The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 51

Lavinia Joplin got into the ride-share, and when the driver asked for her destination, she hesitated before saying, "Riverside Drive."

She wondered if there would be another spontaneous street concert tonight.

To her relief, there was. It was the same spot, the same singer, and the exact same song.

Lavinia found an empty seat and listened to a few tracks, but the magic she'd felt last time was gone.

She had been so happy that day. She'd genuinely believed in miracles.

Feeling drained, she was just about to leave when someone took the empty seat beside her.

"Charley, what are you doing here?" Lavinia was surprised.

Charley Sheffield didn't say a word. He just unlocked his phone and swiped to a social media update. It was the one she had just posted:

[Stop the rumors. My husband and I arranged the grave relocation for Mr. Sloan together. Ms. Sloan and I are close friends, and I was present at the ceremony.]

"When you were in Portus City that day, who was the one who went all the way to Delhi with me to get your medicine?" He looked right at her.

He didn't have his usual gentle demeanor. His expression was stern, his eyes carrying a faint trace of reproach.

Lavinia opened her mouth a few times before finally forcing out a hollow excuse. "I just didn't want everyone to be humiliated."

"Do you have any idea how smug Garnett Harper looked after you left today?"

He paused, locking his gaze on hers, articulating every word with sharp precision.

"If you let a bastard like that degrade you, what are the people who truly love you supposed to do?"

Lavinia froze, feeling as though she'd just taken a bat to the back of the head.

"Lavinia, you attract what you project." He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Don't become someone you despise."

Her vision instantly blurred, a bitter, agonizing lump swelling in her throat.

She had done something despicable, and she knew it. That was exactly why she felt so devastated and lost.

Lavinia stood up numbly and started walking toward the main road.

She barely took a few steps before someone grabbed her elbow. Knowing it was him, she pulled her arm free and turned her face away.

She didn't dare look at his expression. She was too ashamed to face him.

Her phone rang. It was Garnett.

"Just went for a walk by the river."

Garnett looked at her tightly pressed lips, her pale complexion, and the faint redness at the corners of her eyes. A sudden pang of guilt hit him.

He might have pushed her a little too far.

He pulled out a black card and held it out to her. "This has no limit. Buy whatever you want. For yourself, or for your family."

Lavinia's eyes fell on the card. She stared at it for a few seconds, completely zoning out.

"What is it?" Garnett asked.

Lavinia said softly, "No. Using your money makes me sick."

She changed her shoes, walked right past him, went into the guest room, and shut the door.

Garnett was left standing there, boiling with a frustration he couldn't vent.

Wasn't she the one who used every trick in the book to marry him in the first place? She thinks his money is dirty now? Or does she think he's dirty?

He knew she probably assumed something disgusting had happened between him and Sigrid. But he was too proud to explain himself. Let her misunderstand.