Noelle no longer had the chance to be with the one she loved as well.To begin with, she barely had any sleep yesterday, and she was exhausted. Now that she was in bed, she kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.In the end, she got up and stared out of the window in a daze. There wasn't any spectacular view in such an area. All she could see was packed buildings and the clothes hanging on the balcony next door.Noelle turned around in bed and closed her eyes again. Just when she started to feel a little sleepy, her phone next to her suddenly vibrated a couple of times.She ignored it, but the sender was persistent, continuously sending her a few more texts, which kept her phone vibrating.When Noelle wanted to check the messages, Sandra called. Every time Noelle rejected her call, she would call again. In the end, Noelle blocked her number.It didn't take Sandra long to call her using a different number. Tired of playing this game with her, Noelle was forced to answer
The two words weren't unfamiliar to Noelle.Back when she had been living at Nivis Villa, Hendrix would send her just those two words every time he needed something.As Noelle stared at the words now, her eyes stung unexpectedly.She was still staring at the screen when Levi suddenly called her. "Mrs. Freeman, I'm over on Serene Street. The alley's too narrow to drive in. Could you step out and meet me here?"Noelle pressed her lips together, staying silent."Mrs. Freeman?" Levi called again from the other end."I got it," Noelle finally responded. Then, she changed her clothes and headed out."Mrs. Freeman!"Levi had switched to another car—a sleek, silver Porsche Panamera. It looked glaringly out of place in the cramped, shadowy urban village.As Noelle climbed into the car, she noticed her neighbor.The blonde woman was standing there, biting into a popsicle, her gaze lingering on Noelle with a cryptic expression.Noelle ignored her.After Levi shut the car door for her,
All Noelle felt now was a biting chill in her heart."Why?" she asked Hendrix.Hendrix didn't like being pressed like this, and a trace of irritation flickered in his eyes.Noelle didn't wait for him to respond. She continued, "Is it because we were married for two years, and you think you understand me and trust me? Or is it because… you had something to do with last night's events?"Hendrix had no reaction to the first half of her sentence. But when he heard the latter part, his expression darkened instantly. "What are you trying to say?""No, you probably didn't orchestrate it," Noelle went on, speaking more to herself than to him. "After all, you're such a high and mighty man, Mr. Freeman. You wouldn't stoop to such methods. But you must've known about it, didn't you?"Her voice grew colder, steadier. "That includes the time William showed up at that restaurant. It wasn't a coincidence, was it?"Until now, Noelle hadn't considered the possibility. But Sandra's phone call ear
Noelle didn't want to cry.She had learned from a young age that tears only worked on people who loved her, and Hendrix clearly didn't fall into that category. Right now, her tears would only disgust him.Quickly, Noelle raised her hand and wiped them away.Hendrix stood across from her, watching her movements. His brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't notice.Instead, she pressed on, "Where were you that night?""What?""The night I miscarried. Where were you?"Hendrix didn't answer.Noelle's voice softened even more, almost a whisper, as she said, "Sandra told me you were at an auction. Buying her a birthday present. Is that true?""She'd mentioned wanting it before. As for what happened to you… It was an accident," Hendrix explained.He said it as if that could even be called an explanation.Noelle couldn't help but laugh. It was as if she had just heard the punchline to the cruelest joke. Her body trembled with laughter, and her eyes were red-rimmed. However, not a sin
"Noelle, let me remind you," Hendrix said, his tone cold and resolute. "The power to decide whether our relationship continues or ends has always been in my hands. Even back then, if I hadn't agreed, do you really think you could've divorced me so easily?"Noelle's hand, which had been braced to push him away, slowly dropped to her side.Her eyes, which had flickered with traces of anger and sadness, went completely blank as she stared at him.He wasn't wrong. What power did she ever have? In his eyes, she was nothing more than an object.Once, she had been his wife and was expected to bear his children. Now, she was just a tool for his gratification.Her quiet, detached demeanor was something Hendrix knew all too well. His brows furrowed again as he watched her. After a pause, he gripped her chin and abruptly leaned down, capturing her lips in a forceful kiss.The moment their lips met, tears slipped down Noelle's cheek.The cold touch of her tears sent a shiver through Hendrix
In the quiet, empty room, the sound of Noelle's stomach growling was impossibly loud.Even Hendrix froze in place.For the first time, Noelle caught a flicker of something unexpected in his gaze—surprise. Her jaw clenched tightly, and she turned her face away, refusing to look at him.Hendrix didn't continue walking. Instead, he released her and stood up."What do you want to eat?" he asked.Noelle didn't answer him.Hendrix waited for a while, then shrugged and left the room.Noelle stayed motionless on the bed. It wasn't until his footsteps faded away that she reached up and covered her eyes with her hand. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but Hendrix eventually returned."Come and eat," he said.Noelle had no intention of entertaining him. However, she hadn't eaten in nearly an entire day. The dizziness behind her eyes was growing unbearable, and her empty stomach churned uncomfortably.Eventually, she gave in to her body's demands.Hendrix had brought back a spread o
