Noelle wasn't quick enough to stop Irene this time.When Irene swung down her hoe, Hendrix instinctively raised his arm to block it. As a result, the wound he had just had re-bandaged at the hospital that day split open again. There was even a faint cracking sound, as if a bone had been fractured.Even for someone as tough as Hendrix, the intense pain was enough to make him frown, and cold sweat quickly beaded on his forehead."Mom!" Noelle rushed forward and grabbed Irene's arm.But was still in the heat of anger. She pushed Noelle aside and was about to strike again when Jerry, who had received an emergency call, arrived on the scene.Jerry felt his vision darken for a moment when he saw Hendrix's injury. Then, without hesitation, he and his team restrained Irene."What are you doing? You bunch of ass-kissers! Let me go!" Irene struggled fiercely, her curses never stopping.Jerry was at a loss. He was about to have her taken to the police station when Hendrix grabbed his arm.
The moment Noelle saw her reflection in Hendrix's eyes, and when he stood under the streetlight and smiled at her, those feelings of resistance and fear vanished instantly.At the time, Noelle felt as if she had known him for a long time. Even under the dim light, she could vividly trace the contours of his face in her mind. It was as if she had done this countless times before.Even though her memories of the past remained a blank, just seeing him made her heart race. The feeling was unfamiliar, yet she knew exactly what it was and what it meant.She liked him, and it felt like she had liked him for a long time.…That night, Hendrix had to stay in the hospital. His whereabouts were supposed to be confidential, but the local authorities were already aware of his presence. After receiving Jerry's report, Austin Warren immediately came to visit with his team.Of course, Hendrix didn't tell them the truth about how he got injured. Instead, he simply claimed he had tripped and falle
Inside the bag was a thermos of soup she had made that morning. It was made with chicken and mushrooms she had bought early at the market. She had simmered them for half an hour, and as soon as she opened the lid, the rich aroma of the soup spread throughout the hospital room.Hendrix suddenly remembered the bowl of soup Noelle had given him late that night two days ago. Good food was never something he lacked. In fact, to him, food was just a necessity for survival. But that night, something about that simple bowl of soup had brought him to the brink of tears.He had found her. There had been a time when he truly believed she had vanished from this world. He thought he would never see her again. It was also in that moment that he fully understood what Noelle meant to him.After all, he had seen the light, so how could he ever return to the darkness? His life had been set on a certain path. Even Beatrice had never cooked him a bowl of soup before, and he had accepted that kind of li
Noelle hadn't expected Hendrix to bring this up, so she was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked at him with confusion."I wanted to use the bathroom," he answered with a cheeky grin."Oh." Even though Noelle felt flustered, she still quickly stepped aside.Hendrix, however, remained seated. Noelle looked at him, puzzled.He chuckled and said, "My arm is injured. I can't even feed myself—do you think I can go to the bathroom on my own?"Noelle's expression changed instantly. "W-What do you mean?"Hendrix reached out and took her hand. "Help me," he said in a low and raspy voice.Noelle immediately shook her head. "No way!"As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand away.But even with only one good hand, Hendrix's grip was still strong.Not only did he not let go, but he slid his fingers through Noelle's and pressed his palm firmly against hers. The dry, burning warmth of his hand made Noelle's cheeks flush instantly. It was as if, at this moment, she wasn't holding his hand
"Mr. Freeman, it's time to change your dressi—" The doctor's voice suddenly broke the silence.The unexpected interruption sent a jolt through Noelle. It was as if she had suddenly snapped back to reality. In a flurry, she pushed Hendrix away.She looked as though she had been caught doing something wrong. She stumbled backward several steps, her hands rising and falling repeatedly. Her lips quivered as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. Panic filled her eyes, unmistakable and clear.The doctor, however, was tactful. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt," he said quickly before excusing himself and leaving.Noelle's face turned an even deeper shade of red at this. She wanted to chase after the doctor, but Hendrix grabbed her hand again."Let go of me," Noelle said when she finally managed to find her voice.She had intended to reprimand him. But after the kiss and the nervous tension, her voice came out slightly hoarse, sounding almost alluring. Even Noelle
Hendrix slipped his hand effortlessly under her clothes, tracing up along Noelle's waist, inch by inch. He was more than familiar with this motion by now. After all, he had done this countless times in the past.He knew Noelle's body better than she did herself. But in the heat of the moment, he forgot one crucial thing—Noelle had lost her memories.She hadn't shown any resistance toward him, but that was only because she still had some lingering feelings for him. Some habits of hers—almost like subconscious reactions—remained. But those habits clearly didn't include being intimate with him right now.When Hendrix touched a certain spot, Noelle reacted like a startled cat—her eyes flew wide open. The next second, she shoved him away. And as a bonus, she slapped him across the face. Now that was her true instinctive reaction.Her slap wasn't particularly strong, but the crisp sound rang out loud and clear—especially in the silence of the hospital room.Hendrix, however, didn't reac
