Chapter 260: The exception to every one of her rules.
Adelyn stared at her phone, her expression completely blank.
Now what exactly was she supposed to understand from that?
"This guy seriously doesn’t know how to talk," she huffed, resisting the ridiculous urge to reach through the phone, drag him back, and force him to explain himself properly.
But remembering how decisively he had hung up earlier, she knew it would be pointless.
Even if she called again ... even if she threatened him, he would probably give her another infuriating half-answer before hanging up once more.
In the end, she had no choice but to accept that those few words were all she was going to get from him.
Pressing her lips into a thin line, she looked back at her reflection in the mirror.
A moment later, she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Who said the Devil can’t be handsome?" she murmured to herself. "If I actually fell for someone everyone called the Devil ... then his looks and physique must have been worth it."
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
After all, Nigel had never denied that she once had an ex-boyfriend.
He had only denied that the man was conventionally handsome. Maybe that was simply his personal opinion.
Or perhaps, Nigel cared more about a person’s character and actions, while she had been attracted to his looks and physique.
People had different standards of beauty.
She might have had her own.
There was nothing strange about that.
She nodded to herself, feeling as though she had finally pieced everything together.
"Yes ... that has to be it."
If she had once been physically attracted to someone before, then what she felt toward Dylan today wasn’t unusual either.
It wasn’t romance.
It wasn’t love.
It was simply physical attraction.
Nothing more.
And with that conclusion firmly settled in her heart, the last trace of confusion finally disappeared from her eyes.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror one last time, she finally saw certainty staring back at her.
She didn’t linger in the bathroom for long.
Once she had changed, she walked out, only to find the little girl still sitting patiently on her bed, quietly waiting for her.
"Baby ..." she called out softly.
Little Eira looked up from the book in her lap, still slightly lost in whatever story she had been reading.
A second later, the daze cleared from her eyes, and a bright smile immediately bloomed across her little face.
Closing the book, she asked eagerly, "Mama, you’re done?"
Adelyn couldn’t help smiling back at her.
"Mhm ..." she nodded. "I’m done freshening up. Now all my time belongs to my pretty Little Eira."
The little girl’s eyes sparkled.
Without another word, she hopped off the bed and hurried over, wrapping both hands around Adelyn’s.
Adelyn had already expected that.
So instead of resisting, she simply enjoyed the warmth of the little girl’s affection.
Looking down at her, she asked gently, "So now tell me ... what would you like us to do?"
Little Eira hadn’t really thought that far ahead. All she wanted was to stay with her mama. As long as she could remain by her side, everything else was unimportant.
"Eira just wants to stay with Mama," she answered softly, stretching her neck to look up at her.
Adelyn reached down and lightly tapped the tip of her nose.
"You’re far too easy to please, aren’t you?"
The little girl only smiled.
"Good thing I’ve already made plans for you," Adelyn continued with a grin. "Otherwise, we really wouldn’t know what to do together."
Eira simply blinked up at her, waiting patiently.
Adelyn gently tugged on her little hand. "Come on." She smiled. "We need to finish it before dinner."
With that, the two of them walked out of the room together.
—————————————————————
Meanwhile—
At the same time, elsewhere—
After hanging up the call, Nigel’s expression only grew darker —more serious.
Although Adelyn hadn’t told him the real reason behind her sudden questions about the past, he already knew what had most likely prompted them.
After all ...
Some things simply never changed.
Not because the past had passed.
Not because the memories had faded.
Not because she had forgotten.
None of that changed the truth.
Truth that —
No matter how completely she forgot him ...
She would still end up feeling emotions for him that she would never feel for anyone else.
No matter how much time passed ...
He would always remain the exception to every one of her rules.
For years, Nigel had believed fate had finally loosened its grip.
They had separated.
Their paths had diverged.
Perhaps they would never cross again.
But now ...
Watching them meet once again.
Watching Adelyn slowly draw close to him again ...
Nigel finally realized ...
Perhaps ...
Perhaps he had underestimated fate all along.
Perhaps he had miscalculated everything.
His fingers slowly tightened around the phone in his hand. The muscles along his jaw also tensed.
There were countless things he wished he could change.
The sequence of events.
Their fate.
Everything that had forced Adelyn down the path she had walked.
But none of it lay within his power.
None of it was within his ability.
If it had been ...
The suffering she endured ...
The pain she had lived through ...
None of it would ever have happened.
Just then, a voice broke through his thoughts.
"Young Master."
Nigel looked up.
Aegean stood before him with his head slightly lowered.
The urgency in the way he had rushed over alone was already enough to tell Nigel that something had gone wrong.
Nigel’s brows drew together.
"What happened?"
"There’s news from Overvoid Den," Aegean reported gravely.
The instant those words left his mouth, something shifted in Nigel’s expression. His gaze darkened even further. His fingers clenched instinctively.
He didn’t waste a second asking questions. Instead, he immediately rose to his feet.
"Let’s go."
Without another word, he strode out of the room.
Aegean quickly followed behind him. His expression was seemingly more worried —as if he dreaded what was about to happen.
