Chapter 26
Whitfield snatched the phone from her without a word and ended the call!
If you’ve already decided not to go, why bother listening to all that nonsense?” he asked.
Lynne flashed him a smile. I was just curious. I
“Curious about what?“!
“1 wonder how crazy an unft mother can become when she loses the last thing she has left to hold on to.“I
Whitfield raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He had zero interest in the Balfour family drama.
Seeing his indifference, Lynne’s smile only widened.I
“Whitfield, did you know there’s a new barbecue place in the East End?“I
He looked genuinely caught off guard by her question and shook his head in surprise.
Lynne had never seen that expression on him before. Finding it unexpectedly endearing, she suddenly grew bolder.
She burst out laughing and reached out to pinch his cheek. “You’re hopeless! What I meant was, I want barbecue for dinner!“]
With that, Lynne turned to tidy up, leaving Whitfield standing there, just starting to process what had happened.
A moment later, one of his men sidled up to him and whispered, “Boss, are we still going to pull Balfour’s oxygen plug?“%
Stifling a laugh, the guy covered his mouth, waiting for a response.§
“Boss? Boss?”
Whitfield shot him a glare. “Idiot. Get lost.“I
He spun around and hurried after Lynne.
That night, Lynne got more than just a barbecue dinner–she also stole a man’s very first kiss.§
Whitfield held her tightly, as if he never wanted to let her go, showering her with kisses and refusing to let her out of his arms. Lynne couldn’t help laughing at how needy he was, but she didn’t mind indulging him for once.§
As Whitfield buried his face in her hair, his eyes shimmered with emotion. Lynne would never know how long he’d waited for this moment
Back then, it wasn’t just Balfour who was bullied and left to fend for himself. Whitfield, too, had been rescued by Lynne once. But at that time, she never even saw him; he could only stand quietly behind her, guarding her from the shadows.
Thank God Balfour never knew how to cherish her. Thank God Lynne was willing to give Whitfield a chance.
Balfour spent over two weeks in the hospital. Sexton showed up more than once looking for Lynne, but Whitfield’s men always kept him out Lynne might have been in Riverside City, but without Whitfield’s permission, no one got to see her.
When Sexton finally got hold of Balfour’s test results, he still refused to believe what the doctors were telling him.
“Wasn’t it just temporary blindness at first? How could he never see again?”
These are our findings, the doctor replied. “If you have doubts, you can seek a second opinion at a higher–level hospital, &
Oddly, Balfour was almost too calm when he learned he’d never see again.
The moment he woke up, he was told Cynthia’s injuries had been too severe–she didn’t make it. With no family, the doctors turned to Balfour, who’d been admitted at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Tobin family had completely collapsed under Whitfield’s relentless pursuit. The company went bankrupt, debts piled up, and Saul skipped town to avoid the creditors.”
To pay for Balfour’s treatment, his mother sold off all her jewelry.&
But Balfour didn’t even go to see Cynthia one last time. He staggered out of bed, ignoring his mother’s desperate cries, determined to leave the hospital.2
He didn’t tell anyone, but during the two weeks he’d been unconscious, he’d had a terrible nightmare.
In that dream, his plan had gone perfectly. He faked a plane crash, staged his own death on the agreed–upon day, and secretly ran away with Cynthia
They traveled the world together, visited cities and countries, saw the sights Lynne had always wanted to see, tasted all the authentic local dishes she’d once craved.
Years later, in his forties, Cynthia suddenly said she wanted to see the Northern Lights. They set off for Iceland, hand in hand
He and Cynthia were always up for adventure. Even in an outdoor tent, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other–until they brought the whole tent down on themselves.8
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He never expected to see Lynne again under those circumstances.”
She was in her forties then, looking much older than Cynthia. Her hair was white, her face lined and drawn with shock and fear when she saw him.
He couldn’t name the feeling that twisted inside him.”
All those years, he’d secretly kept tabs on Riverside City. He knew Lynne hadn’t been happy. She’d single–handedly propped up the family business, fought outsiders, fought her own relatives, and especially fought Saul, who wore a constant smile but hid a treacherous heart.” He’d known all along, and yet he’d basked in the sense of superiority that came from having a woman silently sacrifice everything for him.%
When he woke from the nightmare, his heart was pounding and his shirt was drenched in cold sweat–but it wasn’t the clarity of the dream that had shaken him.”
It was the way Lynne had looked at him, that final glance.
Balfour stumbled to Whitfield’s house, desperate to see her. But before he could make it inside, the security guard told him the house had already been sold.
ཆ ེ ༔
“Where did she go?” he demanded, panic rising in his voice.
But no one could give him an answer.
On the plane, a dazzling diamond ring gleamed on Lynne’s finger.
She rested her head against Whitfield’s chest, listening to the wild, joyful thumping of his heart.”
The way he looked at her, his gaze full of tenderness.
ཕཇ་བཤ
“Lynne,” he whispered, “why do you want to see the Northern Lights?”
She squeezed his hand, happiness lighting her eyes.
“Because I want the whole universe to sparkle for us.”
(The End)%
