The Sway and Slide of Love

"Yes, Daddy promises you," Hendrix replied.

He had initially felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable with this identity. But at this moment, he spoke that work with complete naturalness. His voice even carried a tenderness he hadn't even realized was there.

After receiving his confirmation, Rosie finally hung up the phone.

Hendrix put down his phone but remained in a daze for a long time. When he finally came back to his senses, a slow smile spread across his lips. Then, he turned to look out the window.

Although it was already late summer, he felt the weather today was unusually perfect.

However, Hendrix's happiness didn't last long. Because the next day, Noelle didn't come to see him. Not just the next day, but also the third and fourth days.

Hendrix couldn't sit still any longer. Ignoring the doctor's objections, he went ahead and arranged for his discharge. He didn't inform anyone else, simply hiring an unlicensed car in town to take him back to the village.

He didn't even bother going back to the rundown house he had rented. Instead, he headed straight for Noelle's current home.

As he approached the door, he overheard a conversation between Noelle and Irene.

"I think that young man from the Buckley family is quite nice! He's even a college graduate. Sure, his salary is a bit low right now, but his family owns a house. In the future, you'll just need to worry about covering the basics. Money's not that important anyway."

As soon as Irene finished speaking, Hendrix's expression froze. In that moment, any trace of happiness vanished, replaced by a chilling stiffness that spread through his entire body.

Was Irene trying to marry Noelle off to someone else? Was she out of her mind? Noelle wasn't even her daughter. Just because she called her "Mom", did she really think she

could overstep her boshe

this?

like

Hendrix had been about to storm inside, but he stopped inside. Because he suddenly wanted to hear how Noelle would respond. However, what made his heart grow even colder was that Noelle remained silent.

Irene quickly continued, "Are you still thinking about that pretty boy?"

Pretty boy? What pretty boy?

Hendrix's frown deepened, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"You should give up on him. That pretty boy is clearly no good," Irent went on. These days, everyone's trying to feave this place, but he's renting a house here instead. I think he's probably hiding from loan sharks.

"He might look decent, but I can tell at a glance-he's definitely no good. Didn't he try to abduct you before?"

As Irene finished speaking, Hendrix, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, finally realized something-the "pretty boy" they were talking about was him.

But before he could even process

that, Irene continued, "Anyway, I really think that young man from the Buckley family is a good catch. You should give him a chance. He lives a bit far, but it's just the next village over. It'll be easy for me to visit you. You-"

"Hey, what are you doing standing outside someone's door?"noveldrama

Just as Hendrix was intently listening to their conversation, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

Then, as if realizing something, the person shouted at the top of their lungs, "Mrs. Wallace! There's someone outside your house. He might be a thief!"