Page 103 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
I carefully laid the blankets over her body. Thank God we’d gone upstairs to change into pyjamas after we’d eaten so she didn’t have to sleep in her jeans. They were dry now, but that didn’t mean they’d be comfortable.
Sylvie made a little grunting noise as I tucked the blankets up around her shoulders. She reached out and grabbed the edge of one, tugging it up under her chin. Her auburn hair fell across her face, and before I could stop myself, I reached out to gently sweep it away from her eyes.
Lonely.
Lonely was the last thing she’d ever struck me as. Same with being jealous—in all the times I’d seen her with Hazel since she’d come back to Castleton, I’d never once seen any signs of jealousy from her towards her little sister.
If anything, Sylvie had radiated nothing but pure happiness for Hazel and Julian. She was pure sunshine, lighting up the world wherever she went. Every time I laid eyes on her, she seemed to glow.
Just how badly was she hurting herself, keeping all these feelings locked away? How much did it hurt to be instrumental in the wedding day of so many people knowing it’s something you desperately dream of for yourself?
She’d even mentioned about Hazel having her family all around her—a family that belonged to her, too.
“Why don’t you just move back?” I whispered, lightly stroking her hair with my fingertips. “You can work from here now, and you’d have your family, too. You don’t need to do everything alone.”
That wouldn’t be all she’d have, either.
The realisation didn’t slam into me. It wasn’t a tsunami crashing down or a bullet train travelling at the speed of light knocking sense into me.
It was a gentle breeze, nothing more than a whisper of certainty of something I already knew. It flooded my veins with a quiet conviction of its depth, of just how badly I needed this woman to not disappear from my life again.
The moment Sylvie Harding opened her heart to me was the moment I lost mine to her.
The small scar above her right eyebrow served as a reminder of our long and troubled history, and with my fingers still in her hair, I pressed my lips against it softly.
“Stupid woman,” I whispered as I pulled away. “If you’re looking for a man who loves you, all you have to do is open your eyes.”
She didn’t.
Of course, she didn’t.
She was fast asleep.
With a sigh, I got up and turned off the lights. She didn’t so much as twitch in my direction as I made my way to the other sofa, grabbed another blanket, and threw myself down on it. I rolled my head to the side so I could stare at her as the light from the fireplace flickered across her delicate, unmoving features.
And it struck me that I was glad.
Glad my engagement failed.
Glad my heart had been broken.
Glad my attempt to win back my ex hadn’t worked.
If my engagement hadn’t been broken off, if I’d gotten married this past summer, I wouldn’t be here like this with Sylvie right now. We’d have been nothing more than two acquaintances running into each other every now and then. The cricket ball incident would have never been resolved.
I wouldn’t know what she looked like when she laughed, nor would I know the warmth I’d feel at its sound. I wouldn’t know what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a smile she’d fought against letting form. I wouldn’t have any idea just how comfortable and easy it was to be with her, whether we were bickering, joking, or trying to figure out an issue with the wedding.
I wouldn’t knowher.
I wouldn’t know who she is today. What she found funny. What made her tick. What made her happy. What hurt her.
And not knowing her would be the saddest thing of all.
After Millie disappeared and ended our relationship, everyone told me everything happens for a reason. It’d been little more than half-hearted placations in an attempt to saysomethingto make me feel better. Back then, I couldn’t think of a possible reason why I had to go through that situation.
Now, I knew.
Everything did happen for a reason.
