The Sway and Slide of Love

Noelle couldn't remember the last time she had been outside with the sun rays touching her skin. It wasn't until she saw the Christmas decorations and felt the festive atmosphere on the streets that she realized the end of the year was approaching.

So, it had already been over a month since Seline passed away.

Noelle stared out of the window for a while before slowly closing her eyes.

The Swift residence was eerily quiet.

Noelle had been here a few times before. Sometimes, when Seline brought Rosie over to play, she would come to pick her up. More often than not, as soon as she reached the door, she could already hear Rosie's cheerful chatter coming from the inside.

Marla would watch Rosie with pure affection, then urge Seline to hurry up and get married. Seline would always push back defiantly, and Marla would scold her, but there was never any real anger in her tone.

Noelle knew Marla loved Seline deeply, so when Seline later insisted she didn't want to get married, Marla simply dropped the subject. But with Seline's passing, that love had...

"Noelle." Hendrix's voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.

He grabbed her hand, which made her pause. When she turned to look at him, she saw him frowning at her.noveldrama

"I'm fine." Noelle flashed him a smile, then turned to open the car door.

Hendrix quickly followed her out. He had already informed Marshall about their visit, so the housekeeper politely welcomed them inside.

Compared to Marla, Marshall was much calmer and more composed, but even he couldn't muster a smile. He simply nodded at them instead.

He was still dressed neatly, but he had aged significantly. As he sat on the couch, his back unconsciously slumped a little.

"Where's Mrs. Swift?" Noelle asked softly.

"She's upstairs," Marshall replied. "She's not feeling well, so she's not up for visitors at the moment. I appreciate you dropping by today but there's no need for this in the future. Seline is gone, so there's no reason for us to stay in touch.

"I apologize for my wife's behavior at

the funeral. She had just lost here

daughter, so I ask for your understanding for whatever she said or did."

"I've come to apologize to both of you," Noelle said. "If Mrs. Swift isn't feeling well, could I go up to see her?"

Marshall frowned slightly at her request. Clearly, he wasn't keen on the idea.

Hendrix also looked concerned, but Noelle quickly added, "Lately, I've been dreaming about Seline. She has things she wants to say to Mrs. Swift, so I figured Mrs. Swift would want to hear them, too."

A flicker of emotion crossed Marshall's face when he heard this. After a brief pause, he finally nodded. "Alright. I'll take you upstairs."

Hendrix had intended to follow along, but Noelle quickly turned to him and said, "I'd like to speak with Mrs. Swift alone."

"No," Hendrix said without hesitation.

Noelle looked at him. "It was my plan all along to speak to her alone, and this is my only request."

After saying that, she added with a gentle smile, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

It had been a long time since Hendrix had seen her smile like that. For a moment,

he was stunned. But after a while, he finally nodded.

Marshall—his brows tightly furrowed-soon stepped out of the room, leaving Noelle alone with Marla inside.