I froze for a moment; I knew Rhett was wealthy, but I hadn’t anticipated this.
He grinned and gently knocked on my head, “What’s wrong? Are you surprised that I have so much money?”
I rolled my eyes at him, and the tension between us eased slightly; regardless of his background, he was still the friend who had helped me.
As we walked up the stairs, uniformed personnel gathered to greet us.
I whispered nervously, “Am I intruding? Will your family be fine with me staying here?” I kept asking questions, my anxiety increasing with each one.
Before Rhett could respond, a pair of gentle, fair hands grabbed my arm.
“You’re Talia, correct? You’re gorgeous! Come, come, I’ve prepared so much food. See if there is anything you like!”
Before I could react, a beautiful woman drew me into the house.
Rhett’s mother appeared so young that she could pass for his older sister.
She sat me down at the table with excitement and began introducing each dish. “You’re too skinny. Eat more! From now on, think of this place as if it were your home.”
She placed a steaming bowl of lamb stew in front of me and continued to pile food on my plate.
Even Rhett’s father greeted me warmly and gave me a gift box full of jewellery.
By the end of the meal, I felt like I had been a part of this family forever; I hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and my heart was full. “Stay here for as long as you want,” Rhett later said. “You’ll keep my mother company. She gets bored at home alone.” So I stayed.
His mother and I quickly became close; we went shopping, had lunch dates, and even attended private social gatherings together.
She took me to auctions, and every time we returned, my closet grew with designer bags, clothes and jewellery. But what mattered most was that I knew she genuinely cared.
For the first time in my life, I was content. I had discovered a place where I felt secure, wanted, and free.
My life gradually returned to normal, but Noah’s was falling apart.
He never stopped looking for me; every day, he would go from healing places to forests, beaches, and police stations, desperate to find me.
Noah saw my profile in the hospital parking lot on the day I was discharged, and he ran after me without thinking, but stumbled and fell after only a few steps.
He screamed my name as he lay on the ground, but the car continued to drive.
Back at his family’s villa, Selene pretended she was already Noah’s partner, even pulling Leo over and asking in a sweet, suggestive tone, “Leo, how about we let Uncle Noah be your daddy from now on?””
Noah’s mother, who happened to be walking by, abruptly shut it down before Leo could respond: “No. How is Noah supposed to find a true mate in the future if someone else hears this?”
That single sentence shattered Selene’s dreams.
Noah’s mother tried hard to introduce him to new friends after I disappeared, but Noah refused every introduction, believing I was still alive.
