The Sway and Slide of Love

After taking her medication, Noelle spent the entire afternoon drifting in and out of sleep. So, it wasn't until evening that she saw the messages on her phone.

Some people asked if the woman in the photo with Ruth was her, while others asked when she had returned to Coppersville and if she'd like to meet up for dinner sometime.

In truth, many in her social circle probably already knew Noelle had returned to Coppersville. After all, many of them had been present at Seline's funeral. It was just that the Swifts had kicked Noelle out then.

At the time, Noelle had even heard people calling her a jinx behind her back. But now? Their attitudes had done a complete 180. Not that it was surprising. After all, it was human nature to look out for one's own interests.

Besides, Noelle barely remembered most of their names, so whatever they had to say-however they saw her-made no difference to her.

If it were the Noelle of the past, even if she loathed it, she would have forced herself to exchange a few words with them for the sake of maintaining Hendrix's reputation as his wife.

But now, Noelle had no interest in doing such things. "Let them think whatever they want," she thought.

So, she ignored all the messages. After scrolling through them, she simply tossed her phone aside.

Just then, Rosie came looking for her. She was still recovering from a cold, and to avoid passing it to Noelle again, she stood at the doorway to keep a safe distance from her.

"Mommy, how are you feeling?" she asked. "Do you feel awful?"

Noelle smiled and said, "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine, too. The doctor said I'll be all better by tomorrow. Look. I already got my energy back."

To prove it, Rosie hopped twice on the spot.

Noelle's smile grew wider. Then, she reached out a hand and said, "Come here."

"No, I can't." Rosie shook her head seriously. "The doctor said we shouldn't get too close, or we might infect each other."

Noelle was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

After a pause, Rosie asked, "Mommy, why were you angry today?"

Noelle looked at her andnoveldrama

immediately realized this was the real reason Rosie had come to see her. After hesitating briefly, she replied, "I wasn't angry."

"But he didn't check on you even once today," Rosie said.

Noelle knew she was talking about Hendrix, so she gave a perfunctory response, "He's probably busy."

"No, he's been in the study the whole time," she said seriously.

"Right. That means he's busy with work."

Rosie fell silent. Then, she looked at her intently and asked, "Did you two have a fight?"

Her expression was solemn, and her steady gaze left Noelle with no room for evasion.

Noelle met her gaze for a while before nodding in resignation. "Yes."

"Why did you fight? Was it because of me? Will you two make up?" Rosie fired off several questions in a row, her expression growing more anxious with each. fo

Noelle could see her unease. "Are you worried about him?"

"No way!" Rosie replied without hesitation.

But when she noticed Noelle was still watching her, she slowly

explained, "I'm just worried youal

sad."

be

Her response caught Noelle off guard. But then, she quickly got out of bed and walked over to Rosie.

Startled by her sudden movement, Rosie was about to step back when Noelle reached out and hugged her.