The Sway and Slide of Love

When Noelle caught sight of the woman's face, her eyes widened slightly. Without a second thought, she pulled Rosie behind her.

The woman couldn't help but laugh at the gesture. "Do you really have to be so dramatic? For a second there, I thought you might've forgotten who I am."

Forgotten who the woman was? Of course, Noelle hadn't forgotten! How could she?

In fact, Noelle remembered all too clearly how it felt when Jean sliced her face open with a knife, and it had taken years for the scar it left on her cheek to fade.

And now, as Jean stood before her again, the same sharp pain-along with the terror she'd felt back then-came rushing back.noveldrama

Noelle's grip on Rosie's hand tightened instinctively.

"Your daughter is quite adorable," Jean remarked with a smile, her gaze flickering to the child behind Noelle.

At the mention of Rosie, Noelle immediately frowned. Her shoulders, which had been slightly hunched, straightened as she stared firmly at Jean.

Jean's smile deepened when she saw how protective Noelle was of Rosie. "What's with that look? You don't actually think I'd do something to your daughter, do you? Relax. Even if I were that stupid, I wouldn't make a move here.

"Besides, I just spent three years in prison, and trust me when I say I have no desire to go back to that hellhole."

"What do you want?" Noelle finally asked.

Jean lowered her gaze, slowly unwrapping & piece of candy she had initially tried to give Rosie. She popped into her mouth and said, "I don't want anything. I just wanted to see how you've been these past three years, and it looks like you've been doing well.

"Oh, and I heard you're with Dylan now. How forgiving of you! Considering he was the reason you almost got killed back then."

Noelle remained silent.

Jean sucked on the candy, her gaze drifting back to Rosie. "Ugh, I'm so jealous of you for having such an adorable daughter! If I hadn't done something so foolish back then, my child would probably be about her age now."

Noelle's eyes widened slightly at the revelation.

Noticing her reaction, Jean chuckled and said, "Why do you look so

surprised? Don't tell me you've forgotten that Dylan was my fiancé, and we were about to get married. Did you really think all we ever did was hold hands and hug?

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"That baby should've been just fine. But when I was five months pregnant, I received the news that my father had been taken down. The shock was too much, and in a place like prison, no one cared whether I lived or died. So, the baby just died inside me."

As she spoke, Jean grew paler in the face. Combined with her disheveled hair, she appeared almost ghostly.

Noelle didn't know why Jean was telling her all this, but she didn't dare to interrupt. Instead, she tried to shield Rosie even more, her eyes never leaving Jean.

"Anyway, enough of that," Jean said suddenly with a bright smile. "The reason I came today is to tell you that you shouldn't be with Dylan. Consider this a piece of advice from one woman to another."