Chapter 627:

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Still, he sighed inwardly. His Toffee had been through too much. Everything she had lost, he vowed to help her reclaim—piece by piece. Nicole glanced at the clock. It was getting late. “Jasper, you should rest now.”

He nodded. “Alright.”

Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, a pang of guilt struck him. His voice gentled, but it carried a firm edge. “Toffee, go back to the hotel and get some sleep tonight. Seth can stay here with me.”

“No objections.” His tone left no room for argument. “I’m feeling much better. And if I don’t take care of you, once Mom and Dad learn about it, they would give me an earful.”

Nicole chuckled. “You’re a grown man. Still afraid of getting scolded?”

“Be good. Go rest.”

“Alright. I’ll come back first thing in the morning.”

“Okay.”

𝗪𝖾 𝘂𝗽d𝗮t𝘦 𝖾𝘷𝘦𝗋y wее𝗸 on 𝗀а𝗹𝘯o𝘃𝖾𝗅s.𝗰о𝗆

She tucked him in before quietly leaving the room.

Jasper watched her go, his eyes filled with warmth. But as her figure disappeared, a wave of melancholy swept through him. She was married now. He hadn’t even had the chance to spoil his Toffee properly—and now, she belonged to someone else. And that someone was Aidan.

Half an hour later, Nicole returned to the hotel. With the truth finally out, the heavy weight on her heart had lifted.

After a warm shower, she lay down, looking forward to a long-overdue night of peaceful sleep.

Then her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. It was Aidan.

Nicole saw the name flash on her screen. For a moment, she froze. It looked like someone she hadn’t heard from in a long while, and that alone made her pause.

She slid her thumb across the screen and lifted the phone. “What’s the matter?”

There was no answer right away.

Feeling uneasy, she tried again. “Aidan?”

She could hear the wind through the receiver. Along with it came the sound of strained breathing. Something about the pace of it made her chest tighten.

Her brow creased. “Aidan, what’s happening? Are you still in Tachary? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

The line stayed silent.

She waited, then said, “If you’re not going to say a word, I’m hanging up.”

His voice came through at last, rough and broken. “Can’t call you just because I want to?”

The hoarseness of it made her heart beat faster.

She pulled the phone closer. “Are you okay?”

Still, there was no clear reply. Only the sound of him walking, his breaths heavy and uneven.

Her thoughts rushed back to the last time he was in Tachary. He had been ambushed then, slashed across the back, his clothes soaked in blood. That memory surged forward now, bringing with it a fresh wave of fear.

“Where’s Leonel?” she asked, her voice rising.

Then, without warning, he spoke again. “Why is it that you never think to call me?”

She stopped breathing for a second. There was something different in his tone. It wasn’t anger. It was quieter than that. It carried the weight of something buried. It sounded like hurt.

She pressed the phone tighter to her ear. Somehow, she felt hurt for him. “Aidan, you—”

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