When Leanne''s estrangement from the Richardson family became public knowledge, Devin was more
devastated than if he''d gone through a breakup himself.
"It''s nothing," Curtis said, clicking the pen shut with an air of indifference that made it seem as if they
were discussing the unremarkable weather of a typical summer day. "Same as always."
Devin couldn''t grasp the situation. "She didn''t even show up for Mary''s 80th birthday bash. How is that
the same as always?"
Curtis couldn''t be bothered to exin. He stood up from his chair and yfully pped Devin on the
head as if he were a mischievous pup. "Go entertain yourself."
Joy had been staying at Leanne''s Castle for nearly a month by then, arriving just a few days after
Curtis had moved out.
Concerned about Leanne''s well-being, Joy took all the leave she could from work. She avoided the
office unless absolutely necessary, choosing instead to spend her days in the garden with Leanne.
Their time together felt more like a vacation than anything else.
The summer in Stonebridge was on another extreme, with the heat crawling everyone''s skin and the
sun scorching the earth. Only the gardens in this bustling city offered some respite from the relentless
heat. What surprised Joy, however, was Leanne''s stable mood. She wasn''t sad or depressed but spent
her days gardening, ying with the cats, feeding the fish, and preparing her application for Medical
School in Embend.
Selina would visit now and then, sometimes bringing beer and crawfish, other times ice cream, cake,
and bubble tea.
This time, she brought nutritious chicken soup. After eating their fill, Joy lounged on the rocking chair,
sipping on freshly squeezed watermelon juice, and patted her belly contentedly. "Life''s pretty sweet
when you''re eating and resting well.."
Leanne was buried in her textbooks at the table. Despite the heat, the air conditioning was on low for
Joy''sfort. Leanne had draped a shawl over her shoulders while a cat napped in herp. Hearing
Joy, Leanne didn''t respond.
"You haven''t gained a pound, but here you are, packing on the pounds," Selina teased. "You sure
you''re not pregnant?"
Leanne paused her note-taking and looked up at them.
Joy quickly kicked Selina under the table, causing her to bite her tongue. Wincing in pain, Selina
retaliated with a lisp, "She''s the one who told me!"
Leanne turned to Joy, "How did you know?"
Leanne''s period had been over a weekte that month, initially attributing it to stress. On the tenth day,
she took a pregnancy test, and the two clear red lines couldn''t be denied.
It was onlyst week''s news. She hadn''t even sorted out her feelings yet. Somehow, they guessed it as
if they could read her like a book.
No wonder Selina brought nutritious soup today.
"I saw the pregnancy test in the
vel
bathroom after you showered.. Imagine if Laura had found it instead," Joy said, gaining confidence.
"Imagine the drama if
she identally told Curtis S
"Exactly," Selina chimed in. "We can''t let the Richardson family find out."
"Their kind wouldn''t want their
bloodline outside the family. If the
child grows up outside and then
el
inheritance, it''d be chaos. But considering Hanley''s example, they might not want you to have the
baby."
Leanne hadn''t kept her breakup with Curtis a secret, not that she could have.
They were resolutely on her side, no questions asked.
Leanne stroked the cat''s sleek fur. "I haven''t decided to keep it."
"You''ll definitely keep it," Joy said confidently.
"Why?" asked Leanne.
"Because I''ve got a sixth sense about these things. I''ve foreseen that she''s my destined
goddaughter," Joy imed. "Besides, it''s not like we can''t afford it. If you need help, I''ll quit my job and
be your full-time nanny. You just need to keep us fed and housed."
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Chapter 448
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Joy was restless and shared a bed with Leanne, tossing and turning like a pancake on a hot griddle.
Leanne''s hard-won drowsiness vanished with Joy''s gymnastics, leading her to suggest, "If you can''t
sleep, why not go outside and count how many stars are in the sky?"
Joy was speechless and flipped over, propping herself up on an elbow to ask, "Is there nothing we can
do about Hanley? It just doesn''t sit right with me, letting him get away with everything." Leanne paused,
"We can''t find him. Even if we did, without proof, we can''t touch him."
Knowing who was responsible yet feeling powerless was the most disheartening part for her.
"But seeing both of you suffer like this breaks my heart," Joy said, pounding the mattress in frustration.
"Why should he get to ruin your parents'' lives and leave you and Curtis to pick up the pieces?" Leanne
didn''t have an answer.
Luck never seemed to be on her side. She never seemed to get what she wanted, and any love she
found always slipped through her fingers.
No, that wasn''t entirely true.
Someone had once promised never to stop loving her.
A certain strength began to grow in Leanne and she felt a sense of peace returning.
The autumn that year felt unusually short, the drop in temperature happening in the blink of an eye, as
if overnight, the first snow had already fallen. Leanne had nned lunch at the new trendy diner in
town with Amy and Donna. The food was so-so, but the ce was bustling with energy. Donna brought
her two kids along, who were lively and well-mannered.
After lunch, Donna had to take the kids to their extracurricr ss, leaving Leanne to watch them
drive off.
The diner was close to Northwood. On a whim, Leanne decided to visit the mansion in Northwood.
The yard was covered in a thickyer of snow, like a pristine white carpet, too perfect to disturb.
Her boots crunched in the snow as she bundled up in her thick coat, whimsically starting to roll
snowballs and build a snowman.
Forgetting her gloves, her hands
quickly turned red from the cold. She
breathed on her fingers for warmth
before cing a newly rolled
snowball atop another. Content
belongs to NovelDrama.Org
She picked a small branch for the nose and wandered the yard looking for stones for the eyes.
In the quiet and empty yard, the sudden sound of a watch''s chime was startlingly clear.
Leanne stopped in her tracks,
ncing at her wrist where her star-patterned watch was signaling the presence of another person
within five meters.
N?velDrama.Org owns this.
It was then that she heard a familiar and clear voice.
"Would these work?"
She looked up and turned around.
Snowkes fell softly around her as a tall figure emerged from the mansion.
Curtis was dressed casually in a sweater and lounge pants under his ck coat. His jaw was
shadowed with stubble, looking a bit disheveled yet charming.
Despite the snow-covered ground showing no footprints, he must have been there before the snow
began.
Curtis held out his hand, revealing two stones.
They seemed to be picked at random, perhaps from a decorative piece, ck with the shimmer of
sapphire under the light, quite beautiful.
"No grapes at home, so these will have to do."
Leanne''s gazended on his hand, particrly on the silver band on his ring finger that he never took
off.
She tucked her left hand deeper into her sleeve and reached out with her right for the stones.
As her icy fingers brushed Curtis'' palm, he closed his hand, warmly enveloping hers, much like the
snow outside.