Kendrick exited the doors and took his jacket off, approaching her reflexively when he saw Niamh sneezing by the flowerbeds. Just as he turned to walk, Ryan appeared beside Niamh and placed his jacket over her shoulders.
Kendrick’s hand slowly fell as his gaze dimmed.
‘The warmth that I can no longer give, Nia, I’m glad someone can give it to you instead.
‘I won’t be here for much longer and you won’t need to see me either, nor will you see me and think of your parents’ tragic deaths.
‘For the years to come, I hope you find true happiness.’
Niamh was about to remove and return the jacket to Ryan when she turned to find Kendrick staring at both of them not too far away.
Kendrick gave a nonchalant smile and walked over.
Seeing him approach, Niamh turned to face Ryan. “You’re right, Rye. I really should give myself a chance to start over. You’re my boyfriend now, okay? I’ll be in your care.”
She reached out to hold Ryan’s hand.
Kendrick’s footsteps came to a heavy stop and he could not take another step.
He watched as Niamh smiled at Ryan, her lips spreading as dimples bloomed on her face. Oh, how he wished that the smile was for him.
Yet Kendrick knew that he was no longer worthy of such a smile.
Taking Ryan’s hand, Niamh turned and stopped by Kendrick’s side as they brushed shoulders. “Why are you still here? Go and bail your girlfriend from the police station already. With a boyfriend as skilled as you, I’m sure she’ll be out in no time.”
Kendrick knew that Niamh was mocking him.
Smiling nonchalantly, he looked at Niamh’s dignified and distant eyes. “Thank you for the reminder, Miss Montgomery. I shall fetch my girlfriend home, then.”
Fetch her home.
Home.
Niamh’s hand in Ryan’s tightened slightly as the chill blew through the riddled holes in her heart.
Ignoring Kendrick, she turned to smile at Ryan.
“You know, Rye, my last marriage was an absolute failure. Well, essentially, I got married to a f*ckboy.” Niamh’s glistening eyes sneered at Kendrick. “I know you’re a great man, Rye, but that marriage has left me with some ugly scars.
“I’ve placed all my passion and feelings throughout my entire life for that man, but he has never even given me a single day of happiness. Nor did he even care if I was happy at all. I don’t think I’d survive another marriage like that, Rye.”
Niamh’s soft and pretty voice caressed Kendrick’s ears, every word piercing into his heart like icicles while Kendrick felt numb from the pain.
After all, he had indeed hurt her.
Ryan knew what Niamh was saying, and he knew that she was saying it for Kendrick to hear.
He took Niamh’s hand and promised with a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t let such a marriage happen to you again. I’ll be a husband worthy of you, and I’ll give you the happiness you deserve.”
“Hmm, I believe you.” Niamh looked at Ryan and curled her lips into a small smile before she turned to look at Kendrick’s indifferent expression. “You’ll give us your blessing, won’t you, ex-husband of mine? I’ve finally found myself a great man who loves me.”
Kendrick smiled, but hiding in his peach blossom eyes was indescribable pain.
“Of course.” His expression was calm as he stared at them. “I wish you and Mr. Jones a life of blissful happiness.”
“Thank you.”
Niamh thanked and linked her arm with Ryan’s.
“Let’s go, Rye. Come entertain the guests a little longer with me.”
“Sure.” Ryan nodded and followed Niamh.
Niamh did not look back as she brushed past Kendrick, their scents mingling in the air for a moment before it dissipated into the night forever.
Ryan looked at Kendrick from the corner of his eyes and an interesting look flashed through his starry gaze.
The man frowned slightly as regret sparked before vanishing just as quickly.
Kendrick was rooted in place. He only took the small transparent bag out of his pocket when he felt that Niamh had walked far enough.
In the bag was pain medication.
He took a pill and swallowed it dry.
However, the ache in his chest did not dissipate. Instead, needle-like pain spread to every corner of his body. He felt the pain suffocate and numb him.
He could no longer tell if the pain was because of the poison or if it was from the regret of losing her.
As he returned, Kendrick heard a song playing on the radio. “How could I know, one day I’d wake up feeling more, but I had already reached the shore. Guess we were ships in the night…”
‘Why did I have to reach the shore?
‘It’s not your fault, Nia. I never deserved you to begin with.
‘I hope you’ll never think of me again, the man who made you cry countless times.’
Kendrick made sure not to bail Lana out. Instead, he made sure she stayed the full 48 hours under police custody first before he went to bail her out.
When Lana returned to the villa, she began to scold Niamh to the heavens.
“Your ex-wife sure has quite the tricks up her sleeve, Kendrick.” She mocked, saying, “Is she not afraid that I’ll kill her one day?”
Kendrick’s brows knitted as a flurry of frost flashed through his eyes. “Eveline and I are already divorced. Why must you give yourself unnecessary trouble by going to bother her?”
Lana ground her teeth indignantly as she walked toward Kendrick with suspicion in her eyes. “You still love Eveline, don’t you, Kendrick?”
“I fancied her before, yes. After all, she’s a beautiful woman.” Kendrick’s tone was unfeeling as if he was talking about a random person. He also kept his descriptions of Niamh strictly on her appearance.
Lana curled her red lips and walked up to him. “So you only liked her for her face? But am I not prettier than her?”
Her tone went up as she praised herself. She was staring besottedly at Kendrick as she waited for his praise.
Kendrick raised his sharp and enchanting peach blossom eyes to look at Lana, yet all his mind could think of was Niamh. “Of course. It’s the prettiest face I’ve seen.”
Thinking Kendrick was praising her, Lana immediately smiled. “I was almost bored to death waiting inside, Kendrick. Had it not been for Eveline, I would never have suffered like that. You’ve got to make it up to me.”
She went to hug Kendrick, but the man frowned instead. “Go take a bath first.”
Lana tilted her head and took a sniff. Indeed, she smelled bad after two days without taking a bath.
She quickly entered the bathroom but made sure to turn her head and give Kendrick a wink. “Give me a bit, Kendrick. I’ll be out before you know.”
Kendrick gave her a vague smile and poured himself a glass of red wine by the open bar before he lit the incense.
Then, he went to make a call at the balcony before turning to leave.
The night deepened.
Ryan was sending Niamh home when he realized that she had fallen asleep mid-way.
After turning the air conditioning on and adjusting it to the correct temperature, Ryan’s gaze grew warm as he stared at her exhausted and sleeping expression.
He reached out to move a long lock of Niamh’s hair by her ear. “The people who trouble you will be punished very soon and you’ll get to live a calm and peaceful life.
“However, can you truly let him go?”
He asked into the night. Just then, his phone vibrated.
After taking another glance at Niamh who had fallen asleep and was leaning against the car seat, he alighted the car to answer the phone by the roadside.
“What is it?” he asked. The person on the other end said something and mirth graced Ryan’s expression, only for him to frown solemnly the next minute.
“Is there really no way to improve his physical state?”
With a reply, Ryan could not help but glance at Niamh who was sleeping away in the car.
He hung up the phone and was about to get back into the car when a shadow suddenly sped past him and took his driver’s seat instead.
Niamh was dreaming away when she was jostled awake by the bang of the car door.
Her eyes snapped open, and by the time she heard the car doors lock, the car suddenly sped away.
“Eveline!”
Ryan was too late to stop it and quickly hailed a cab from the side of the road, wanting to chase after the car.
He immediately dialed Niamh’s number, but as soon as it connected, he was cut off.
Worried about what crazy thing the people in the car would do, Ryan did not hesitate to return the call that was made to him just now. “Deploy Team A immediately. Get online and track my vehicle. Make sure that the people in the car are not in any danger!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.