Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett herself wasn\u2019t particularly superstitious, but she was taken aback by how seriously Damian seemed to take her offhand remark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood frozen for a moment, unsure how to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her immobile, Damian grew even more frantic. \u201cScarlett, come on, take it back. Say it\u2019s not true. You\u2019re worrying me sick!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Scarlett looked up at him. \u201cEven if I \u2018spit it out\u2018, as you say, the idea is out there. We can\u2019t change what was said.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Uncertain of the reader\u2019s exact words but taking Scarlett\u2019s somber tone at face value, Damian suddenly pulled her into a fierce embrace. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice low and intense against her ear. \u201cScarlett, even if you were the worst luck in the world for a husband, I\u2019d still want to marry you. If your life is meant to be short, then I\u2019ll give you years from mine. It doesn\u2019t matter. In this lifetime, I only want you. No one else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He held her so tightly she could barely breathe. Yet, as his words sank in, the reader\u2019s prediction echoed in her mind. \u201cThe one meant for you bears the surname Langley.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could it possibly be true?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she thought about it, Damian had consistently shown himself to be a good man. Despite the rumors that swirled around him, aside from Kylie, Scarlett had never actually seen another woman in his orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t struggle. She let him hold her, feeling the slight, involuntary tremble that ran through him. He seemed genuinely afraid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was about to confess that she\u2019d been joking, to tell him the bleak prediction was her own invention. But before she could speak, her phone rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound broke the moment. Damian loosened his grip. \u201cYou should get that,\u201d he said, his voice rough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up and was startled to see his eyes were red\u2013rimmed. She couldn\u2019t tell if he\u2019d been crying, but the sight twisted something in her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone kept ringing. She saw it was Lily. After a brief hesitation, she answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Stewart, thank goodness!\u201d Lily\u2019s voice was pitched high with anxiety. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to reach Mr. Stewart, but he isn\u2019t answering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s brow furrowed. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened, Lily?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:02 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 269 An Embrace and a Panicked Call\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f62\u0f71 (66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Vanessa. She\u2019s burning up with fever. I went to check on her and she was drenched in sweat. I took her temperature\u2013it\u2019s already 104 degrees!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
All other thoughts vanished. Scarlett\u2019s doctor\u2019s instincts kicked in. \u201cLily, give her children\u2019s acetaminophen right now, the correct dose for her weight. I\u2019m coming straight there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mrs. Stewart. I will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep me updated. I\u2019ll try to find her father.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lily agreed and ended the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian had heard enough of the conversation to understand. The fragile connection of the moment shattered, replaced by cold worry. But seeing the panic on Scarlett\u2019s face, he pushed his own tangled feelings aside. \u201cYou need to go?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to find Vincent,\u201d Scarlett said, already turning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a few hurried steps toward the lantern stall, then stopped and looked back at Damian. \u201cYou should go home. I\u2019ll\u2026 I\u2019ll take that walk with you another time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her promise, however vague, lifted his mood slightly. Yet, the old bitterness\u2013the memory of a broken promise from long ago\u2013surfaced just as quickly, darkening his thoughts again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had no time to decipher his shifting emotions. After her hurried promise, she was off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian had no choice but to follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett hurried back to the stall and saw Vincent and Sabrina from a distance, examining some trinkets together. Without preamble, she walked straight up, grabbed Vincent\u2019s arm, and said, \u201cVanessa has a high fever. We need to go. Now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A fever of 104 degrees was serious. If not managed properly, a child could suffer seizures or lasting harm. Vanessa was willful, but Scarlett wouldn\u2019t gamble with her health. If anything happened because they delayed, she would never forgive herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent looked stunned, as if he couldn\u2019t process her words. He pulled out his phone and called Lily himself for confirmation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After hearing Lily\u2019s frantic confirmation, Vincent\u2019s face drained of color, panic setting in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had taken Vanessa out late to visit Sabrina at the hospital. Sabrina had even wanted Vanessa to stay the night. It was only after Lily called, reminding him Vanessa had school the next day, that he had brought her home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, Sabrina, claiming she still couldn\u2019t sleep, had asked him to go for a walk with her here, to\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:02 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 269 An Embrace and a Panicked Call\u00a0<\/p>\n
the lively riverwalk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He never expected to run into Scarlett here of all places. Just hours ago, they had argued bitterly over Vanessa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, in such a short time, Vanessa was dangerously ill? A part of him was skeptical, but he couldn\u2019t doubt Lily\u2019s verified report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u1218\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\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 269 Finished\u00a0 Scarlett herself wasn\u2019t particularly superstitious, but she was taken aback […]<\/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-27633","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\/27633","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=27633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27633\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}