I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 353

Nora ended up spending the night at Zelda's house, drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Early the next morning, her internal clock woke her naturally. The rich, comforting scent of breakfast filled her senses. She stretched her arms lazily before rolling out of bed to wash up.

When she stepped out of the guest room, she found Zelda already setting bowls of warm oatmeal on the dining table, accompanied by a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs and bacon. Zelda sat down, her gaze softening as it landed on her. "Nora, come have breakfast."

Nora smiled, walking over to join her. Every bite of the warm oatmeal seemed to melt away the lingering chill in her heart.

After finishing breakfast, Nora got ready to head to the Institute. Just as she stepped out of the apartment building, a sleek, familiar Mercedes-Maybach slowly pulled up to the curb, its tinted window gliding down smoothly.

Xander's strikingly handsome, chiseled face came into view. Dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, he turned his head to look at her.

Nora froze for a second, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Xander pushed open his door and stepped out. Moving with effortless grace, he took the heavy files from her hands and opened the passenger door. "You sounded completely exhausted last night. I figured I'd drop you off at the Institute so you wouldn't have to deal with the commute."

Looking at his calm, steady demeanor—stripped of its usual sharp edges—a wave of warmth rushed over Nora. She didn't bother declining, simply lowering her head to slip into the passenger seat.

The air inside the car was fresh, carrying a faint, soothing scent of tea. The temperature was set to absolute perfection. Before she could even buckle up, he handed her a cup of warm latte. "Drink some of this."

Nora stared at the cup in astonishment, genuinely caught off guard by his meticulous care. She took the latte, letting the comforting heat seep from her palms straight into her chest. Pressing her lips together, she ducked her head and offered a soft, "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

Xander's expression remained pleasantly neutral, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught the slightly pale curve of her cheek. His lips hitched up slightly as he changed the subject. "Bonnie was talking about you all day yesterday. She really wants you to come over and help her with a new puzzle."

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