BuzzNovel“Are you heading straight back to the stunow?”
“Yeah. Oh-and i just realized, | never wished you a happy New Year. | actually had a gift for you, meant to give it
in a few days, but | didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Thank you.” Every year, Eddie gave Alessia a gift. It was never expensive, but the thought was what mattered.
She always accepted it, planning to give him something in return later.
“Sorry, nothing for you,” Eddie added, turning to Cole, though he hardly sounded apologetic.
“That's fine,” Cole replied, his tone flat.
Alessia couldn't help but laugh, tugging gently at Cole's sleeve.
The two of them looked so at ease together, hands linked without a second thought. Eddie’s gaze lingered on
their entwined fingers before he quietly looked
away.
“I've got my car here. Want a ride?”
“No need, we drove too.” Alessia nodded toward the car parked ahead.
Eddie just nodded back, not pressing further. He said his goodbyes and left-polite as always, neither too distant
nor too familiar, just like any ordinary friend.
He drove aimlessly for a while, not wanting to go home, but not ready to return to the stueither. He followed
the river road until he found a quiet spot and pulled over. Climbing onto the hood of his car, he sat in the cold
night air, letting the wind whip around him.
The chill cut right through his coat, but he barely noticed, lost in thought.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
Seeing Alessia tonight hadn't been a coincidence. He'd planned it.
It was suffocating, living in that world-where everyone looked down on you, yet you still had to beg for their
approval. The stink of hypocrisy made him sick.
So, for once, he'd acted on impulse. He just wanted to see her.
But in the end, he'd lost his nerve, resorting instead to a roundabout way of meeting her, something that would
look more natural if anyone asked.
He understood that if he ever took that first step toward her, he’d truly have nothing left.
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12:38
Chapter
He never expected that a simple “Will you cwith me?” would affect him so deeply. When everyone else had
turned their backs, she was the only one who had stayed.
An unwanted child, ready to end it all-he’d survived only because of that single, casual offer from her.
He knew he'd ctoo late, and he wasn’t good enough for her. She had better options, someone like Cole-born
lucky, loved by all. Eddie’s occasional barbs were nothing but envy, directed at the golden boy who'd had
everything handed to him.
She was bright, and he-stuck in the mud-would never reach for her.
That was why he’d never tried to inherit Xander’s legacy, choosing instead to beca therapist. He knew that
getting too close would only end badly, so he had to keep his distance before things spiraled out of control.
During his travels, he tried to emulate her way of dealing with people, pushing himself to be better. He used
what he'd learned to help children with childhoods as bleak as his own.
He liked working with kids—they were
honest, direct, and wore thelr detings
EES ER dykes away from
her He healed them, and in turn, they
healed him. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
He'd even planned to travel the world,
never intending to eo) ifnot for his
of rnd fattieFs! rders dragging
him back. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Her younger brother had reconnected them, though in the end, it was Alessia herself who managed to heal him-
not Eddie.
But that was just who she was-Alessia had a quiet power to heal the people around her, often without even
realizing it.
Eddie let out a long sigh. He'd
thought his defenses were om
impenetrable, but thé fadaterit he
sBwhen tay collapsed without a
fight. Clearly, he needed to keep his
distance. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
As for the Chase family-their downfall was overdue. Years’ worth of evidence would be more than enough to
send them to prison.
The rest was up to Calvert.
2/2
12:39
Chap
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