The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 250

Lavinia's eyes fell first on Garnett, then drifted to Sigrid standing defensively by his side.

Before she could even speak, Garnett practically lunged forward. "Is she still angry?"

Lavinia shook her head. "She's getting ready for bed. It took me quite a while to convince her to even let me come out here."

She gave Sigrid a dismissive glance before looking back at Garnett. Her tone was perfectly level. "A word in private?"

Garnett nodded instantly.

Lavinia pointed to a stone gazebo a short distance away. "Let's go over there."

Sigrid was left standing awkwardly under the streetlight. She glared at their retreating backs, the warmth completely vanishing from her eyes.

Once inside the gazebo, neither of them bothered to sit.

"I tried to warn you today, but you didn't catch it," Lavinia said simply.

Garnett stared at her. He had spent two years believing she was a docile, submissive wallflower. Only now was he beginning to realize just how wrong he had been.

"I didn't pick up on it at the time," he admitted. Then, defensive, he added, "But if you put yourself in my shoes, you'd understand. Based on the information I had, I couldn't completely trust you."

Lavinia looked away. A small, silent creek flowed peacefully beneath the gazebo.

Two years of marriage, and he didn't trust her in the slightest. Their relationship was entirely hollow.

Perhaps he had never truly viewed her as his wife to begin with.

"The family trust was Grandma's idea. She specifically instructed me to keep it a secret," Lavinia explained.

"I know. She wanted to test the family's true colors. And unfortunately, I failed the test." He couldn't hide the raw devastation in his voice.

Lavinia turned back to him.

Setting aside the absolute wreckage of their marriage, she knew his love for his grandmother was genuine. She had no desire to be the wedge that permanently shattered their bond.

"I'll try to talk to her for you. You were operating on bad information, which led to a massive misjudgment." She paused, meeting his gaze. "But for the record, I have never once spoken poorly of you to her. She formed her own conclusions based entirely on what she witnessed today."

Garnett's eyes darkened.

"You can hate me, and you can try to destroy me all you want, Lavinia. But don't you dare ruin his relationship with his grandmother. She is all he has left."

Lavinia paused, glancing back at her, and suddenly let out a genuine laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sigrid snapped, her brow furrowing.

"I used to think I could never beat you," Lavinia said with absolute indifference. "Now I realize there's no need to even try. We are completely different species."

She let out a soft, amused sigh. "Sometimes, the gap between two people is wider than the gap between a human and an ape."

Garnett had just walked up and heard the insult perfectly. He looked up, his eyes locking onto Lavinia's.

She pushed the heavy iron gates open, slipped gracefully through the gap, and shut them firmly behind her with a definitive *clang*.

Sigrid spun around, looking up at Garnett with tear-filled, victimized eyes. "Garnett..."

He remained frozen in place. The streetlights hit him from multiple angles, splitting his shadow in two across the pavement. One stretching east, the other reaching blindly to the west.