The Sway and Slide of Love

Noelle had expected Irene to be furious. After all, Irene had never had a good

impression of Hendrix to begin with. And after Noelle ran off to find him last night, she'd assumed the resentment would only deepen.

But to her surprise, it didn't happen like that.

Irene simply stood there, her eyes flickering between the two of them before uttering, "Let's eat."

The words were so light and calm that Noelle froze. For a moment, she couldn't even process it.

Hendrix, however, tightened his grip on her hand and replied smoothly, "Thank you."

Irene said nothing else. She just turned and walked inside.

The small dining table, usually set for two, now had an extra seat for Hendrix.

His injured hand hadn't fully healed yet, but he'd already mastered eating with his left. The only problem was the table was too cramped for his long legs, leaving him awkwardly squeezed in. But instead of complaining, he just ate in silence.

Irene suddenly turned and brought out a bowl of minestrone soup. The gesture caught Noelle off guard for a moment.

"Here. Eat this," Irene said.

Hendrix arched a brow, glancing at Noelle.noveldrama

"You two should leave after this meal," Irene continued.

Noelle's expression immediately changed. "Mom—"

"I know I'm not your mom." Irene turned away from them and said hoarsely, "My Nelly is already dead."

"Mom-" Noelle grabbed her hand. She wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.

Because it was true-she wasn't Nelly.

During the time she was here, all the care and affection she had received was meant for the real Nelly. So now, she had neither the right nor the identity to speak to Irene.

Irene didn't say anything, either. She simply withdrew her hand and turned away.

But then, Hendrix said, "Although, Noelle isn't your real daughter, I'm truly grateful that you saved her. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been reunited. For that, I sincerely thank you.

"So, if you're willing, we would be honored to care for you as if you were our own mother. Or if there's anything else you need-name it, and I'll make it happen."

"There's no need," Irene replied. "I lack nothing, and I want nothing."

As soon as Irene finished speaking, Noelle's brows furrowed even deeper. She wanted to say something, but Hendrix quickly pressed down on her hand.

After shooting her a glance, he stepped away to make a call. Last night, he hadn't had the chance, so he had entrusted someone else to explain the situation to Irene.

Now that he asked, he immediately knew-the other person had indeed informed Irene.

Previously Trene had refused to believe it, insisting Hendrix was a human trafficker who had abducted Noelle. It wasn't until the messenger presented their marriage certificate that she finally accepted the truth.

Besides that, there were also photos of the real Nelly.

Faced with this undeniable proof, Irene-who had been lost in her delusions— was finally forced to remember the truth. Her daughter, Nelly, had indeed passed away.

As Hendrix listened to the person on the other end of the line, his expression slowly darkened. Noelle was no different.

Although they knew that Nelly's death was an irreversible fact, tearing open the truth so brutally was still a form of pain for Irene. After all, she had made Nelly the center of her entire life.

Night fell quickly.

Standing by the window, Hendrix caught sight of Irene sitting at her doorway.