran over to Noelle, tightly grabbing her hand.Noelle was puzzled, but still she hugged her quickly. "What's wrong?"Rosie didn't say a word, her eyes fixed straight ahead. It was then Noelle noticed the man standing there.It was early autumn in Stormridge, and the man was dressed in a crisp, well-tailored suit. His tall, slender figure and strikingly handsome face instantly drew the attention of several people in the apartment complex.It was a weekday, and most of the people playing with the children downstairs were their grandparents. Their gazes were anything but subtle, openly sw
Noelle couldn't help but clench her hand.She had no idea how long the silence stretched before Dylan suddenly burst into laughter. It was as if he had just heard an unbelievably funny joke. His laughter echoed through the phone, carrying a hint of finality.Then, he said, "You want me to be honest? Do you really think we'll have a future together if I were to be honest with you? Do you think if I tell you everything now, we can live happily ever after? As if I'm ever going to believe that."The answer Noelle had been dreading finally came crashing down. She slowly unclenched her fist. Her lips parted, about to say something, but Dylan beat her to it."You're right. I did lie to you. The so-called investor is actually Jean. Her father left her some assets abroad, and I'm going with her to retrieve them."Yes, I'm with her again, but you know how I feel about her. I've never liked her, and I'm just using her. Besides, you should know that the reason I'm doing all this is so that I
Noelle had just finished putting Rosie to sleep when Dylan sent over the e-tickets for the amusement park."I just checked. There'll be plenty of staff on-site. So when you're there with Rosie, you can just go straight to them if you need anything," his message read.He seemed to know she'd be busy settling Rosie, so he didn't call. Instead, he sent a thoughtful, detailed text, listing out several precautions for their upcoming trip.After reading through his message, Noelle hesitated for a moment before dialing his number.Dylan picked up almost immediately. "Hey, is Rosie asleep?"His voice was the same as always, no different from what Noelle had heard over the past few days.But this time, she paused. It took her a moment before she finally answered, "Yeah, she's asleep.""Did you see the list I sent? The staff should have most things covered, but you should still bring a couple of towels. And don't forget Rosie's favorite floatie—""Dylan," Noelle suddenly cut him off.Ju
Noelle raised her head, her eyes locking onto Jean's. "I thought you hated me? So, why are you telling me all this?""Because I hate Dylan even more. I know it was him who set me up back then. If it weren't for his tip-off, my father would never have fallen from grace. So, how could I not hate him?""So, the assets you mentioned were just a lie to fool him?""Of course." Jean nodded without hesitation, turning to face Noelle with a smile. "So, are you going to tell him that?"Noelle pressed her lips together. "I don't believe you're doing this alone.""What?""You said it yourself—Dylan was the one who reported your family, leading to the investigation. He knows exactly what happened to your family, so he'd know whether your father left you any overseas assets or not."And you just got out of prison. Even if you wanted to forge an asset certificate, you'd need a professional to help you with that. Dylan has been in the business world for years, so it wouldn't be easy to fool him
"You must be wondering why I'm telling you all this, right?" Jean chuckled softly. "To be honest, I still hate you. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I'm jealous of you. Because you have so many things I wanted but could never have."Just look at your face. With that alone, you can easily get whatever you want. Thinking about it makes me seethe with envy and drives me mad.""Ms. Fisher, you once had plenty of things yourself," Noelle said.Jean paused, caught off guard by the response. Then, she nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, you're right. But what does that matter now? I've already lost everything. Well, not everything. I still have some connections my father left me, along with a few assets abroad."She slowly shifted her gaze back to Noelle. "So, do you understand now what my advice to you really means?"Noelle frowned."Dylan must have told you he's going on a business trip abroad soon, right?" Jean continued, her lips curling into a sly smile. "To be frank, he's going wit