For the next few days, Hendrix didn't reach out to her, but Noelle kept receiving cakes from different dessert shops every day. And not just one cake at a time.At first, Noelle tried to refuse them, but the delivery people wouldn't even give her the chance. They would simply tell her their task was to deliver the cake, and whatever she chose to do with it was up to her.With no other choice, Noelle reluctantly accepted the cakes.After days of eating them, she finally couldn't take it anymore. She called Hendrix. "Stop sending me cakes.""Why? I thought you liked them." Hendrix sounded unusually cheerful, with a laugh barely contained in his voice.Noelle felt like he was doing it on purpose.She liked them, right? So, he would just keep sending them until she threw up.Noelle didn't respond and just hung up the phone.Hendrix had intended to say more, but he was taken aback for a moment when he heard the click of the call ending. He checked the phone, confirming she had act
In the end, Noelle picked a buffalo wings bar. The fiery, finger-staining spicy wings were clearly an odd match for Hendrix in his sharp suit.However, Noelle didn't care.Truthfully, she wasn't sure what Hendrix was trying to do. Was he just treating her like a tool? But the way he was acting now didn't really seem to fit that.Even when they were still married, they rarely ate out alone. He would give her jewelry and accessories, but never did he send over cakes like this.Now, his behavior made Noelle feel like he was... trying to please her.The thought flashed in her mind, but she immediately pushed it aside."Do you like this?" Hendrix asked, clearly unfazed as he sat down across from her after they reached their seats."Yeah." Noelle nodded. "I grew up in Creston City. I can't live without spicy food."But after she moved back to the Swanson family, they wouldn't let her eat anything like this.In their eyes, food also seemed to be ranked—spicy food was out of the quest
"Look at what they did to my son! My son was perfectly fine, and now he's lying in a hospital bed! I'll make sure that bastard rots in jail forever!"Joanne's shrill voice pierced through the door.Noelle sat on a chair, clutching a cup of hot water. Beside her sat Irene, her face dark with fury.The yelling outside continued, "Nelly is nothing but a slut! I knew from the start she was no good! Just look at that face. Who wouldn't she try to seduce? Sid isn't that kind of person! She must've failed to seduce him and then conspired with her lover to frame my son!"Irene couldn't take it anymore. She flung the door open, and the shouting stopped instantly.It was no surprise that Joanne would be scared of Irene since the old woman was holding a hoe in her hand."Get lost," Irene said simply.Joanne paled but stood her ground.Seeing this, Irene was just about to charge forward with her hoe when Joanne panicked and quickly turned to leave.But the onlookers lingered nearby, watch
But that was only if Sid had been willing to accept it. The way Hendrix had looked at him back then—cold and disdainful.And when he'd spoken, his voice had been so certain, as if he'd known Sid would take the money. And in the end, he had. But that didn't give Hendrix the right to look down on him.The more he thought about it—the way he'd been overjoyed when he first met Noelle during their matchmaking, the time and emotion he'd wasted on her—the more resentment burned in his chest."What do you want?"Noelle could feel the danger radiating off him. She kept stepping back, but Sid only advanced, step by step."What do I want?" Sid let out a cold laugh. "Simple. You just need to sleep with me once.""What did you say?" Noelle stared at him in disbelief.For a moment, she thought she must have misheard."Stop playing dumb!" Sid snarled impatiently. "Cut the act! I know you're no longer pure. I saw that bastard sneaking out of your house this morning. You've got some nerve. You
Noelle ended up leaving the room first. The moment she stepped out, she shut the door firmly behind her.Irene thought that was weird. "Why did you close the door?""No reason. Just a habit."Noelle's cheeks were still faintly flushed, and she avoided Irene's gaze, brushing off the question with a vague reply.Irene found it odd but didn't press further.After breakfast, Irene announced she was heading to the back mountain to gather herbs to sell at the market in a few days.Noelle had been thinking about how to divert her, and this played right into her plans."Come with me," Irene said. "And bring two more bottles of water."Noelle hesitated for a moment. She usually accompanied Irene on these trips, so refusing now would seem suspicious. In the end, she nodded.But before leaving, she suddenly called out, "I'm closing the door!"Her voice was loud, ensuring the person inside her room could hear.Irene gave her a strange look. "Who are you talking to?""You.""I'm standi
