Chapter 469: Chapter 468: I Really, Really Love You (1)
After losing those thirty years, she could probably live to be fifty. By then, Annabelle Linton likely wouldn’t need her protection anymore.
...
Eat, work, sleep. Eat, work, sleep. Eat, work, sleep...
It seemed as though Leona Grant’s life had been reduced to just those three things.
Time passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, their wedding was tomorrow.
It felt as if her life was already set in stone. The wedding invitations, the wedding candy, the reception wine—everything was in perfect order.
’Hmm... I forgot to say congratulations. There’ll be no chance and no time tomorrow. If I don’t say it now, I might never get another chance in this lifetime.’
As if she had found her excuse, Leona Grant arrived early to wait downstairs from Annabelle Linton’s apartment building.
’She’s not home. I’ll just wait down here, then.’
Four o’clock, five, six, seven... ten o’clock.
Leona Grant had been waiting on the bench for so long she was growing stiff, but there was still no sign of Annabelle Linton.
The ground was littered with cigarette butts.
Bored with waiting, she took out her phone and looked at the wedding photos Annabelle Linton had posted on Weibo a few days ago.
Bright eyes and pearly teeth, a smile that was both subtle and charming. Annabelle was never one to smile broadly. At most, the corners of her mouth would curve into a slight arc, but it was the kind of expression that lingered in your mind.
Leona Grant automatically ignored Aaron Wyatt, who stood beside Annabelle in the pictures. She scrolled through those few photos for hours, until her hand grew numb and her eyes ached.
Ten-thirty.
’Annabelle still isn’t back. Is it possible she’s staying somewhere else tonight?’
’Probably. It’s not like this is the only place she can stay. A hotel... anywhere would work...’
At that thought, a sting of bitterness filled Leona Grant’s eyes. She finished her last cigarette and stood up.
This was for the best, anyway. The past few hours had allowed her to drift, and now her thoughts were finally coming back into focus.
’She had been impulsive. In a situation like this, what could she even say if they met?’
Leona Grant pulled her lingering gaze from Annabelle’s window. Just as she was about to leave, she heard voices from not too far away...
"We’re leaving after tomorrow, Annabelle. Will we come back in the future?" Aaron Wyatt said, carrying bags large and small in one hand while holding hers with the other as they walked.
Annabelle Linton thought for a moment before replying faintly, "We’ll see. If there’s no reason to, we probably won’t."
"Mm, it’s all up to you. If you want to come back, we’ll come back. If you don’t, we won’t."
Annabelle Linton just gave a faint smile and didn’t reply.
Just as the two of them rounded the corner to enter the building, a striking face suddenly entered their view.
Leona Grant.
Aaron Wyatt instinctively wrapped his arm around Annabelle Linton’s waist, a clear declaration of his claim. Annabelle Linton looked at her with a blank expression.
Little did he know, that small gesture from Aaron Wyatt sent a pang of pain through her heart.
Annabelle Linton’s eyes fell on the cigarette butts littering the ground. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds, but she didn’t pretend not to know her or act surprised.
She gave Aaron Wyatt a slight smile and said softly, "Why don’t you go on up first? We’re just going to talk for a minute."
Aaron Wyatt gave Leona Grant a cool look, but Leona’s eyes were fixed only on Annabelle Linton.
Aaron Wyatt pressed his lips together, showing no major reaction.
After a few seconds of silence, as if he didn’t know what else to say, he just gently ruffled her hair and said softly, "Alright, I’ll go up and run the bath for you. Come up soon."
Annabelle Linton was no fool; she understood exactly what he meant.
But she didn’t show much of a reaction to this either, simply smiled back and murmured a soft "Mm."
It was as if Leona Grant’s heart clenched at the sound of that "Mm."
After Aaron Wyatt went upstairs, Annabelle Linton turned to her, her expression still neutral.
It really was a neutral expression—this was just how Annabelle Linton normally treated people. There was no coldness in her eyes.
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