The Cherished Wife



"Nelly, love doesn't always last forever," Charles said, his voice heavy with the weight of reality. Clearly, he meant that this was someone else's drama, and even though Tania was his sister, there was not much he could do. It was up to those involved to figure it out.

Noelle got it and held onto Charles's hand as if it were her lifeline. "Charles, swear to me that no matter what goes down in the future, you won't ever leave me hanging." The fear of being betrayed was still ever-real for her. Once was enough for a lifetime. She knew she could not handle going through that again.

"I'll never let you go, unless you let me go first," Charles said, gripping Noelle's hand firmly. "Promises might not always hold up, but I intend to keep all of mine to you. No exceptions."

Noelle nodded, her eyes shining. "I love you, Charles!"

"I love you too!" He kissed her gently on the forehead, smoothing away the tiny wrinkle there with his thumb. "Anything else on your mind?" She nodded again. "Liliana."

A shadow passed over Charles's face, and his grip on her hand grew tighter. "She's the other sister I mentioned before, the one from the Hoffman family we can trust."

"Ella?"

He nodded. "Her story's a bit different from Steven's. She's the Hoffman family's secret from a mistake my dad made back in his younger days." Charles let out a weary sigh. "She doesn't really fit in with the Hoffman family, and she's not right for Sean either."

Noelle bit her lip. "So, she and Sean split because of some mix-up?"

"No," Charles said, shaking his head. "There was no mix-up. They just weren't in love. They weren't right for each other, plain and simple."

A pang hit Noelle's heart. "What about her, then? Where did she go? Did she leave on her own, like Steven did?"

"I'll fill you in on her story later, butThis text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

do me a favor and don't bring up Liliana around Sean, okay? He'll flip out if you do!" Charles said as he ushered Noelle towards the

changing room. "I've got a privel

dressing area here. I had Ronald

give the staff a heads-up this

morning, so your outfit should be all

set."

"Got it!" Noelle nodded, pushing thoughts of Steven and Liliana to the back of her mind as she followed Charles into the changing room.

"Here's your gear. Try it on!" Charles

handed her the clothes. "I'll show you the ropes in a bit, and then we'll go pick out a horse. It's your first time, so we'll just have a bit of fun with it. Next time, I'll bring you back here when it's just the two of us."

The weekend had taken an unexpected turn. Charles had planned to spend it with Noelle, especially after the ordeal they had just been through. Noelle seemed okay on the outside, but Charles was concerned she might be shaken up, so he wanted to take her mind off things. He did not anticipate Sean and Peter being around.

Charles's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly when he saw Noelle turn to face him in her new get-up. A spark lit up in his eyes as he took in her high ponytail and her bare, yet somehow even more captivating, face.

At that moment, the usual calm that cloaked her seemed to fall away, replaced by a vibrant, lively aura.