"I haven't slept all night. Can you just let me rest for a while?" Hendrix asked."Why don't you go sleep in your own place?" Noelle argued."I can't sleep without you."The moment Hendrix spoke those words, Noelle's cheeks flushed bright red.She wanted to argue, but in the next moment, Hendrix's breathing seemed to steady.Surprised, she lifted her head and saw the dark circles under his eyes. Even his usually clean-shaven jaw now bore a faint stubble.Her hand, which had been ready to push him away, slowly dropped.Hendrix hadn't expected to fall asleep so quickly. Though he had finally found Noelle, he hadn't been sleeping well these past few days. Aside from constantly being jolted awake, the terrible conditions here only made things worse. But in Noelle's room, none of that seemed to matter.Even in this cramped, damp little house, even on this rickety wooden bed that cracked beneath him, he could still catch the faint scent of her skin and the sun-warmed fragrance of the
Night fell quickly.Hendrix had been restless since evening. With no Internet here, he couldn't even distract himself with work. He could only lie in bed, flipping through the photos on his phone while listening intently for any movement outside.He didn't like having his photo taken, and neither did Noelle. So there were very, very few pictures of the two of them on his phone. During the time Noelle was missing, he had already memorized every single one of the photos.After scrolling through them several times, he finally couldn't take it anymore and got out of bed. To prove he wasn't joking, Hendrix was really planning to climb over the wall to find Noelle.But then, he quickly remembered something—his arm was still in a splint. So there was no way he would be able to climb that wall.In the end, he could only stand outside the wall, staring at the door. Only after confirming that Noelle wasn't coming out did he turn and go back inside.As dawn broke, he finally heard movement
And was the man in front of Noelle really her husband? Because they had once been the closest people in the world, he knew everything about her.That was why Noelle had felt an inexplicable familiarity toward Hendrix before and why she had instinctively wanted to get closer to him.Sensing her concern, Hendrix asked, "You don't want to leave your mom, do you?" After a moment of hesitation, Noelle nodded."Don't worry. I'm not planning to take you away right now," Hendrix said. "There are still things to deal with in Coppersville. I have to wait until everything is settled before we can go back. As for your mom, we can take her with us when we go back. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her for saving you."But you can't just listen to her and marry someone else. You're already my wife. If you marry another man, you'll be committing the crime of bigamy. And more than that, it would be completely irresponsible to me."Noelle didn't respond.Hendrix couldn't help but frown when h
Hendrix hadn't planned on telling Noelle all of this. As the doctor had said, once the blood clot dissipated, she might remember everything on her own. So, he didn't want to push her.And if she never remembered, that was fine, too. He had come to think that staying here for a while longer might not be a bad idea because Noelle could get the maternal love she had always longed for from Irene.As for their relationship… Well, it had been an arranged marriage from the start. The moment she was of age, they had wed without hesitation. Even their first kiss had happened during their wedding photoshoot.So Hendrix thought, if she had forgotten all of that, he could just court her again. It would be a chance to make up for the romance they had missed out on before.But now, he had no choice but to tell her. He had finally found her, and it would be the biggest joke of all if she ended up marrying someone else because of what others said. There was no way he would ever allow that to happe
Noelle couldn't help but frown.But before she could say anything, Hendrix suddenly asked, "Why didn't you come?""What?""I'm asking why you didn't come to the hospital. Was it because you were too busy getting married?"As Hendrix spoke, he took a step closer to her. His intense gaze felt as if he were trying to pull something out of Noelle.Noelle froze for a moment but quickly replied, "I never said I would definitely go.""You said you'd take care of me.""I didn't say that. That was your own assumption," Noelle quickly retorted. Then, she looked up at him. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you have plenty of people taking care of you.""What do you mean?""You've definitely had a lot of women before, right?" Noelle forced a smile. "I don't know why you're staying here, but I'm not like those women. So, if you're just looking for some fun, don't waste your time on me."Noelle's voice was laced with sarcasm. But her eyes were slightly red, and her throat moved as if she was tryin
The woman who had shouted was about to continue making a scene, clearly intent on drawing the entire neighborhood's attention. But Hendrix quickly turned around.To her, a thief should have looked guilty. Yet, when he looked at her, his eyes were sharp and piercing. That gaze made the woman swallow her words before they could leave her mouth.Just then, Irene came out, holding something in her hand. When she saw Hendrix, her expression darkened. "How dare you show your face here again, you scoundrel? Do you have a death wish or something? Fine. I'll send you straight to hell right now!"As she spoke, she raised the object in her hand, ready to strike Hendrix—just like she had done several times before.But this time, Hendrix didn't dodge. Instead, he expressionlessly grabbed her hand. One of his arms was still in a splint. But even so, it was enough to stop Irene completely. Her eyes widened in shock.Noelle also came out from inside. When she saw Hendrix, she was momentarily stun