The Sway and Slide of Love

Clearly, Marshall was equally worried about Marla's condition. Thus, he quickly turned to Hendrix and asked, "What does Noelle want to say to my wife?"

Hendrix shook his head. "I have no idea."

None of them knew the answer, so they could only wait quietly outside.

Hendrix had imagined countless possible mishaps. He had even prepared himself to rush in immediately if something happened without a second thought of where he was.

But to his surprise, nothing happened. He couldn't hear any sound coming from inside the room, as if Noelle and Marla were having a calm, peaceful conversation. Yet, the calmer it was, the deeper his frown became.

He assumed it was just the calm before the storm and that the real storm would quickly come. But it didn't.

Noelle soon emerged from the room.

Hendrix wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Noelle's demeanor seemed lighter, as if she had shed a heavy burden.

When she saw Marshall, she even smiled and said, "Thank you for letting me meet Mrs. Swift. I'm really grateful for that."

Marshall frowned but said nothing.

Noelle didn't seem to care about his reaction and simply turned to Hendrix. "Let's go back."

Hendrix was equally puzzled. But he didn't ask her anything. Instead, he silently took her hand.

Noelle glanced down at his dry, warm hand and said nothing.

After Hendrix bid farewell to Marshall, they left the place.

"What did you say to Mrs. Swift just now?" Hendrix asked on the way back.

"Nothing much," Noelle replied.

This made Hendrix furrow his brows even more. He fixed his gaze on her.

"I dreamed of Seline again a couple of days ago. She was saying goodbye to me and had some things she wanted to tell Mrs. Swift. I think she must have been too afraid o face her mom, scared of making her sad

"But as a mother myself, Inoveldrama

understand- no matter how painful, Mrs. Swift would still want to hear, what Selime had to say, even if it was just a farewell. So, I told her those messages," Noelle spoke slowly, but every word was clear and deliberate.

Afterward, she added, "Let's go to the mall. It's nearly Christmas, so I want to get Rosie a present. Also, I want to make it up to her for not spending much time with her lately."

Hendrix didn't refuse her request. It was winter break, and with Christmas approaching, the mall was packed.

Hendrix had initially wanted to clear the place out, but he felt that Noelle had been too quiet lately, so being in a lively place might help lift her spirits.

Noelle didn't seem to mind the crowd. Soon, she walked into a retail chain store. After browsing the shelves, she quickly found the plushie she was looking for.

"Rosie had one similar to this before,

but I lost it. Later, I asked Seline to help me buy a new one, but she told me the manufacturer had

discontinued it. But your moth neg

later bought her a similar one, and she loved it. So, Rosie's going to like this one, too, right?"

Noelle seemed to be talking to Hendrix, but it also felt like she was talking to herself. Then, as if remembering something, she turned to him. "Do you want to get her a present, too?"