The fury building inside Vincent felt like a physical weight, heavy and constricting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
56\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
He met Damian\u2019s gaze and fired back, \u201cHow long has it been since she had that surgery? Are you trying to put her in more danger?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s expression darkened. \u201cDon\u2019t pretend to care now. I look out for her better than you ever did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent let out a derisive snort. \u201cOh really? If you look out for her so well, why did you let her come out alone to buy this?\u201d He gestured vaguely with the box he still held.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian had no interest in justifying himself. \u201cYou don\u2019t know the situation,\u201d he stated flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had had enough. She was anxious to get back to Claire. Tugging at Damian\u2019s sleeve, she said, \u201cLet\u2019s go. Don\u2019t waste another second on him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, she started down the steps toward the curb. But as she passed Vincent, his hand shot out again, grasping her wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett stopped and turned, meeting his eyes. His voice was low, carrying a final warning. \u201cScarlett, think carefully. If you walk away now, don\u2019t expect me to come asking again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her reply was immediate and icy. \u201cMy mind was made up a long time ago. The best thing for both of us is to never have anything to do with each other again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pulled her arm from his grip and didn\u2019t look back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent watched her walk away, and a sharp, unfamiliar pang struck his chest\u2013a hollow, aching sensation he couldn\u2019t quite name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before getting into Damian\u2019s car, Scarlett paused, her hand on the door handle. She looked back at Vincent, who stood frozen by the pharmacy entrance. \u201cThe mandatory waiting period is almost over,\u201d she said, her voice clear and steady. \u201cOnce the divorce is final, we go our separate ways. Let\u2019s just wish each other well and stay out of each other\u2019s lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she got into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
passenger seat and closed the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the car pulled into the apartment complex and parked, Scarlett noticed a faint, lingering smile on Damian\u2019s face. It wasn\u2019t a broad grin, but something quieter, more private,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing him like this, she frowned in confusion. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian turned to look at her. Though he was smiling, his eyes held a sudden sheen of moisture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:01 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 400 Final Choice\u00a0<\/p>\n
:.\u00a0<\/p>\n
450\u00a0<\/p>\n
56\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
It took him a moment to speak, his voice unusually thick. \u201cYou finally kept your promise,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was bewildered. She frowned. \u201cDamian, I\u2019ve never made you any promises. I didn\u2019t even know you before that night in the rain\u2013the night you gave me your coat and held the umbrella for me. That\u2019s my first memory of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She searched her mind but found no trace of any prior agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian looked at her earnest confusion and didn\u2019t seem upset. His smile just softened. He leaned closer, closing the space between them in the car. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you remember,\u201d he murmured. \u201cAs long as I do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing his certainty, her frown deepened. \u201cBut Damian, I really don\u2019t recall. Are you sure you have the right person? Could you be mistaking me for someone else?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned in even closer, until his forehead gently touched hers. \u201cThen let it be a happy mistake,\u201d he whispered, his warm breath brushing her skin. \u201cBecause you\u2019re the only one I see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett froze, his features blurring in her vision from the proximity. In that moment, a strange, elusive feeling washed over her\u2013a faint sense of familiarity, as if she had seen him somewhere before. But where? She couldn\u2019t place it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One thing she was sure of\u2013she had never promised him anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet, with Claire waiting upstairs, she didn\u2019t have time to dwell on the mystery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*****\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent returned to Ravenshade Villa alone, the encounter leaving a bitter aftertaste. Damian had taken her away, and the frustration still churned within him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before walking inside, he took a moment to school his features into neutrality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he entered, Lily had just finished setting the dinner table. Hearing the door, his grandfather Xavier set aside his newspaper and put on his reading glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xavier looked toward the foyer, his expectant gaze finding only Vincent. Lily, wiping her hands on her\u00a0<\/p>\n
apron, also peeked behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not seeing Scarlett, Lily asked with polite surprise, \u201cMr. Stewart, didn\u2019t Mrs. Stewart come back with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent hung up his coat. \u201cNo. She\u2019s working late,\u201d he replied evenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xavier pulled off his glasses and slapped them on the table. \u201cIs she really working,\u201d he\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/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 400 The fury building inside Vincent felt like a physical weight, heavy […]<\/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-27764","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\/27764","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=27764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27764\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}