A hint of sweetness bloomed in her chest, then vanished just as quickly, leaving a sharp ache behind. ra set down her toothbrush, sshed some water on her face, and tried to steady her nerves.

    When she walked into the living room, he was already there, sitting quietly on the couch.

    After a good night''s sleep, the coldness he''d carried yesterday had faded a bit. He kept his eyes down, then slid a cup of soy milk across the table to her without saying a word.

    ra sat beside him, took a sip, then finally asked, "Last night when I went out, your grandfather''s people stopped following me. Did you do something?"

    Had he finally decided to cut ties with the old man?

    "I told him to stay at the family estate," Dn replied, his voice calm but withyers she couldn''t quite read.

    ra looked him up and down, suspicious. "And what about the Ferguson family overseas?"

    She knew his grandfather''s influence in the Capital ran deep-there was no way he''d give up on Dn so easily. This sudden calm felt like the calm before a storm, as if everyone was just waiting for something. But for what, exactly? No one knew.

    He and Dn were at a standstill. Neither side was winning.

    "Rai''s gone back," Dn said. "To him, I''ll be returning to North America in a month, so for now, he''s not paying much attention to me."

    ra watched him, worry tugging at her. She couldn''t help but lean closer. "But isn''t that dangerous? Dn, if you''re really going to North America, I want to go with you."

    His fingers tightened around his fork, so hard he nearly bent it.

    ra frowned, her voice soft but insistent. "Did it never cross your mind to bring me with you? You said you liked me, didn''t you?"

    She really had to wonder, did he mean it? If he did, how could he not think about her at a time like this?

    "I did think about it. I just thought you wouldn''t want to go," he said quietly, eyes fixed on his te. "If you want to, I won''t go to North America at all. I just want..... to stay with you. Just live quietly together."

    Even if they did nothing every day but watch the nts grow in Palm Bay, that would be more than enough for him.

    If she didn''t want to, only then would he let himself be pushed forward by everything else.

    He didn''t seem to have any big ns.

    Maybe he''d always known his dreams wouldn''t work out, so he''d stopped chasing anything at all.

    ra could see it now-Dn didn''t want much from life. She edged closer,

    unable to help herself. "My short-term goal is to clear up all our

    misunderstandings, and maybe find out about my birth parents. What about you-

    do you have any ns?"

    He stayed silent.

    She stared at him, then raised an eyebrow. "Don''t tell me you''re just going to follow me around?"

    Was he really just going to do whatever she did?

    She thought back to something she''d once joked about with Tara: that Dn

    would stick by her side no matter what, even if she treated him badly, and he''d still be happy.

    Now, it didn''t feel like a joke at all.

    She frowned, trying to remember what she could''ve done to make a man like him so loyal. She honestly couldn''t imagine it.

    Just when she thought he wouldn''t answer, he suddenly spoke. "Is that not okay?" Only three words, but they were filled with so much feeling it almost scared her. So much that she couldn''t even bring herself to look too closely. Maybe drifting through life together like this was the best they could hope for.

    Dn had so many secrets.

    She''d thought about digging them up, but every time she tried, he''d shrink back, scared.

    In his world, it seemed like if those secrets ever saw the light, their rtionship would fall apartpletely.

    So he kept them hidden. If he ever sensed her looking for answers, he''d pull away and turn back into the cold, distant Dn she''d first met.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!