Hendrix's request for discharge was denied. This wasn't entirely unexpected.After all, with Austin personally instructing the hospital to take good care of Hendrix, they wouldn't dare make the slightest mistake.However, Hendrix soon realized that staying in the hospital wasn't without its benefits. After all, the signal here was significantly better than in the village.Although he had handed over matters in Coppersville to Erwin, he still had to keep a close watch. After all, Erwin had no sense of restraint, and Hendrix didn't want things to escalate into an ugly mess.More importantly, he didn't want Noelle to find out he had taken actions against the Swift family. He still wasn't sure what exactly happened to her that night. But he knew the Swift family was definitely involved.The Swift family's attitude toward Dylan had reached a point that was almost incomprehensible. Hendrix even wondered if Dylan had cast some kind of spell on them.Otherwise, how could someone who had
"Yes, Daddy promises you," Hendrix replied.He had initially felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable with this identity. But at this moment, he spoke that work with complete naturalness. His voice even carried a tenderness he hadn't even realized was there.After receiving his confirmation, Rosie finally hung up the phone.Hendrix put down his phone but remained in a daze for a long time. When he finally came back to his senses, a slow smile spread across his lips. Then, he turned to look out the window.Although it was already late summer, he felt the weather today was unusually perfect.…However, Hendrix's happiness didn't last long. Because the next day, Noelle didn't come to see him. Not just the next day, but also the third and fourth days.Hendrix couldn't sit still any longer. Ignoring the doctor's objections, he went ahead and arranged for his discharge. He didn't inform anyone else, simply hiring an unlicensed car in town to take him back to the village.He didn't even both
The last time Dylan saw Noelle was at the Swift family residence. She had tried to threaten him with a phone recording, and of course, Dylan wasn't going to let her have her way. He had every intention to talk things out with her properly. But unfortunately, Noelle wouldn't listen.During the struggle over the phone, she fell down the stairs. By the time the Swift family found her, blood had already pooled on the ground. But they didn't call the police. Instead, they helped Dylan load Noelle into a car.Dylan had planned to hide her away somewhere. In fact, he had already arranged everything in advance. Even if Noelle hadn't been unconscious, he would have taken her away that night.Once in the car, he transferred her to another vehicle in a spot out of the surveillance cameras' view. That car's destination was Leah's hometown. There, he had already arranged for someone to take care of Noelle.He had everything perfectly planned, and by the time Hendrix returned to Coppersville, it
"Of course, if you ever get tired of the city and want to come back for a visit, I'll keep that room ready for you," Irene said.With that, she stood up.Hendrix watched her leave and quietly said, "Thank you."Irene paused in her tracks for just a second but didn't say anything else.She was gone, yet Hendrix remained seated, unmoving. He tilted his head back, staring at the dark sky.Compared to Coppersville, the economy and development here were certainly not worth mentioning. But the air here was clean. In Coppersville, looking up only showed endless skyscrapers—even the moonlight seemed hazy. Here, though, the moon shone bright and clear.After staring for a long time, Hendrix finally stood up and slowly walked toward the house across from him. What he didn't know was that while he was talking to Irene, someone had been secretly standing behind the door the whole time.Noelle had heard every word of their conversation. She didn't say anything, but her cheeks were cold, al
Irene had never been well-liked in the village. The other women claimed she'd brought misfortune to her husband, and in her younger days, they accused her of seducing their husbands.After earning her reputation as a shrew, no one would even speak to her.Truthfully, she held no attachment to this village. She had stayed at first to wait for her husband and later to wait for Nelly.But after that, none of it mattered anymore. Yet tonight, for the first time, she found someone to tell these things to.Hendrix sat quietly and listened. He'd never been good at comforting people, so after a long silence, he finally said, "When I thanked you earlier, it wasn't just for saving Noelle. It was also because you gave her things she's always wanted."Irene looked at him, puzzled.Even with her limited understanding of the outside world, she could tell Hendrix was wealthy. Which meant that everything he gave Noelle must have been the best. And what could she possibly offer Noelle?"When s
