Chapter 85 You Can Be Sad
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Before she could speak, the handsome man’s lips parted slightly, his voice as gentle as water.
“You’re allowed to be unhappy, Stella.”
The night was deep, and in the vast villa there were only the two of them. The silence was so complete they could hear each other breathe.
His voice was magnetic, flowing into her ears like a warm current that seeped into her heart.
Her long, curled lashes trembled faintly.
She lifted her glass and took a sip of red wine, the rich aroma spreading down her throat.
A few seconds later, she smiled. “I’m not unhappy.”
Just… sad.
Sad that something like this had happened to Louis. Sad for Jenn’s suffering. Sad that so many families were still trapped in that same kind of despair.
“Sadness is something you can show, too,” Nathan said.
Her peach blossom eyes widened a little. “You don’t have mind–reading powers, do you?”
How did he always know exactly what she was thinking?
Nathan adjusted his glasses with a translucent–knuckled fingertip. “That’s not hard to guess. Everyone has emotions. Anyone in your position would be sad.”
“You can show them–at least with me.”
As he spoke those last words, his heartbeat pounded, and sweat pricked his palms.
Stella had never been one for drinking. She knew alcohol clouded the brain, and she didn’t like losing control.
But tonight, she allowed herself to.
Her tolerance wasn’t great.
Just one sip of wine left her head a little hazy.
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Chapter 85 You Can Be Sad
His words curled in her ears, sparking along the edges, making them tingle.
She took another sip and blinked slowly. “Is that so?”
A faint blush tinted her delicate, pale face, and her bright eyes shone with a hint of dampness, soft and unfocused.
Nathan’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice, his grip on his own glass unmoving.
He wouldn’t touch alcohol.
Because he was afraid he might do something he’d regret.
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He’d only suggested the wine so she could let some of her emotions out. The way she held them back tore at him.
While others her age were carefree, enjoying the best years of their youth…
His Sparkle had already become an unshakable warrior.
Ever since she’d crossed over eleven years ago, she’d been different from her peers. No friends.
Her perfect SAT scores hadn’t mattered–she’d had to start her studies over from scratch.
The man she’d once seen as her archrival was now a great success, while she had nothing.
Even just counting those, it was enough to make anyone sad for a long time.
But she never showed it. She’d accepted reality quickly and calmly, rearranging her life from the ground up.
And even when she could barely manage her own burdens, she’d still gone looking for the long–lost Louis.
Her strength was plain to see–but where was her fragility?
The thought alone made Nathan’s heart ache, like it was being pricked over and over.
Since she’d returned, the only time he’d seen her even slightly down was at the Ashford High School game.
Because of Lucas.
Without her brothers around, she’d shown just the barest flicker of it.
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Chapter 85 You Can Be Sad
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Maybe, in her heart, emotions could be shown in front of Lucas because they were a couple.
But she could show them to him, too.
He didn’t just love the bright, dazzling, optimistic her.
He loved her—all of her. The whole, flawed person.
The one who could be happy or upset, who could be driven and sometimes low.
Nathan looked at her, emotions surging in h
eyes.
But the problem was–what role could he claim that would let her show them without holding back?
“Yes!” she suddenly answered herself, nodding quickly.
His pulse lifted, his breath warming.
She saw him as a friend, maybe?
“We’re mortal enemies–what image would I need to keep up in front of you?”
His lips stiffened for a moment before curving in a faint smile. “Mm.”
Different words, same meaning.
When he nodded, it was as if a string in Stella’s head snapped.
Suddenly, tears welled up and spilled over, streaming down her cheeks.
“Louis is so pitiful, Jenn is so pitiful, those traffickers deserve to die–I want to smash them to
- pieces!”
She cried and rambled at the same time.
Big drops splattered onto the sofa, darkening the green fabric.
“I miss Mom and Dad. I miss them so much…” Her voice caught, thick with grief.
This was exactly what Nathan had wanted to see–her letting it all out in a good, hard cry.
