Caleb\u00a0rubbed\u00a0his\u00a0fingers\u00a0together,\u00a0frowning.\u00a0\u201cShe\u00a0just\u00a0panicked\u00a0at\u00a0that\u00a0moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas\u00a0it\u00a0really\u00a0panic,\u00a0or\u00a0was\u00a0it\u00a0premeditated?\u00a0Haven\u2019t\u00a0you\u00a0already\u00a0figured\u00a0that\u00a0out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney\u00a0marveled\u00a0at\u00a0his\u00a0refusal\u00a0to\u00a0face\u00a0the\u00a0truth.\u00a0She\u00a0held\u00a0his\u00a0gaze,\u00a0calm\u00a0and\u00a0steady,\u00a0until\u00a0he\u00a0finally\u00a0exhaled\u00a0and\u00a0looked\u00a0away.\u00a0\u201cSyd,\u00a0I\u00a0know\u00a0she\u00a0crossed\u00a0the\u00a0line.\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0make\u00a0it\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a0you\u00a0on\u00a0her\u00a0behalf-\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0even\u00a0finished\u00a0before\u00a0the\u00a0phone\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0table\u00a0buzzed.<\/p>\n
Sydney\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0check\u00a0the\u00a0screen.\u00a0The\u00a0look\u00a0on\u00a0his\u00a0face\u00a0told\u00a0her\u00a0exactly\u00a0who\u00a0it\u00a0was\u2013Penelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u00a0I\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney\u00a0smiled\u00a0faintly.\u00a0\u201cGo\u00a0ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u00a0had\u00a0brought\u00a0her\u00a0here\u00a0to\u00a0apologize,\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0even\u00a0waited\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0food\u00a0to\u00a0arrive,\u00a0and\u00a0already\u00a0he\u00a0was\u00a0walking\u00a0away\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0a\u00a0call\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0person\u00a0who\u00a0started\u00a0it\u00a0all.<\/p>\n
\u2018What\u00a0a\u00a0joke,\u2018\u00a0she thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am?\u00a0Miss?\u201d\u00a0The\u00a0server\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0call\u00a0her\u00a0twice\u00a0before\u00a0she\u00a0blinked\u00a0and\u00a0looked\u00a0up.\u00a0A\u00a0dish\u00a0had\u00a0already\u00a0been<\/p>\n
set\u00a0in\u00a0front\u00a0of\u00a0her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHm?\u00a0What\u00a0is\u00a0it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour\u00a0companion must\u00a0have\u00a0left\u00a0this\u00a0pendant\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0server\u00a0held\u00a0it\u00a0out\u00a0to\u00a0her.\u00a0\u201cCould\u00a0you\u00a0keep\u00a0it\u00a0for\u00a0him,\u00a0so\u00a0it\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0get\u00a0lost?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure.\u00a0Thanks.\u201d\u00a0She\u00a0accepted\u00a0it\u00a0without\u00a0thinking,\u00a0but\u00a0the\u00a0moment\u00a0her\u00a0eyes\u00a0landed\u00a0on\u00a0it,\u00a0everything\u00a0around\u00a0her\u00a0dropped\u00a0away.\u00a0Her\u00a0mind\u00a0went\u00a0blank.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0was\u00a0her\u00a0pendant.\u00a0It\u00a0was\u00a0identical\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0one\u00a0stolen\u00a0from\u00a0her\u00a0years\u00a0ago\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0orphanage.<\/p>\n
She\u00a0had\u00a0searched\u00a0for\u00a0it\u00a0over\u00a0the\u00a0years,\u00a0but\u00a0she\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0stayed\u00a0long\u00a0back\u00a0then.\u00a0She\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0remember\u00a0the\u00a0name\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0girl\u00a0who\u00a0had\u00a0taken\u00a0it.\u00a0By\u00a0the\u00a0time\u00a0she\u00a0returned,\u00a0the\u00a0orphanage\u00a0was\u00a0gone.<\/p>\n
She had\u00a0wanted\u00a0to\u00a0look,\u00a0but there\u00a0had\u00a0been\u00a0nowhere\u00a0to\u00a0start.<\/p>\n
And\u00a0now,\u00a0without warning,\u00a0it\u00a0was\u00a0back\u00a0in\u00a0her\u00a0hands.<\/p>\n
Before\u00a0she\u00a0could\u00a0process\u00a0what\u00a0was\u00a0happening,\u00a0someone\u00a0snatched\u00a0the\u00a0pendant\u00a0from\u00a0her.\u00a0She\u00a0lunged\u00a0for\u00a0it\u00a0on\u00a0instinct,\u00a0her\u00a0fingers\u00a0grasping at\u00a0empty\u00a0air.<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t\u00a0been\u00a0able to\u00a0fight\u00a0back\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0child.\u00a0However,\u00a0she\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a\u00a0child\u00a0anymore.\u00a0This\u00a0was\u00a0the\u00a0one\u00a0thing\u00a0her\u00a0parents\u00a0had\u00a0left\u00a0her,\u00a0and\u00a0she\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0going\u00a0to\u00a0lose\u00a0it\u00a0gain.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive\u00a0it\u00a0back!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive\u00a0it\u00a0back?\u201d\u00a0Caleb\u00a0gave\u00a0her\u00a0a\u00a0confused\u00a0look.\u00a0\u201cPenny\u2019s\u00a0had\u00a0this\u00a0since\u00a0she\u00a0was\u00a0little.\u00a0I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0just\u00a0hand\u00a0it<\/p>\n
