Chapter 17
Alicker of panic crossed Enola’s mind. The stairwell door wasn’t soundproof, so she had no idea when Parker had arrived or how much he had overheard. She feared he might misunderstand and might care too much about her past.
Just as anxiety crept up her spine, Parker suddenly pulled her into his arms, His gaze was filled with nothing but heartache. “Ennie, I’m sorry that I came too late.
“I came too late to protect you from getting hurt. I came too late to bring you home, leaving you to endure so much on your own.”
“Parker, it’s not your fault.”
His warmth soothed the emotions stirring within her. Enola leaned against his chest, closing her eyes. “I’m tired. Can you carry me back?”
Parker lifted her into his arms without hesitation and walked away without sparing Robert a single glance. Their closeness was effortless, and their actions were so natural that it was clear they had done this countless times before.
Robert telt a sharp pain in his chest, but there was nothing he could do. All of this happened because of his own weakness and cowardice.
He had been the one unable to let go, yet he had selfishly placed all the blame on Enola, forcing her to bear all the pain. Now, he could do nothing but watch as she walked away with someone else. He deserved all of this.
For a brief moment, he wished he could kill himself. But he knew he couldn’t. Now that he knew Enola had never schemed against Chloe, a new question gnawed at him. Chloe hadn’t known about his complicated past with Enola. The reason he had chosen her back then was because of two things–her eyes resembled Enola’s, and she had claimed to be Enola’s close friend.
But if that were true, why had she set Enola op? What had she done to push Enola to the point of calling the police?
He needed to find out. He had to uncover the truth.
Robert finally steadied his emotions and pulled out his phone, dialing Gael’s number. “You have one day. Find out everything that happened between Chloe and Ennie, from the moment they met until now. I want every detail.”
He ended the call and let out a deep breath without waiting for a response. On the other end, Gael stared at the pitch–black sky outside, sighing in exasperation at being assigned such a task at 3:00 am.
Fortunately, Gael was a highly capable assistant. The entire report had already been compiled and sent over by that afternoon.
At that moment, Robert had locked himself in his hotel room as thick curtains shut out every trace of light. He sat slumped on the carpet by the bed, surrounded by empty liquor bottles.
Dark stubble covered his jaw, and exhaustion hung heavy in his bloodshot eyes. He looked utterly defeated. If any of his business associates were to see him now, they would be utterly shocked.
But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering–what was Enola doing at this very moment? Tonight was her wedding night with that Parker guy. They were probably doing everything that newlyweds did.
If only he hadn’t been a coward… If only he hadn’t sent her away to Melcian…
Would things have been different? Why hadn’t he been the one to marry her?
Just as she had once said—they weren’t related by blood. If her parents hadn’t passed away, he would have just been a man ten years her senior, nothing more.
If… If he could go back in time and choose again, if he had never feared the weight of public opinion–would he have been the one standing beside her now, the one spending a lifetime with her?
Drowning in his drunken haze, he drifted into a deep sleep. Yet in his dreams, his consciousness seemed to slip through time, pulling him back to four years ago.
