Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Unable to Accept
George River coolly withdraws his hand, keeping his demeanor as calm as possible, yet his tone reflects exhaustion, "Something came up at the office, I need to rush back immediately."
Tiffany Lynch deftly tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, smiles gently, "Then you should get going, I’m fine."
She is very understanding.
George reaches his hand to straighten the corner of the blanket, "I’ll be off first then."
Just as he gets to the door, Tiffany suddenly speaks up, "George, about today’s matter... I wanted to say, I don’t blame Hannah, one cannot force matters of the heart, but this is ultimately because of me."
Her biggest worry is that George might harbor special feelings for Hannah out of guilt.
No matter what it is, even if it’s a moment of sympathy, she can’t accept it.
Seeing someone who resembles you appear suddenly beside your first love, after many years of parting, anyone would find it unbearable.
She feels betrayed. And the person trying to replace her... well...
The curve of Tiffany’s smile is dark and eerie, yet turns back normal and gentle when George looks at her, appearing frail and pitiable.
George sighs, "Don’t overthink it, what happened today was... Hannah... Hannah Winter was in the wrong, I will not let her hurt you."
The man’s voice softens, his eyes showing a hint of affection.
Tiffany gives a shy smile, "Thank you, George."
The moment the door shuts, the softness in the man’s eyes disappears, to be replaced by creeping weariness.
Hannah Winter.
Uttering these three words feels like having a thousand-pound weight pressing on the heart, chokingly unbearable, yet he is reluctant to move it away.
All sorts of thoughts tangled up like a mess, he still cares about Hannah’s feelings towards him now.
He thinks, she should still love him.
She should...
*
In the hospital room, not long after George leaves, Tiffany Lynch gets up from the hospital bed on her own, showing none of the frailty she had in the presence of the man.
She walks to the edge of the bed, her gaze landing on the stream photographed this morning, the smile on her lips grows even colder.
The call gets connected, she weakens her voice, gently says, "Louis, how have you been recently?"
Louis Snyder has been getting quite a bit of attention lately.
After a single casting photo was revealed, the drama crew recognized his potential and took advantage of his rising popularity to release some behind-the-scenes clips.
The young man in the clips was so vividly portrayed, seeming like he stepped straight out from a novel, embodying the frail but audacious Young Master Stone who would give up everything for the one he loved.
He instantly won over a large group of novel fans.
Although not exactly explosively popular, he has been trending for a whole week.
Hearing from Tiffany Lynch after such a long time, Louis Snyder’s reaction wasn’t as excited as expected, but he still smiles, "Tiffany, what’s up?"
His voice is as always soft and gentle, not letting Tiffany detect anything odd.
With some omitting, Tiffany tells him about today’s happenings, half truths and half lies.
She does not exaggerate or overly dramatize, which makes it even more believable.
"...Actually, I’m all right, I can resume filming tomorrow. I’m just worried whether you’re getting enough rest these days," she skillfully redirects the conversation.
Listening to the words of concern, for it is the person he had silently loved for years, Louis’s tone softens as well, "Hannah was also filming with you today?"
That somewhat affectionate mention of "Hannah" sends Tiffany’s smile into a frown, but she responds as if nothing had happened, "Yes, it was just an accident, I was not steady on my feet and almost dragged Hannah into it, we were standing too close."
