The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 13

Upon returning home, Lavinia changed her shoes in the foyer and walked straight to the guest room.

She took off the pearl necklace and bracelet, placing them back into their box. Just as she was about to go shower, footsteps sounded behind her.

Garnett stood in the doorway of the guest room, his eyes scanning the space. Her skincare products were lined up on the vanity, a few books rested on the nightstand, and her everyday clothes hung in the closet. At some point, she had completely moved her belongings out of the master bedroom.

Garnett frowned. "Why did you move into the guest room?"

Lavinia didn't even look up as she hung up her evening gown. "The hospital calls in the middle of the night sometimes. Plus, I have to wake up really early to cook and drop off food. I didn't want to disturb your sleep."

In reality, the number of times he actually spent the night at home was dwindling. He barely set foot in this house a few times a month, so "disturbing" him was hardly a concern.

Garnett stayed quiet. It felt like it had been a while since he had really looked at her, and he suddenly noticed she had lost weight.

He stepped closer, raising a hand to gently brush her cheek. It was warm and soft.

"Hire a nurse. Whatever it costs, I'll pay for it," he said, gazing down at her.

Lavinia turned her face away slightly, seamlessly dodging his touch, her eyes landing on the pearl jewelry set resting on the nightstand.

"What should we do with these?" she asked, pivoting the conversation. "We don't have a jewelry safe here."

High-end jewelry needed to be stored in professional safes with climate control, especially pearls.

"Should we take them back to the old manor? There's a proper vault there," Lavinia suggested.

Garnett recalled how Zenia had tried to force Lavinia into signing a liability waiver earlier that evening, and a cold fury ignited in his chest.

"They are not going back there," he said icily. "I'll take them to the company vault tomorrow."

The company had a top-tier secure vault. Regardless of who sent these pearls, now that they were in his hands, they were his.

He completely forgot to press her about moving into the guest room. By the time he remembered, she was already in the bathroom. The sound of running water drifted through the door, a faint, rhythmic patter.

Garnett stood there for a moment before turning on his heel and heading back to the master bedroom to grab his clothes for a shower.

Just as he raised his hand to knock, his phone buzzed.

It was his personal phone. The screen lit up with the caller ID: Sigrid.

He glanced at the guest room door one last time before heading back to the master bedroom.

"Garnett, you're not asleep yet, are you?" Sigrid's voice floated through the speaker, soft and carrying a hint of a smile.

"No."

"Joel is here, and they practically forced me to call you."

Joel Sprague was his high school classmate. Back in the honors class at Northwood High, Garnett had been the class president, Joel the vice president, and Sigrid the academic chair. The three of them had been dubbed the "Iron Triangle."

Joel came from a good family but was in no rush to inherit the family business. He took the civil service exams right after college and was now the youngest high-ranking official at the Bureau of Commerce.