Chapter 530
Stella's mind went blank.
When she decided to come to Griffith, she had pictured countless scenarios of meeting Daniel again, even thought about the setting for their casual, nonchalant greeting.
But now, face-to-face with him, she couldn't muster a single word.
He had aged-thinner, with strands of white hair at his temples-but he looked well. Years in the military had shaped him into a man of calm restraint, yet he couldn't help but move forward and wrap Stella in a tight embrace. "How have you been?"
He had tried everything to find her, but to no avail. And now, here she was, in the flesh.
Daniel's nerves were so intense he felt his heart almost go numb. He had seen her in his dreams countless times, always in bloody nightmares. Waking up in a sweat, lying there until dawn.
Aside from Jasper, Stella had never been hugged like this by anyone. The shoulders were broad, the embrace enveloping. Was this what a fatherly hug felt like?
Stella felt disoriented, her head spinning.
looked her over carefully. She had taken good care of herself. Seeing her after so long, he
deep breath, needing a moment to settle her nerves. "How have you
been seriously ill several times, each bout worse than the last, each time thinking he might not pull through. He had completed the missions given by the state to the best of his ability, fulfilling his duty. At the brink
but now, unexpectedly, there was a chance. Facing death, he never flinched, but when it came to his daughter, the fear of rejection was palpable in his voice, tinged with an unmistakable guilt. "Stella, I'm sorry. I wasn't there when you needed
the words just wouldn't come out. Deep down, did she really hold no resentment? As a beneficiary of his actions, a survivor of
father and daughter, he quickly smoothed things over. "Sir, it's getting late. Stella and her companions have traveled a long way; they should probably head back
eager and anxious. "Right,
We can stay here tonight
up Stella's bag. "The chief's home is a bit more spacious, and we've kept rooms ready for
the night. If you really don't feel comfortable, I'll find another
people. Whether it's for
couldn't muster a refusal but instead looked to
to make amends. He understood her well; if she truly held no feelings she wouldn't have reacted so strongly at the mention of Griffith, a name that was also a signal Daniel had released to the world in his search
leave. Mark nearly floored the accelerator, and yet Daniel still found the pace too slow. In the face of land sinking
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