Chapter 370
[ 496 words ]
Chapter 370:
The instant I saw the figure standing there, every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze. My first instinct was to run.
“Lianne?”
But the voice behind me wasn’t Ethan’s deep, familiar tone. It was Noah. Shock filled his voice as he stared at me.
I froze mid-step, my entire body going rigid. So… I had been caught after all.
Noah strode toward me quickly, stopping directly in front of me. His expression was darker and more serious than I had ever seen before. “Why are you back here?” he demanded.
а𝖽dic𝘵𝗂𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘵𝘰𝗿і𝖾s 𝗈n 𝘨al𝗻𝗼vel𝘴.𝖼o𝗺
I lowered my head hurriedly, panic tightening my chest as I forced out a weak excuse. “I was just passing by.”
“Passing by?” Noah let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Passing by this neighborhood in the middle of the night?” His eyes hardened. “Lianne, do you even know what Ethan’s life has been like these past three years after you disappeared? He searched for you over and over again. He tried every possible way to bring you back, begged for another chance, and you never once gave him one.”
His voice grew harsher with every word. “And now? Now that he’s finally preparing to get married, you suddenly appear again. Why? To see how badly you’ve ruined him?”
Every sentence struck like a slap across my face.
But I didn’t defend myself. I just curved my lips into a faint, bitter smile. “I had my reasons,” I whispered.
“Reasons?” Noah’s emotions finally broke through. “He’s the strongest Alpha in this territory. If you had asked him for help, what problem couldn’t he have solved for you?”
I slowly lifted my eyes to look at him through the curtain of rain. My gaze was hollow and exhausted. “You don’t understand,” I murmured. “You never could.”
Noah fell silent.
“Please… don’t tell him I came here.” My voice trembled as I looked at him almost pleadingly. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll go overseas and never come back again. Just pretend you never saw me.”
I turned to leave. But Noah suddenly spoke again behind me.
“He drank a lot tonight.” His tone softened, carrying helpless resignation now instead of anger. “So much that he could barely walk. Earlier, when I brought him home, he told me the door code.” Noah paused. “It’s your birthday. Lianne, just go and see him, even for a moment.”
My eyes instantly burned. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, mixing with the cold rainwater.
My trembling body bent into a deep bow toward him. “Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely.
I stood there until Noah’s car finally disappeared into the rainy night. Then, step by step, I walked toward the villa’s heavy wooden door.
My fingers shook violently as I entered the familiar numbers.
The lock clicked open softly.
I slipped inside. Carefully removing my rain-soaked shoes, I walked barefoot across the floor.
The house was dark except for the dim glow of a motion light at the end of the hallway.
The air still carried Ethan’s scent, that cold woody fragrance mixed now with the lingering bitterness of alcohol.
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