Lahat ng Kabanata ng Leaving You Bereft: Kabanata 451 - Kabanata 460

As dusk settled, Eleanor paid a visit to Tessa Villa. In August, the villa was bursting with blooming tessaria, bowing gracefully by the walls. From a distance, it resembled a sea of pink petals. The stretch of pink radiated such gentleness. It was nothing like Michael's style at all.The gardener working there saw Eleanor approaching. Perhaps he'd already received prior instructions from Michael and recognized her. He took off his gloves and greeted her politely, "Mrs. Hall, these were planted at Mr. Hall's request months ago. They're blooming beautifully now."The gardener knew that Michael had passed away, but Michael had instructed him that if his wife came, he should only speak of happy things, leaving matters related to life and death aside. He could even accompany her on a walk, showing her the garden full of tessaria.Eleanor reached out and touched a flower, her nose stinging. Her fingers trembled slightly as she brushed them across the flowers. It felt as though she wa

Dexter didn't return to the Hall residence right away. Instead, he took a shower first.Stripping off his shirt and trousers, his tall, muscular frame entered the shower. As he turned on the shower, the room was filled with mist, blurring his features. However, the sorrow in his eyes was still faintly visible.Michael was gone, and Eleanor was on her own now. He, too, was single. But he had no idea how to win Eleanor back. He didn't know how long it would take or what he needed to do. But he knew he couldn't give up.Ten minutes later, he reached out and shut off the water. He wiped the water off his face and began drying off his body. Midway through, he looked down at himself, stared for a few seconds, then chose to ignore it.Dexter got dressed just as the doorbell rang. He thought it was the cleaning lady, but when he opened the door, to his surprise, it was Julian.Julian was wearing a classic tuxedo, as if he'd just left some formal banquet. He was groomed to perfection, ca

Just as his fingers curled around the doorknob, he hesitated, filled with mixed emotions.Now, he was just a single man, while she was Michael's widow. Even though they were just separated by a door, it felt that they were separated by a vast distance, as well as the weight of public judgment.His hand slowly dropped to his sides. He stood quietly in the night sky for a long time before turning to leave.On the other side, Eleanor was leaning against the door. The moment she heard footsteps in the hallway, she knew it was Dexter, that he was standing outside, hesitating.She was relieved he hadn't knocked.Slowly, she walked back into the bedroom. Without Michael, the bedroom felt lonelier than usual. She sat on the bed alone, leaning against the headboard. Beneath the soft glow of the bedside lamp, she gently removed the ring from her finger and stared at the inscription on the inside.Michael had it engraved. It was his confession.He'd never told her in words, but the messa

Dexter lowered his gaze. "I don't want to let that person down again. I'm sorry, Ms. Zane."After saying that, he strode away without looking back at that seductively alluring body.In his eyes, Hayley was nothing more than a business prospect, a walking pile of money. Whether she was a woman or not, what she looked like, how slim her waist was, and how full her chest was, none of it mattered to him.The only thing he cared about was the business. As for women? He had one at home.Slowly, Dexter disappeared from her sight. In the restroom, Hayley held a cigarette between her slender fingers, her eyes dark and thoughtful. She had already stripped down like this, yet Julian hadn't been tempted in the slightest. Was he even a man?She licked her lips and made a phone call. Surprisingly, it was to Julian. "Mr. Ziegler, the deal's sealed. I reduced the profit by 2%. You'll have to make up for it. Also, is Dexter even a man?"A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line. "Thank y

Inside the pantry, the lights flickered. They had once been lovers, but now, their relationship was ambiguous and unclear.After a long while, he heard her whisper, "You should go. Thank you for everything you've done recently.""I'm not leaving." He didn't react to the slap on his face. Instead, he turned around and opened the door. He said gently, "I'll walk you upstairs.""Dexter," she called out.His voice was tight with restraint. "You slapped me, and I'll take it as a bit of fun. If you like it, you can slap me again."Eleanor couldn't hold back. "You're crazy."He grabbed her wrist and looked at her with his dark eyes, his gaze filled with too many emotions. He thought of the good times, the arguments, and the night they had in the hotel where she intertwined her fingers with his as they lost themselves in each other.It had been his fault, so he accepted her anger fully. He said hoarsely, "Yes, I'm crazy! If I weren't, I wouldn't be in Michael's house, taking care of his