Chapter 9

"Elle, are you doing well?" This line echoed in Noelle's mind.

She had forgotten how long it had been since someone asked her such a question. She'd even forgotten to ask herself if she was doing well.

The answer was obvious. But even so, she didn't hesitate to reply, "I'm doing fine."

"That's good, then," Maxwell responded.

After that, he fell quiet.

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now," Noelle said.

"Alright," Maxwell agreed.

But just as Noelle was about to end the call, he suddenly spoke up, "I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye back then. I've thought about you a lot these past years while I've been abroad."

After a slight pause, he added, "It's getting late. You should get some rest."

With that, Maxwell finally hung up.

Noelle stood on the stairs, still holding her phone. After a long while, she slowly turned and returned to her room.

That night, Hendrix didn't come to her.

Even so, Noelle couldn't drift off to sleep peacefully. Perhaps it had somethin