Chapter 174 Birthday Wounds and Sunflowers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vanessa\u2019s heart was clearly no longer with her mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Scarlett gently intervened. She said to Abbott, \u201cAbbott, they\u2019re waiting for you inside. You should take Vanessa in now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, turning to Nolan, she added, \u201cLet\u2019s go eat. I\u2019m getting a little hungry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan understood her unspoken meaning and didn\u2019t press further. He left the scene with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, the two of them ended up at a casual grill and bar, ordering a spread of loaded fries, wings, and burgers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps because her mood was low, Scarlett also ordered a whole case of local craft beer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan wanted to comfort her but didn\u2019t quite know how. He could only offer his silent, supportive company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the food arrived, Scarlett opened the beers, drinking one after another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After several drinks, she could no longer hold back her tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, they were in a secluded booth, so she could let her emotions out relatively freely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Scarlett was never one for dramatic outbursts; even in her grief, she cried quietly, her shoulders shaking slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan, I\u2019m getting a divorce,\u201d she confessed, her voice thick with emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this was the marriage I fought so hard for. Now it feels like chains holding me down. The daughter I risked everything to bring into this world\u2026 She feels like a punishment sent from above. But what did I do wrong? I loved them with everything I had. How could they treat me like this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was clearly intoxicated, voicing thoughts that were usually too painful to articulate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She cried and questioned, but there were no answers to be found.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even Nolan could only gently pat her head and reassure her, \u201cScarlett, it\u2019s not your fault. You did the best you could.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett cried until her eyes were swollen and red, eventually falling asleep, her head leaning against Nolan\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she opened her eyes again, she realized she seemed to be in a car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58 Sat, Jan 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 174 Birthday Wounds and Sunflowers\u00a0<\/p>\n
82\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head throbbed painfully. As she reached up to massage her temples, Nolan\u2019s gentle, concerned voice came from beside her. \u201cScarlett, you\u2019re awake?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett lowered her hand and looked around, realizing her head had been resting on Nolan\u2019s lap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hurriedly tried to sit up. Nolan slowly assisted her. \u201cTake it easy; you\u2019ll feel dizzy if you move too fast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Scarlett was sitting upright, she leaned back against the headrest. She turned to look at Nolan. \u201cNolan, what time is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan glanced at his watch. \u201cTwo in the morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was stunned, then quickly said, embarrassed, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry for causing you so much trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew she had gotten drunk and had said many things she normally kept buried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan looked at her. His gentle features were handsome and pleasing. When he offered a faint smile, his eyes were particularly captivating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t acknowledge her apology. Instead, he said to her, \u201cScarlett, happy birthday.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of sorrow washed over Scarlett\u2019s heart. She turned her face away, momentarily speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan leaned over to the passenger seat and retrieved a bouquet of flowers and a gift bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handed the flowers to Scarlett, simultaneously saying a bit sheepishly, \u201cI should be giving these to you today, but I bought them yesterday. I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday. But they\u2019ve been in the car all night; they\u2019re looking a little wilted now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett looked down. Nolan had given her a bouquet of sunflowers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took the flowers, her eyes reddening as she thanked him. \u201cThank you, Nolan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her accept them, Nolan\u2019s smile widened. \u201cAbout the divorce, let me help you find a lawyer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett shook her head. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to Vincent face-to-face when he\u2019s back from his business trip. If we can\u2019t reach an agreement, then I\u2019ll seek legal counsel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan didn\u2019t insist, simply telling her, \u201cDon\u2019t ever settle for less than you deserve. You always deserve the best.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58 Sat, Jan 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 174 Birthday Wounds and Sunflowers\u00a0<\/p>\n
82\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day was Scarlett\u2019s 27th birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the morning, Diana made her a special birthday breakfast of pancakes with a candle on top.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After eating, Violet gave her the gift she had prepared in advance-a cashmere scarf from a high-end designer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s gift was still sitting on the table, unopened. The flowers, after a night in the car, had wilted considerably.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She carefully arranged the sunflowers in a vase and placed it on her nightstand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clara had the day off. After getting up, she came to Scarlett\u2019s room, gave her a handful of carefully folded origami cranes and boats, and pestered her to let her braid her hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cherishing this rare warmth, Scarlett naturally didn\u2019t refuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She spent the whole day quietly with Clara.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the evening, Nathan had reserved a table at a popular downtown restaurant and took the whole family out for dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although Nathan didn\u2019t explicitly state the reason, everyone knew he wanted to celebrate his sister\u2019s birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the restaurant, the whole family was present; no one was missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathan had chosen a vibrant Italian bistro, full of lively chatter and clinking glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handed the menu to Scarlett, his expression calm but not unkind. \u201cOrder whatever you like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking the menu, Scarlett couldn\u2019t help but feel a pang of poignant sadness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been several years since she had celebrated her birthday surrounded by her family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After marrying Vincent, she had almost lost herself, spending day and night caring for Vanessa, and had let her own birthday pass by unnoticed, year after year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking about it now, she realized just how much she had neglected herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After they ordered, the family enjoyed a rare, relaxed evening together, simply chatting and catching up a simple, ordinary happiness that felt more precious than anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/1\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58 Sat, Jan 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\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
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 174 Chapter 174 Birthday Wounds and Sunflowers\u00a0 Vanessa\u2019s heart was clearly no […]<\/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":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27538","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=27538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}