‘Kendrick?’
Niamh exclaimed internally in shock.
Kendrick quickly let go of his grip on Niamh now that she was back on her feet. His gaze was indifferent. “Are you alright, Miss Montgomery?”
Miss Montgomery.
What a familiar yet distanced title.
Niamh stepped out of his arms coldly without replying to him.
Kendrick did not comment on it, opting to turn to Ryan with a smile instead. “My ex-wife is a rare and great woman, Mr. Jones. If you truly like her, don’t let go.”
Kendrick’s words made Niamh feel uncomfortable.
She was about to speak when she heard Ryan reply gently, “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Waldburg. I won’t.”
Satisfied with the reply, he turned to look at Niamh who was glaring coldly at him before leaving.
Niamh then realized that the woman sitting with her back against her was Lana.
He was eating with Lana at the table they once sat at.
Ha.
Niamh had no idea what Kendrick was thinking at all.
She sat down despite the fact that her appetite had completely vanished. “In regards to what he said, Ryan, you can ignore it.”
Rya understood, but his gaze was sincere. “I’ve developed feelings for you after having spent time with you over the past month.”
Ryan’s reply took Niamh by surprise, but he continued to explain, “Naomi and I got engaged because it was my parents’ wish. There wasn’t anyone I had feelings for at the time, so I decided to accept it when my parents introduced me to a girl of similar status to tie a union.”
It turned out that this was the reason behind Ryan and Naomi’s relationship.
It explained why Ryan did not seem to show any form of sadness at all when he broke it off with Naomi. There were no feelings involved at all.
However, in the face of Ryan’s sudden confession and Kendrick’s ‘matchmaking’, Niamh felt uneasy and made an excuse to use the bathroom. She wanted some peace and quiet, only to have Lana’s proud smile appear in the mirror.
“You must be surprised, Eveline Montgomery. Since last night, Kendrick has become mine for real.”
Niamh loosened her balled-up fist and washed her hands nonchalantly.
However, Lana walked up to her to provoke her. “Kendrick sure is charming. I’ve never been so happy. Now I understand why you used such lowly methods to get him to marry you.
“But we’re not the same, Eveline. I didn’t do anything at all. Kendrick was the one who came to me instead.”
Proud of herself, Lana turned it up a notch with the taunts when she saw Niamh’s lack of response. “Do you think I’m joking, Eveline? You can go and take a look if you want. Kendrick still has the mark I bit on his shoulder last night! Haha… Ugh?”
Lana laughed freely, never having expected Niamh to reach out and grab her neck with a domineering look in her eyes.
“There’s a limit to my tolerance, Lana Johnson. For my kids, perhaps I can still maintain a shred of rationality, but there’s no limit to the things that I can do if you completely piss me off. You’ll stop bragging in front of me if you know what’s good for you.”
Niamh’s aura was overwhelming.
“Kendrick and I are already divorced. Who he wants to spend time with has nothing to do with me. If you like him so much, then treasure him and keep him for yourself. I don’t want him anymore!”
Niamh loosened her grip just as her warning came to an end.
Flushed, Lana coughed and tried to attack Niamh from behind. However, Niamh evaded it agilely and instead raised her hand to counterattack.
At that moment, Niamh felt a familiar hand suspending her hand in mid-air.
The palm’s warmth was something she would never forget.
Niamh turned to the man who was gripping her wrist—Kendrick.
Watching the scene, Lana was elated but wore a hurt expression as she approached Kendrick. “Kendrick, she tried to hurt me again.”
Kendrick stared at Niamh and asked, “Why are you hitting my girlfriend, Miss Montgomery?”
‘Girlfriend.’
The word drifted into Niamh and Lana’s ears.
Lana was stunned and ecstatic.
Niamh was shocked too, and she felt her heart grow cold.
Her dignified gaze fell on Kendrick as she spoke disdainfully, “So what if I hit her? Are you going to hit me back for your girlfriend, Mr. Waldburg?”
“…” Lana’s expression fell as she turned to stir more trouble up, saying coquettishly, “Look at her, Kendrick. This is too much…”
Kendrick glanced at Lana, then back at Niamh. “As ex-husband and wife, I’m sorry on behalf of how my girlfriend has offended you.”
Niamh was beyond disappointed by the man’s reply.
She tugged her arm back. “How can an apology possibly be enough for the murder of two lives? Are you overestimating yourself, Kendrick, or are you underestimating me?”
Niamh turned and left.
Lana quirked her red lips in satisfaction.
She never expected Kendrick to suddenly call her his girlfriend.
It seemed like she had made the right choice with the slow-acting poison. Kendrick was easily controlled now.
Ryan, who was ordering dishes at the table, watched Niamh rush out with a dark expression. Subconsciously turning to look at the bathroom, he saw Kendrick and Lana leave one after the other.
Guessing what had happened, he quickly placed the menu down and ran after Niamh.
Standing in an empty corner in the underground car park, Niamh trembled and shook as her heart ached with no sign of relief.
Watching Niamh try and suppress her feelings alone in the corner, Ryan quickly made his way over.
Seeing her agony, Ryan reached out for her. “If it’s too much, you can always choose to lean on my shoulders. I may not be the person you want to rely on the most, but I think I qualify enough as an escape.”
Niamh slowly looked up to stare at the gentle features in front of her as her tears began to fall.
Ryan took a step forward and opened his arms to pull Niamh into his chest.
Kendrick watched the scene from afar and felt his heart clench as pain consumed it.
Yet another uncomfortable feeling within his body reminded him that giving her away was the best and only choice he could make.
Niamh cried for a long time before her emotions began to calm.
Getting into the car, she decided to text Kendrick to meet her by the seaside of April Hill.
Seven o’clock that night, the man arrived on time.
The cold sea breeze blew. It was no longer salty and sweet like it used to be.
“Did you want to ask why I got together with Lana?” Kendrick asked straightforwardly, his tone cold and distant.
Niamh merely stared at the man’s calm expression silently.
From her eyes, Kendrick read her question. He approached her with a smile and cupped her cheeks with both his hands. “Eveline Montgomery, you will always be the woman I, Kendrick Waldburg, love the most. But there’s also no way we can ever get back together.”
‘There’s no way, Nia. Not even if you forgave me.’
His reply crushed Niamh’s heart and enraged her. “So you’ve decided to be with Lana? The person who used you to kill my parents?”
“Yeah. I got together with her. The gossip online is true. We’ve… slept together.”
His words shot through her heart like a thousand arrows.
Trembling, she pushed the man away while suppressing the heartbreak and tears. “Kendrick Waldburg, you b*stard! I’m so disappointed in you! Tell me just what kind of man did I fall in love with all these years?”
Kendrick remained indifferent to Niamh’s disappointed reprimanding.
He pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket. Lighting one between his fingers, he took a drag.
Niamh could not suppress the tears at the sight and snatched the cigarette and its box before throwing them on the floor. Then, she gave him a harsh slap across his face.
“Do you somehow think that I exist for the sole purpose to be hurt by and for you? Why must you treat me like this, Kendrick? Am I not worthy of happy days at all?”
“You’re right, you should never have fallen for me at all.” Kendrick curled his lips faintly as he stared at her teary face. He secretly balled his fists to hide his trembling fingers. “It’s your biggest misfortune to have met me, Eveline. I cannot give you the happiness you deserve. All I give is pain, so stop loving me. I don’t want to be loved by you anymore.”
Slap!
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.