The Cherished Wife

Chapter 567



Sean's mouth quirked in a half-smile. "No way!" How could he not be happy? She was married then, living the dream. That was the best possible ending for them both.

"As long as you're happy, that's what counts!"

Steven's eyes wandered from Sean, taking in the view outside. "Some things just aren't meant for us, no matter how much we want them. You were the one who let her go. It's time to stop holding on. I came here to let you know she's doing great, so you can get on with your life too."

Sean's laugh was sharp, edged with ice. "You're really going out of your way, aren't you?" He shrugged. "I'm not hung up on her, and I'm not about to start. If she's happy, great. If she's not... well, that's none of my business!" He exhaled slowly, releasing a tension he had not admitted to holding. "You don't need to probe, you know. If we're talking cold-hearted, I can't hold a candle to you."

Steven looked at Sean, a brief flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

Youth has its impatience, after all. He twirled the cigarette between his fingers before finally speaking. "I haven't mentioned this to Charles. He probably doesn't want her back either."

Sean's smile was a twist of lips. "So why spill the beans to me? Our fling was nothing more than a fleeting moment. She walked away, and that was that." He inhaled sharply, a line drawn. "However, now that you've told me, I know."

Steven gave a nod. "What time are you heading over tonight?"

"Let's make it eight. We'll catch the place when it's just heating up."Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"I'll head up and catch a break then." Steven clapped Sean on the shoulder before heading upstairs.

Sean's gaze lingered on Steven's departing figure, tall and getting smaller in the distance. His face, usually the picture of innocence, was then clouded with a dark mood.

He glanced where Steven had just been looking. Outside, the tree branches were bare, their leaves scattered across the ground, dancing away with the whims of the wind.

It was like he was back in that same bleak winter moment, the sky a dull gray, the yard deserted. Sean had been just a kid then, maybe ten,

el

playing hooky and loving eve

minute of it. However, on his way back, a crying sound caught his ear, floating down from the trees.

The voice was young, filled with a kind of endless pain.

Sean was not the type to poke his nose into other people's business, but that day, for some reason, he found himself drawn into the yard, standing under the tree, looking up at a little girl clinging to the branches.

He could still picture her—not exactly the cutest kid, face streaked with tears and a runny nose. When she spotted him, she called out, "Sir! " Sean's first thought was to bolt. However, her cries were so desperate. "Save me!"

He would later learn that she was Charles's half-sister, the one the Hoffmans would not even admit existed.

Because he had gotten involved that day, helped her down from that tree, she had stuck to him like glue. She followed him everywhere until...

Sean squeezed his eyes shut, a

headache brewing, fingers pressing against his temples. Those

memories were years old, yet they were as clear as if they had

3월 13일

happened yesterday. He had never felt anything for her, but when she was there, hurt and bleeding, he had actually thought about making her his wife.

No more thinking, he told himself. Just no more.

Sean's eyes shapped open, and he was surprised to find his cheeks were damp. He glanced down at the long scar on his hand, the memory of her words echoing in his mind. "We never see each other again, not in this life or the next."