\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t a normal child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Draven was only eight, so things hadn\u2019t gotten too bad yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
100\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Martin hugged him, the boy cried, clearly holding in his emotions. But he was stubborn. When Martin asked what happened, he wouldn\u2019t say a word. Even trying to cup his face to see his expression, the boy resisted hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martin had wanted to keep Draven by his side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Judging by how upset he was, he probably would\u2019ve been obedient too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Draven refused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After that, they only saw each other once a year. And with each year, Draven grew colder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His dislike of human contact, his disinterest in relationships-all of it came from what he experienced as a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why Martin had never pressured him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was older now, more open-minded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every generation had its own fate. He wouldn\u2019t interfere too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martin said, \u201cSo when will you fall for someone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven said mildly, \u201cMaybe someday.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not easy to please, so when you do like someone, you better hold on tight. Don\u2019t let go. You might not find anyone else again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven glanced at Martin, surprisingly curious. \u201cYou really think so?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martin raised his bushy white brows. \u201cYou think I\u2019m making this up? You were so stubborn as a kid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d gone through so much with the Storms and still refused to come back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Took it all alone upon himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still stubborn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven frowned, remembering the past. \u201cYou\u2019re not wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Martin left, Draven sat in the car for a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver asked, \u201cMr. Storm, where to now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven looked down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:12 Tue, Dec 30 R\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he didn\u2019t answer, the driver stayed quiet, waiting patiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven\u2019s eyes were hard to read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
@100\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
He knew Martin. Martin really cared about Ayla. If she had complained, Martin would definitely take her side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But maybe she hadn\u2019t complained at all. Maybe she and Troy had shown off their love instead, winning Martin over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven\u2019s hands tightened on his lap. Suddenly, he said, \u201cTake me to the bar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver paused. \u201cYes, sir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Going to the bar-just like that? And not even during nighttime yet?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When they arrived, Draven kicked the driver out of the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But if he planned to drink, who would drive him home? Shouldn\u2019t the driver stay?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Call a rideshare later? Doesn\u2019t make sense. It was easier to just wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver didn\u2019t get it, but he didn\u2019t ask questions either. He simply followed orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla didn\u2019t know if Troy would come back to the villa. To avoid running into him, she drove fast, planning to grab the package and leave immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She parked, got out, and looked at the familiar front gate and garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d only been gone for a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, it wasn\u2019t as emotional as she thought it would be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was just here to take care of one last thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked into the main house, noticing that Laura wasn\u2019t around. At this hour, she should\u2019ve been home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Ayla didn\u2019t think too much of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She went upstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her bedroom was on the second floor-a guest room, actually-the one farthest from Troy\u2019s main\u00a0<\/p>\n
bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How fitting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been blind back then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A marriage like that should\u2019ve ended a long time ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the way in, she couldn\u2019t stop thinking about how pathetic she had been. Judging herself harshly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:12 Tue, Dec 30\u00a0<\/p>\n
RED\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0<\/p>\n
But maybe that was a good thing. A reminder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Never again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she reached her room, she saw the door was open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not surprising. She\u2019d been gone a while. Of course people had come in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She just hoped no one had touched Halle\u2019s package.\u00a0<\/p>\n
600100\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
Probably none. It was hidden in the back corner of her closet, surrounded by clothes she\u2019d never gotten a chance to wear. It was easy to miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla gently pushed the door open-and saw someone inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Laura.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Digging through her closet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla stepped in quietly and spoke in a calm voice. \u201cLaura.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laura froze mid-motion. She thought she\u2019d misheard. Then came a second \u201cLaura\u201d. She turned around with a jolt. Seeing Ayla standing there like a ghost, her face went pale in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gasped and stumbled backward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. She looked at the closet. It was packed full of clothes-but about a third were missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla didn\u2019t buy much herself. Most of these had been sent by Troy\u2019s assistant-women\u2019s versions of the brands Troy wore-so she wouldn\u2019t embarrass him at family events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla looked away from the clothes and locked eyes with Laura. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laura hadn\u2019t seen Ayla in so long she didn\u2019t know what to say. And now she\u2019d been caught red-handed. Her face flushed with embarrassment. \u201cI-I was just cleaning. You\u2019ve been gone a long time. The room was dusty. I came in to tidy up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla walked over to the vanity. She ran a finger across the surface. It came up covered in dust.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked back at Laura with a blank expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s face turned bright red. She couldn\u2019t have felt more ashamed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:12 Tue, Dec 30\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Unwritten Feelings Drift by Austen 116 \u00a0 Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0 Chapter 116 No More Illusions\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t a […]<\/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":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-retired-from-your-heart-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24551","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=24551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}