The Sway and Slide of Love

"Even if I did forge it, it can't be proven just by your words. But as long as I show this evaluation to the doctors, the consent form my mother signed will become invalid immediately," Hendrix said.

Noelle's expression immediately vanished. There was no anger, sadness, or even disbelief.

She just stood there, quietly staring at him as though he were a stranger- someone entirely disconnected from her life.

"Why?" Noelle finally asked. "Hendrix, are you really going to let your daughter die?"

At this moment, she couldn't care less about jinxing the situation. The only thing swirling in her mind now was an endless barrage of confusion.

She was truly and utterly confused as to why Hendrix would do something like this. Even if he felt no love for Rosie, even if he hated Noelle for the choices she made in the past, this was still a life they were talking about.

Rosie was his daughter. She should have called him "Daddy", yet here he was, forcing her into a dead end. Just... why?noveldrama

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Hendrix looked at her and actually laughed. "Noelle, I've lived like this every single day for the past two years, including when you doubted me back then. Did you think I wasn't in pain?

"I'm not trying to kill Rosie. It's just that I can't bear to see you living a happy life."

Hendrix's tone was completely calm, yet every word felt like a curse, branding deep into Noelle's heart.

Her tears finally fell. It was the first

time she cried in front of Hendrix

since they reunited. In the past, she'd cried in front of him plenty of times. But this was the first time he felt such raw, unfiltered despair in her tears.

Was it satisfying? Hendrix asked himself. It should've been. After all, this was the outcome he had been desiring to see for the past few days.

He wanted her to feel his pain so that she would understand the torment he had to endure every single day in the past.

But now that it had happened, he found no pleasure in it. He simply stood there, watching her. And then, he saw her suddenly sway.

His eyes widened slightly. What was ridiculous was that his first instinct was to reach out and steady her. But before he could move, Noelle quickly fell to her knees.

She knelt before him with her head bowed, her once-straight back slowly bending inch by inch. Her bangs fell forward, obscuring her face, but Hendrix could still see the tears silently dripping from her eyes to the floor. Her shoulders shook violently.

Then, she said softly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Freeman was wrong. I shouldn't have betrayed you. I know you hate me. You can punish me however you want, but Rosie is innocent. I beg you. Please save her."

After saying this, she leaned forward until her forehead touched the floor.

"Hendrix, I'm begging you. I'll do anything you want. Even if you want me dead, I'll do it! As long as you're willing to save her, I can kill myself right now!"