over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney\u00a0took\u00a0a\u00a0breath,\u00a0steadying\u00a0herself.\u00a0\u201cIt\u00a0belongs\u00a0to\u00a0Penelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
1\/3<\/p>\n
Chapter\u00a098<\/p>\n
+15\u00a0BONUS<\/p>\n
Thinking\u00a0she\u00a0was\u00a0simply\u00a0upset,\u00a0Caleb\u00a0dropped\u00a0a\u00a0piece\u00a0of\u00a0cod\u00a0onto\u00a0her\u00a0plate\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0shrug.\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0charity\u00a0auction\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0few\u00a0days.\u00a0Come\u00a0with\u00a0me.\u00a0You can\u00a0pick\u00a0out\u00a0whatever\u00a0you\u00a0want.\u00a0It\u2019ll\u00a0be\u00a0my\u00a0way\u00a0of\u00a0apologizing,\u00a0okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u00a0barely\u00a0heard\u00a0him.\u00a0Her\u00a0thoughts\u00a0were\u00a0locked\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0pendant.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u00a0I\u00a0see\u00a0it\u00a0again?\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0asked.\u00a0Her\u00a0eyes\u00a0were\u00a0fixed\u00a0on\u00a0it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee\u00a0it?\u00a0Sure,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said\u00a0and\u00a0placed\u00a0it\u00a0in\u00a0her\u00a0palm.<\/p>\n
She\u00a0took\u00a0it\u00a0gently,\u00a0and\u00a0fingers\u00a0brushed\u00a0the\u00a0inside.<\/p>\n
Soon,\u00a0she\u00a0saw\u00a0it.\u00a0Her\u00a0nickname.\u00a0It\u00a0was\u00a0etched\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0metal\u00a0in\u00a0her\u00a0father\u2019s\u00a0careful\u00a0handwriting.<\/p>\n
This pendant\u00a0had\u00a0carried\u00a0all\u00a0her\u00a0parents\u2018\u00a0hopes\u00a0for\u00a0her.\u00a0A\u00a0peaceful\u00a0life.\u00a0For\u00a0their\u00a0precious\u00a0girl\u00a0to\u00a0grow\u00a0up\u00a0safe\u00a0and\u00a0sound.<\/p>\n
There\u00a0was\u00a0no\u00a0doubt.\u00a0This\u00a0was\u00a0hers.\u00a0Not\u00a0Penelope\u2019s.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0fact,\u00a0Penelope\u00a0was\u00a0probably\u00a0the\u00a0same\u00a0girl\u00a0who\u00a0had\u00a0bullied\u00a0her\u00a0back\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0orphanage\u2013the\u00a0one\u00a0who\u00a0had\u00a0stolen\u00a0this\u00a0pendant.\u00a0Now,\u00a0years\u00a0later,\u00a0she\u00a0had\u00a0set\u00a0her\u00a0sights\u00a0on\u00a0her\u00a0husband,\u00a0tried\u00a0to\u00a0steal\u00a0her\u00a0job,\u00a0and\u00a0wanted\u00a0to\u00a0insert\u00a0herself\u00a0in\u00a0her\u00a0project.<\/p>\n
Penelope\u00a0had\u00a0spent\u00a0a\u00a0lifetime\u00a0trying\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0what\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0belong\u00a0to\u00a0her.<\/p>\n
Still\u00a0gently\u00a0rubbing\u00a0her\u00a0thumb\u00a0over\u00a0the\u00a0engraving,\u00a0Sydney\u00a0looked\u00a0up\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0chuckle.\u00a0\u201cOh?\u00a0Her\u00a0nickname\u2019s\u00a0Precious\u00a0too?\u201d<\/p>\n
2\/3<\/p>\n
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she\u2019s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 98 Caleb\u00a0rubbed\u00a0his\u00a0fingers\u00a0together,\u00a0frowning.\u00a0\u201cShe\u00a0just\u00a0panicked\u00a0at\u00a0that\u00a0moment.\u201d \u201cWas\u00a0it\u00a0really\u00a0panic,\u00a0or\u00a0was\u00a0it\u00a0premeditated?\u00a0Haven\u2019t\u00a0you\u00a0already\u00a0figured\u00a0that\u00a0out?\u201d Sydney\u00a0marveled\u00a0at\u00a0his\u00a0refusal\u00a0to\u00a0face\u00a0the\u00a0truth.\u00a0She\u00a0held\u00a0his\u00a0gaze,\u00a0calm\u00a0and\u00a0steady,\u00a0until\u00a0he\u00a0finally\u00a0exhaled\u00a0and\u00a0looked\u00a0away.\u00a0\u201cSyd,\u00a0I\u00a0know\u00a0she\u00a0crossed\u00a0the\u00a0line.\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0make\u00a0it\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a0you\u00a0on\u00a0her\u00a0behalf-\u201d He\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0even\u00a0finished\u00a0before\u00a0the\u00a0phone\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0table\u00a0buzzed. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22081\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}