The Sway and Slide of Love

Ruth was acting as if she and Noelle were close friends. Without giving Noelle a chance to react or refuse, she had already turned on her phone's camera and snapped a photo.

Only then did Noelle realize what had happened. She frowned and quickly put some distance between them.

"Oh, by the way, I meant everything I said to you last night," Ruth added.

She didn't push her luck and put away her phone once she got the picture. Then, she continued seriously, "I was young and stupid back then. More importantly, Sandra was my best friend at the time. I've always been simple-minded, so I believed whatever she said without question.

"I never imagined she'd turn out to be such a two-faced, manipulative woman. But no matter what, I hurt you in the past, so I want to sincerely apologize to you. Noelle, I'm really sorry."

As she spoke, Ruth made a move to kneel.noveldrama

However, with her being heavily pregnant, Noelle was worried she might accidentally hurt herself and blame it on her, so she quickly stopped.

"That's all in the past now." She had no choice but to say this to prevent Ruth from dragging things out any further.

"Really? So that means you forgive me?" Ruth's eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed Noelle's hand happily. "That's wonderful! Actually, I've always known that compared to Sandra, you're the one worth befriending.

"After all, we're the ones who truly belong to the same world. A person's character and worth-those things are determined from birth, written in their very blood. You're the real scioness of the Swanson family, right? That's why you and I should be friends."

Ruth kept trying to cozy up to her. Even when Noelle repeatedly pulled her hand away, she somehow found a way to hold onto her again.

Noelle had already woken up feeling unwell that morning, and dealing with Ruth's relentless persistence only made it worse.

Fortunately, Hendrix came downstairs at that moment.

"M-Mr. Freeman." At the sight of him, Ruth immediately toned down her behavior. There was even a trace of apprehension in her eyes as she greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Freeman. I hope I'm not disturbing you.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that I couldn't sleep all night

thinking about what happened back then. So, I came over first thing in the

morning."

Hendrix didn't offer her any

acknowledgment. Instead, he simply

overne

reached out and pulled Noelle toward him. He squeezed her gently checking that her temperature was normal, before finally addressing Ruth.

"Just what are you referring to when you say 'back then'?"

"Well, you know... about what Sandra and I did—" Ruth tried to explain, but after just one sentence, she noticed Hendrix's expression darkening.

Thus, she swallowed the rest of her words and quickly changed course. "I know I

did and said some really awful things back then, and that's why I came to apologize to Noelle."

"Is that so? You came here just for that today?" Hendrix asked.

"Yes! And fortunately, Noelle was kind enough to forgive me. You have no idea how relieved I am."

Ruth was terrified that Hendrix

might bring up old grievances. After all, she had come today to curry

some favors. If she accide the

angered him, she might end

losing more than she bargained for.

But just as she finished speaking, Hendrix chuckled and said, "Oh? That's strange, then. After all, you never thought about apologizing to Noelle all these years, so why now?"