The Sway and Slide of Love

Noelle's response was something Ruth hadn't anticipated. It was completely different from what she had imagined. Thus, for a moment, she was at a loss for how to respond.

Without saying anything else to Ruth, Noelle simply turned and walked away. Hendrix immediately followed her without sparing Ruth a single glance.noveldrama

But Ruth knew that everything she had painstakingly built over time had completely collapsed. Not that it mattered anymore. Her life was already in shambles, so how much worse could it possibly get?

However, she refused to suffer alone. Even if she had to die, she would take someone down with her. Why should Noelle get to live a happy life? Ruth could accept anyone finding happiness—anyone, except Noelle.

Noelle didn't return to the auction hall. Instead, she walked straight to the end of the corridor and took the elevator to leave.

Hendrix quickly caught up to her. He stood beside her, his gaze fixed on her. Their reflections were clearly visible in the elevator's mirrored walls. But Noelle kept her eyes down, neither speaking nor acknowledging his stare.

Just as Hendrix was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang. Without even glancing at the caller ID, he hung up. But the caller was relentless, dialing again and again, undeterred by his repeated rejections.

By the time they reached the parking lot, Hendrix-afraid that Noelle would leave first-grabbed her arm and finally answered the phone.

"What is it?" Hendrix asked angrily, startling the person on the other end of the line.

After a moment, the caller replied, "Mr. Freeman, it's me. Why did you leave so early? I—"

Before the caller could finish, Hendrix hung up again and turned off his phone entirely.

Then, he turned to Noelle. "That baby Sandra was carrying wasn't mine-I swear on my life. And that goes for any other woman. I've never been with anyone other than Not in the past, and never in the future.

you

"As for the other things Ruth said, I won't deny

at initially agreed to

marry you because of my family's

arrangements. But that conversation with Sandra? She made it all up. I don't have hypotheticals or 'what-ifs.' To me, if you were my fiancée, then I would marry only you and no one else.

"As for our first child, I didn't learn the full truth later. That's why I distanced myself from Sandra afterward. That was my oversight, and I know it caused you a lot of pain. But-"

Hendrix suddenly didn't know what else to say. His mind had always been sharp. Even the first time he sat at the negotiation table and faced the most formidable figures, he had never struggled to find his words like this.

Because right now, he was truly afraid. At this moment, it had nothing to do with his status or how rich he was-he knew none of that mattered to Noelle.

The only thing that held any weight in her eyes was his heart. And that terrified him. Because even if he laid his entire heart bare, she might still refuse to take it.

After all, the mistakes he had made and the pain he had caused her were real. So now, words failed him. All he could do was cling desperately to Noelle's hand, holding on as if his life depended on it.