Chapter 652
Normally, a woman’s institution was always right.
The black mask was slowly removed, revealing a face covered in scars.
It wasn’t Declan’s sharp, handsome features. This face had been ruined, and it was frightening.
Hailey’s pupils shrank. Shocked, she instinctively pulled her hand back and took two steps away, putting distance between them.
When he saw her reaction, the man put the mask back on and covered his face again. “Did you see clearly? Am I the person you thought I was?”
Hailey shook her head. “No… I’m sorry. I mistook you for someone else.”
The man replied, “It’s fine. You should go home now.”
Hailey said, “Thanks for today. I really appreciate it.”
He replied, “You’re welcome.”
With that, he left.
Hailey stood there for a moment before turning in the opposite direction.
The two of them grew farther and farther apart.
…
Hailey arrived home, and Aileen came running out to greet her. “Hailey, you’re finally back!”
Surprised and delighted, Hailey pulled her into a hug. “Aileen! Why are you home today?”
Aileen said happily, “We got the day off from training, so I came back.”
“That’s great! I’ll ask Linda to make your favorite dishes. You’re still growing, after all.”
“Hailey, I saw you from the window just now. You were walking with your head down, looking deep in thought. Weren’t you out with Celine? Did something happen today?”
It had been three years since they last saw each other. The once-young middle school girl had grown into a graceful 18-year-old.
Aileen was a highly intelligent researcher, and she immediately noticed that something was off with Hailey.
Hailey forced a slight smile as she replied, “Aileen, I saw your brother today…”
Aileen was shocked. “Really? Where? Hailey, where did you see him? He’s been missing for three years! I haven’t seen him in three whole years!”
“Aileen, I didn’t see your brother. I only saw someone who looked like him… I mistook him for someone else.”
The spark in Aileen’s eyes disappeared. After Pamela died, Declan was the only family she had left.
One day, he was just… gone. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find him.
“Hailey, where do you think my brother went? Why hasn’t he come back for us in three years?”
Tears streamed down Aileen’s face.
Hailey reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Aileen, I don’t know where he is, and I don’t know why he hasn’t come back.
Declan had vanished from this world, as if he would never return.
Did he even realize that someone was longing for him, missing him desperately?
Outside the villa, a tall, lean figure lingered in the shadows. His face was hidden behind a black mask. It was him, the man who had saved Hailey twice today. fo FindNovel
It was Declan, but he didn’t reveal himself to Hailey.
His face was no longer the one she had once known, so damaged that she
wouldn’t even recognize him.
Three years ago, he had plunged off a cliff along with the car.
A villager from a nearby town rescued him, but his injuries were severe. He spent
a long time recovering, barely clinging to life.
Though he survived, his face was completely destroyed.
Over the years, he had often heard
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news about Aileen. She had won awards at the state level and then internationally. She got into Montclair University in the Capitol and was now working on rocket research.
She had done far better than he ever had.
Of course, Aileen was luckier than him. It was all because Hailey had been by her
side.
For the past three years, Hailey had raised Aileen. She had done what he, as her brother, should have done.
At that moment, Declan was silently standing outside the villa.
Inside, the lights glowed, casting warmth over the two most important women in
his life, the very warmth he had always yearned for.
However, that warmth was too far out of reach.
He was no longer Declan.
Sometimes, when he looked in the mirror, he could barely remember what he used to look like. His face was so ruined that even he couldn’t recognize himself anymore.
Today, when Hailey pulled down his mask, the fear and shock in her eyes were unmistakable.
He was no longer the man she had once loved. That was how it had to be.
There was no reason to go back to them. They were better off leaving the past behind and moving on.
They deserved to be happy.
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