\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 188\u00a0<\/p>\n
At those words, Sydney\u2019s expression froze for a moment. She fell silent before murmuring, \u201cSo that\u2019s how it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her relationship with Julian was even more shameful than she had imagined. It was no wonder Charlotte\u2019s behavior around him had never seemed strange. Sydney had been the one blind to the truth from beginning to end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was no wonder Charlotte had appeared tonight, of all nights-New Year\u2019s Eve. She was here as Julian\u2019s future wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Charlotte could reply, Eloise descended the stairs, her voice warm and affectionate. \u201cCharlotte, when did you arrive? Why didn\u2019t you have Jason call me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tone carried the indulgence of a grandmother addressing a beloved future granddaughter-in-law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte, poised and composed, answered with a gentle smile, \u201cJason said you were napping, so I didn\u2019t want to disturb you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise made her way to the head seat in the reception hall. \u201cSince you\u2019ve come today, your family won\u2019t mind, will they?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte stepped forward to support her arm, her voice tender. \u201cOf course not. My parents reminded me to spend time with you\u00a0<\/p>\n
and Jules.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the first time Sydney had ever heard someone of her generation, and of the opposite sex, call Julian by that name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise patted Charlotte\u2019s hand approvingly before her gaze finally shifted to Sydney. When her eyes landed on Caleb beside her, her expression softened, just slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCal, Syd is a headstrong child. She hasn\u2019t caused your family any trouble, has she?\u201d Eloise\u2019s words carried the affection of a grandmother, yet every syllable was edged with reproach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney was used to it. Eloise had spoken that way for years, about everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb frowned and glanced at the quiet woman at his side before replying coolly, \u201cSyd has never caused me trouble. No one in my family thinks her temper is bad. On the contrary, she\u2019s wonderful. Both my grandmother and my mother adore her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise hesitated. \u201cIs that so? Then perhaps this girl only shows her stubborn side in our household.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandmother,\u201d Caleb said, using the same address Sydney did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he spoke, he slipped an arm around Sydney\u2019s shoulders, steady and protective. \u201cSyd has the best temperament of anyone I\u2019ve ever met. Sometimes, I wonder what kind of home life she must have had to turn out this way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled faintly. Each word landed with deliberate weight. \u201cCould it be that the Sterling family isn\u2019t quite as generous and kind to her as the rumors suggest?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eloise frowned. Weren\u2019t people saying Caleb\u2019s true love was his sister-in-law, that he had never cared for Sydney? Why did it look now as though he defended her at every turn?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression tightened at the pointed question, but Charlotte stepped in smoothly. \u201cMr. Hampton, what are you implying? Even as an outsider, I can see perfectly well how kindly the Sterling family treats Syd.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A lazy male voice cut across the air from behind. \u201cWhat are you all talking about? Sounds lively.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney knew instantly who it was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hall fell silent. In the Sterling family, no one was unafraid of Julian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb turned, maintaining his faint smile. \u201cWe were just discussing whether the Sterling family has treated Syd well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s face betrayed nothing. His gaze slid to Caleb\u2019s hand resting on Sydney\u2019s shoulder, and he sneered, \u201cYou already know the answer to that, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, it had not been good. Caleb had known that years ago, when Sydney was still a little girl and he often visited the Sterling estate to see Julian. But even then, he had never cared about her situation. His sudden chivalry now only made it seem more laughable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney could not tell whether Julian\u2019s words were meant for Caleb or Eloise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 188 \u00a0 Chapter 188\u00a0 At […]<\/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-22170","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\/22170","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=22170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22306,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22170\/revisions\/22306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}