When Hendrix left earlier, Irene had been asleep inside the house.But now, it was like she suddenly remembered something. Sitting there with a flashlight in hand, she seemed to be waiting for someone.But who could she possibly be waiting for? After all, the person she most wanted to see would never come back.After pressing his lips together, Hendrix finally walked outside.Irene heard his footsteps but didn't turn around. She just kept sitting there, stubborn."Can you tell me about Nelly?" Hendrix asked.Irene looked up at him, surprised.Hendrix's expression was awkward. This wasn't something he usually did. He hadn't even managed to get along with his own mother, Beatrice. Irene was practically a stranger to him. Well, not completely a stranger. After all, he had her to thank for the wound on his hand.If he had a choice, Hendrix wouldn't have wanted anything to do with her. But he knew Noelle cared about Irene.Even without a blood connection, Irene's care for Noelle
Noelle had expected Irene to be furious. After all, Irene had never had a good impression of Hendrix to begin with. And after Noelle ran off to find him last night, she'd assumed the resentment would only deepen.But to her surprise, it didn't happen like that.Irene simply stood there, her eyes flickering between the two of them before uttering, "Let's eat."The words were so light and calm that Noelle froze. For a moment, she couldn't even process it.Hendrix, however, tightened his grip on her hand and replied smoothly, "Thank you."Irene said nothing else. She just turned and walked inside.The small dining table, usually set for two, now had an extra seat for Hendrix.His injured hand hadn't fully healed yet, but he'd already mastered eating with his left. The only problem was the table was too cramped for his long legs, leaving him awkwardly squeezed in. But instead of complaining, he just ate in silence.Irene suddenly turned and brought out a bowl of minestrone soup. Th
Noelle froze for a second before yanking her hand back without a second thought."What nonsense are you spouting?" she asked through gritted teeth. "This is all your fault!""My fault?" Hendrix was still grinning. "I tried waking you up multiple times, but you refused to get up.""If it weren't for you—" She wanted to keep arguing, but she forced herself to swallow back the words just as they were about to leave her lips.Hendrix seemed amused by her reaction. "What about me?"Noelle refused to engage further. Biting her lip, she propped herself up and got out of bed."You didn't finish your sentence. What about me?" Hendrix followed her, pestering her with questions.Ignoring him, she marched into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, cutting his voice mid-sentence.But she could still hear his low, pleased laughter from the other side. Annoyance prickled at her, but thoughts of Irene pushed it aside. Right now, she was in no mood to bicker with him. After quickly freshening
Hendrix knew what Noelle was thinking, of course.From the moment she heard about his fate, her eyes had turned red. And though she had tried to pull away, she had ultimately held back.She probably thought she was hiding it well, but to Hendrix, every little thing she did was as clear as glass. But that was fine. If not for that, how else would he have had the chance or excuse to bring her to this hotel?Originally, he had wanted to take things slow with her and date her properly. But now, she already knew and acknowledged their marriage.Thus, it would just be stupid of him if he still took it slow. Besides, there was no law saying that he couldn't date someone after sleeping with them. If anything, this was the most crucial step.Noelle had clearly forgotten some things, including the fact that at his core, Hendrix was anything but kind.Even if she really had been pitying him just now, it didn't matter. Only the weak would resent someone's pity, seeing it as condescension or
And even if Noelle said no, would Hendrix really stop?However, she couldn't bring herself to say yes, either. In the end, she could only frown at Hendrix, frustration simmering in her chest.But in Hendrix's eyes, that look carried a different kind of vulnerability. He cupped her cheek as he asked again, "Should I keep going?"Noelle stayed silent and turned her face away.But Hendrix, ever the tease, refused to let her off so easily. He caught her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look back at him. "Why aren't you saying anything? So, you don't want me to keep going?""Ugh, you're so annoying!" Noelle finally snapped. "If you don't want to continue, just get off me!"There was anger in her words. But after everything that had just happened, her tone carried an unintended, breathy softness. In this moment, it almost sounded like she was flirting with him.Hendrix's smile deepened. "Ah, so that means we can keep going," he murmured, as if talking to himself.Noelle didn'
When vision was stripped away, the other senses became acutely heightened. At this moment, Noelle's hearing was especially sharp.As the approaching footsteps grew closer, her grip tightened instinctively. Her nails dug into her palm, but the sting was insignificant compared to everything else she was feeling.She had no idea how much time had passed. Maybe it was a few minutes, or maybe mere seconds. But to her, every moment felt endlessly stretched. Each breath she took felt as if it spanned a century.Like fleeting memories flashing by in a film, she barely had time to process how to face him before Hendrix had already laid down beside her.The queen-sized bed suddenly felt suffocatingly small. She could feel the heat of his body and smell the crisp scent of his shower gel.Then, his hand settled lightly on her waist. That single touch was enough to make Noelle go entirely rigid. Her already clenched fists tightened even more.And at that moment, Hendrix pulled back her blanke