Love's Tangled Web by Donna Taylor

Chapter 286

13

Over an hour later, Ellie stepped out of the taxi and stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment, stunned as she gazed at

a tree.

The first snow of winter hadn’t arrived yet, and all the leaves had fallen, leaving only bare branches swaying in the cold wind.

Ellie gently patted the trunk of the tree. Some trees may look strong from the outside, but their insides are hollow. Onlookers waiting for spring may not realize that many of these trees have already given in to winter’s chill.

She wrapped her arms around the large tree and pressed her face against its cold, damp bark. Closing her eyes, tears streamed silently down her cheeks. Long ago, her brother had told her not to share her struggles with their parents.

They couldn’t help, and it would keep them awake at night. Yet, despite that, she felt she couldn’t ease her dad’s burden. As a child, she had been sent to the Warren family. She never got to grow old alongside her dad.

Many nights, she had sat under the apple tree in their yard with her dad, watching the moon. The moonlight stretched their shadows into different sizes.

while Harold’s shorter shadow reminded her of his

morning, with gentle rain falling, Ellie mourned her recently deceased dad, weeping against the hollow tree as

distance, sharing in her grief as if it lasted

softly, Layton found Alex in the hotel

Nancy thinks you’ve lost your mind.” Layton snatched

pack, realizing he had

cut ties with your family and keep Ellie away from you.”

knees, fingers digging into his hair as he bowed his head and held back

and Haley has faced her reckoning. If you want to make things right, the best thing to do is send some money

shining with fear. “She might hate me, but she can

Layton stared at Alex, momentarily speechless,

for a while before Layton spoke again, “When you chased after Haley, you managed to win her over, but then you broke your promises.

Wed, Fed 12

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Chapter 286