Nancy had originally planned to leave, as Gabriella’s words had made her understand her own situation. She couldn’t be as self-indulgent as Jory was. Besides, she was married then. That was the reason why Gabriella had dared to say those bold words.
Back then, the failed engagement and her failure to meet and understand Jory were probably due to fate.
Thus, although Nancy wanted to leave his office in a carefree manner, she realized just then that how difficult it was to pretend to be nonchalant.
Yet, why had she felt joy the moment he stopped her from leaving? Why did she have a sudden urge to give up everything for him?
Just then, Jory’s voice rang out, carrying a more solemn and calm tone than usual. Although it was a far cry from his typical image, it was still pleasant to hear.
“I also really like it…”
Nancy’s smile widened. Even if he had not said anything, she knew it. Their mutual affection and feelings that they had found their confidant had caused both parties to fall for each other.
Jory studied her face, his gaze falling on her flowing hair, then on her long eyelashes. Watching him, Nancy saw something in his expression that she had never seen before. She saw gentleness.
“You…” Jory held her hand and gave her a warm smile. “I wasn’t finished with my sentence. There, you have to connect them for it to be a complete sentence. It’s what I truly want to tell you.”
Tears soon welled up in her eyes, causing her vision to become blurry. All Nancy could feel then was his warmth.
Jory still understood her even if she had not spoken and could perfectly express what she wanted to say. Considering that they had such deep understanding, it had to be fate.
Jory then held her hand and turned her body to face him. When he saw the tears on her face, he was dumbfounded and pulled her into a hug. Since she was confused at the moment, he wanted to give her a reliable source of support.
That hug probably counted as the first real hug he gave her. Nancy’s entire body was wrapped in his, and she could only feel the warmth radiating from his chest.
Jory stroked her smooth hair and said, “Why are you crying? You’re such a crybaby.”
Nancy had been contemplating whether or not to raise her hand and hug him back. However, upon hearing those words, she immediately hit him on the back a few times. Since she had just cried, her voice reflected it clearly when she spoke.
“Y-You’ll be the death of me…”
Jory did not move, allowing her to let out her anger. “If you die, I’ll join you. There’s no reason for me to continue living in a world without you.”
He tightened his arm around her as she buried her face in his shoulder.
“Some things have only just begun, but it’s about time some others ended,” she said in a dull voice, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to force out the image of Caspian’s face in her mind. Nancy was about to make a selfish decision that would be the root of his pain.
The more guilty she felt, the more she told herself that perhaps everything had been wrong since the very beginning. At that moment, she was resolved to try her best to remedy that mistake.
In Nancy’s lifetime, she had met two men. The first was Caspian, and the other was Jory, who had become a changed man. The moment they appeared, they had easily changed her life.
Nancy stood outside the door, reaching for the keys in her bag. As there had been a fight, she reminded herself repeatedly to bring the keys when she left home. This was so that he would not trouble Caspian to unlock the door. However, the hand which was reaching for her keys suddenly paused. She pondered for a moment, then knocked on the door. It’ll probably be less awkward if it starts off this way.
Knock knock knock.
Three knocks later, still no one came to the door. Annoyed, she could only be thankful that she had brought her keys out. Otherwise, she would have to continue waiting outside.
