Chapter 1627


    Since persuasion was futile, he had no choice but to let go.


    As dusk fell, the streets of Starhaven came alive, bathed in the glow of neon lights and the buzz of activity.


    Thssa and Hertha found themselves at a bustling street food stall, indulging in a feast of grilled delights, apanied by chilled beers.


    In her usual bold fashion, Hertha popped the beer bottle open with her teeth and filled Thssa''s ss to the brim. "Thssa, I''m in a foul mood today, and you have to join me for a drink," she dered.


    Thssa didn''t stop her from pouring the drink, saying, "I''m with you tonight, all the way."


    Hertha looked up, surprised, and thenughed. "Really? After three years of sobriety, you''re finally going to drink with me?"


    "Yes, it''s been three years. Time flies. I wonder how Atticus, Dorian, Elowen, and Sophia are doing at their boarding school." Since Zephyr had taken Thssa''s children from the hospital, she hadn''t seen them.


    Over these years, she had been devoted to taking care of Lysander, maintaining a clear head to ensure she made no mistakes. Now that Lysander was better and no longer needed her constant care, she felt free to live as she wished.


    Each evening, Thssa found herself missing her children, wondering if they were alright.


    "Your kids are geniuses and incredibly adaptable. Don''t worry; they''ll be fine," Hertha said, trying tofort Thssa.


    "Let''s drink to our tragic love lives," Hertha proposed, raising her ss.


    Thssa raised hers in return, and they both downed their beers, lost in their thoughts.


    Hertha poured another round, her


    voice tinged with mncholy. "Did you know, ric tried to reconnect


    hel


    with me a few days ago? He said left the Falconer family to work at Ethan Crawley''spany, all to stand up to the Falconer family and to cancel his arranged marriage with Georgia Whitman. He told me he could never marry Georgia and asked if I could be with him..."


    When ric had said those words, Hertha hadshed out at him. It was a defense mechanism, to hide her turmoil and to stayposed.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    But she knew her heart had raced at his words, her emotions in turmoil.


    She was a hopeless romantic, and without constant reminders to keep her feelings in check, she might have impulsively agreed to ric''s


    proposal.


    Just like three years ago, she had agreed to meet ric''s family without a second thought, losing herself to him.


    "What do you think?" Thssa asked.


    "What can I think? I wanted to say yes in the moment, to ric of all people – so dangerously handsome and alluring. But I couldn''t get past seeing him with Georgia, nor could I risk exposing Julian and Helena," Hertha sighed.


    It was a shame, really. She could have had a passionate love affair with a man like ric, but reality and its constraints held her back. Reality always came with too many considerations, too many restrictions, sucking the joy out of life.


    She could feel her hormones screaming for ric, but her reason forced her to keep her desires at bay.


    As Thssa took another sip, she shared her own troubles: "Lysander confessed his feelings to me." "What!" Hertha nearly dropped her beer bottle in shock.