Eric gently patted Scarlett\u2019s cheek with his small hand. \u201cYeah, Dad loves me so much. And Damian, Zachary\u2013they all do. And someday, I\u2019ll have a wife who loves me too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett managed a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s right. More and more people will love you as time goes on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eric took her hand. \u201cLet\u2019s go make lunch now. I\u2019m really hungry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pulling herself together, Scarlett pushed thoughts of Vanessa aside for the moment. She chopped the vegetables while Damian handled the cooking over the portable stove. Clara and Eric helped by adding ingredients to the pan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Working together, they quickly prepared two simple dishes. Scarlett was quietly impressed by Damian\u2019s capable hands in the kitchen, but her low spirits kept her from commenting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the food was ready, she said to Damian, \u201cMr. Langley, why don\u2019t you stay here and have lunch with Clara and Eric?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian frowned. \u201cWhat about you? Where are you going?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett offered a faint smile. \u201cJust to the restroom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian watched her with concern. He knew she was upset about Vanessa, but he didn\u2019t press\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After washing her hands, Scarlett told the children she\u2019d be back soon and turned to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s eyes followed her. He noticed she wasn\u2019t heading toward the restrooms at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He untied his apron and said to Eric, \u201cTake the food over to Bianca with Clara. I\u2019ll go check on Scarlett.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, Damian,\u201d Eric replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian quickly rinsed his hands and set off after Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t walking fast, and he caught up easily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He found her sitting on a wooden bench along the path, head bowed, tears streaming silently down her face. Even in her grief, she bit her lip hard, holding back any sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t noticed him. After an inner struggle, a choked sob finally escaped her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The daughter she\u2019d nurtured so carefully had become someone cruel and hurtful\u2013the thought was a physical ache, a suffocating weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:10 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 332 A Shoulder to Cry On\u00a0<\/p>\n
(64)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian had intended to give her space, to let her release what she\u2019d bottled up. But when Scarlett began hitting her own legs in frustration, he could no longer stand aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He strode over and caught her wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Startled, she looked up. Her face was wet with tears, filled with helplessness and confusion. She stared at him, dazed, as the tears kept falling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His heart clenched. He sat beside her, pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and offered it to her. \u201cHere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett took it, her voice hoarse. \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian looked away, gazing ahead as he asked calmly, \u201cIt hurts, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett wiped her cheeks. \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He still didn\u2019t look at her. He knew how vulnerable she must feel and that she wouldn\u2019t want to\u00a0<\/p>\n
show it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing her denial, he let out a soft, humorless laugh. \u201cNow you know how it feels.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett stayed silent. She didn\u2019t fully understand what he meant, so she didn\u2019t engage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then Damian turned to her. He didn\u2019t ask anything more, only said gently, \u201cIf you need to, you can lean on my shoulder for a while. It\u2019s here for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn\u2019t come. The tears welled up again, spilling over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t hold back any longer. Turning, she buried her face against his shoulder and wept -deep, wrenching sobs that shook her whole body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa wasn\u2019t like this before,\u201d she cried into his shirt: \u201cShe really wasn\u2019t. But now she won\u2019t listen to me. I can\u2019t reach her anymore. I just\u2026 can\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian could feel her trembling. He raised a hand and rested it lightly on her back. \u201cI know,\u201d he said softly. \u201cI understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett cried for a long time, recounting memories of how sweet and well\u2013behaved Vanessa used to be. Damian listened quietly, offering little more than his presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After nearly twenty minutes, Scarlett finally lifted her head from his shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt drained but lighter. Her eyes were dry now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She met his gaze, \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:10 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 332 A Shoulder to Cry On\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
(64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian looked back at her seriously. \u201cIf you really want things to change for Vanessa, you should tell Vincent what happened today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett nodded. \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued to hold her eyes. \u201cIf I were her father, I would never let you carry this alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A faint, tired smile touched Scarlett\u2019s lips. \u201cWe should go back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They walked side by side along the path. Just as they were nearing the clearing where Clara and Eric waited, Vanessa\u2019s voice drifted from the trees to their right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSabrina\u2026 since I don\u2019t have a mom anymore\u2026 will you be my\u00a0<\/p>\n
mom?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\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 332 Eric gently patted Scarlett\u2019s cheek with his small hand. \u201cYeah, Dad […]<\/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-27696","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\/27696","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=27696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27696\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}