The Cherished Wife



"Charles, I..."

"Oh, Noelle." Charles chuckled softly, pulling her into a warm embrace and gently rubbing her back. "I'm right here, and I always will be."

Feeling the warmth of his hug, Noelle's anxiety began to melt away. She nodded against his chest. "Yeah." She knew he would always be there for her.

"Ready to talk about it now?" Charles's voice was soothing, like he was comforting a little kid, and he was drawing calming patterns on her back. However, Noelle stayed quiet.

He glanced down and caught the turmoil in Noelle's eyes. He got the message. "Can't figure it out yet? That's okay. Just sleep on it. When you're ready, you can tell me, alright?"

"Thank you, Charles," she whispered, grateful for his understanding.

Noelle shifted slightly and planted a soft kiss on the corner of his lips. Then, she heard him whisper, “Go to sleep now. When you wake up, everything will be alright."

That night, Noelle clung to Charles like she was trying to become part of him, her hands and feet gripping him hard. Charles felt a pang in his heart seeing her so scared and vulnerable, but all he could do was hold her close. It was not until she was sound asleep late at night that he gently let go, peeled back the covers, and crept downstairs.

Sean spent the whole night wide awake. Part of it was the constant threat of being spied on, but most of it was the annual bout of insomnia he always got around New Year's. He had tried everything to fix it, but sleep was a rare guest, and a peaceful night was even rarer.

Every year, as New Year

approached, closing his eyes only

e

brought back a nightmare-a woman, drenched in blood, gripping his arm in the snowy night and gasping out the words with the last of her strength, "Sean, from now on, you and I are strangers."

Phoenix Tree Residence was so silent at night that you could hear a pin drop.

Sean had kicked his smoking habit, but tonight, the craving was hitting him hard. He toyed with a cigarette for what felt like forever before finally giving in and lighting it up.

The living room was shrouded in darkness when steady footsteps from upstairs broke the silence. Sean narrowed his eyes, and just like that, the room was flooded with light.

Charles, looking like he had been

through a tomado, was walking towards him. He looked just as tired as Sean felt. Sean pulled out a

1.ne

cigarette and offered it to Charles with a half-smile. "Need one?"

Charles's eyes widened just a fraction before he flashed a wry smile. "Rough night?"This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

Sean scowled. "As if you had it any better!" He paused before pressing on, "What's the deal with Noelle?"

When Noelle came up, Charles's playful mood vanished. He accepted Sean's cigarette but did not bother lighting it. "You didn't catch any of Julian and Jade's chat in the study, did you?"

"Who knows?" Sean rolled his eyes.

"I had just stepped out when I saw Noelle looking like a ghost, and there were voices from the study. I didn't stick around-I just got Noelle out of there. But from the way she looked, I can tell it hit her hard. You think it's about her past?"

Charles had been on this trail for months, with Peter digging into Noelle's background, and Sean had heard bits and pieces. "Something's definitely up with Noelle," he said.