Shattered Longings

Chapter 77 His Wallpaper Is a Picture of Her

Bella was so used to his taunts that she replied indifferently, “You should get some rest. I’m going back to my room.”

As she passed him, he grabbed her wrist.

She looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, “What is it?”

Their eyes met. His gaze was calm and steady as he asked, “Lia’s not in Joville. Who did you meet?”

Bella’s breath hitched. He hadn’t seemed concerned when she left. How could he have checked on this? She didn’t even know if Lia was in Joville.

She lowered her head and said softly, “It was that patient, Simon. He got hurt saving me, and he’s being discharged today. He’s leaving tomorrow, so I thought I’d treat him to dinner. I was going to ask Lia to join us, but when I called, I found out she wasn’t in Joville.”

as he focused on her delicate, fair fingers. She had a habit of picking at her nails when she was lying or nervous.

he might investigate Simon’s identity and uncover their connection. She looked up at him anxiously and said, “I didn’t! I really just wanted to

was close to the truth. She

“I was just asking. No need to be so nervous. Since you can’t sleep, stay with me and have a couple of drinks.” With that, he went

before following him, realizing his tone had been an

of liquor. Her stomach was upset, and the alcohol was starting to make

the liquor cabinet, and his phone lit up

The first thing her eyes caught was a WhatsApp notification, followed by

a photo of her on his phone, but she hadn’t expected

pulled back into a ponytail, and she had a bright

raised high, with a small parrot perched on it. It was the parrot that Richard used to keep. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows on her, and

taken in the manor garden. If Bella remembered correctly, she was 17 at the time. Since she didn’t