Chapter 16
Dylan hadn’t heard Violet’s name in forever, and it caught him off guard. Becky continued talking beside him. “But I could tell she wasn’t treating you right by the way she acted. That’s why I didn’t tell her where you went.”
After dinner with Becky, Dylan headed back to the Fairvilla. Since he was back in the country for only a short time, Callum and Luna welcomed him to stay at their house. Luna approached Dylan as soon as he arrived, showing her concern and leading him to the dining room for some soup. They ended up chatting about the art exhibition happening next week. Their conversation went on for a while before Dylan finally headed to his room to rest.
In the Padden Group building, Violet found herself gazing at the photo on her desk, lost in thought. She had pulled together every resource the Padden family had, spending two years searching for any sign of Dylan, but he was still nowhere to be found. She forced a bitter smile while staring at the young faces in the photo. It was her wedding picture with Dylan—the only one they’d ever taken together in five years.
Now, Violet finally understood what it meant to appreciate something—only after losing it. When Dylan first left, she figured it was just because she had grown accustomed to him taking care of her that it felt weird having him gone. But after she saw the repayment agreement he signed with Mandy and everything that happened afterward, she realized her feelings for him had shifted from habit to something much deeper. Violet had pushed aside her feelings for Dylan because Archer was always around. By the time she finally owned up to what she felt, Dylan was already out of her life.
There was a knock at the door, and her assistant stepped into the office. “Ms. Padden, you’ve got an invitation to the emerging artists’ exhibition downtown tomorrow.”
It wasn’t until after the divorce that Violet realized how little she really knew about Dylan. When he got back from that field trip, she figured he was just trying his hand at painting. She only found out later that he’d been into art since he was young. If he hadn’t given up studying abroad to pay back the Paddens, he would have already made a name for himself in the art world.
Violet hadn’t missed a single art exhibition in Javerton since then. Maybe it was her way of getting to know Dylan better, or maybe she just wanted to feel closer to him.
Meanwhile, Dylan’s friend had sent him the list of media outlets and business people invited to the exhibition to keep him in the loop. When Dylan spotted Violet’s name on the list, he went still for a second. His friend picked up on his reaction and said, “If you’re not up for seeing her, you can just skip the interviews.” Dylan shook his head. No words.
Ever since he returned to the country, he knew they’d eventually run into each other again. Even if he managed to stay clear of Violet this time, there was no way he could keep it up. Besides, he had nothing to worry about. He had paid back everything he owed the Paddens. Now, they were just strangers.
On the day of the art exhibition, a steady flow of visitors made their way into the gallery. Violet was one of them. In the last few years, she’d been to tons of art exhibitions and had picked up a pretty good grasp of paintings. Each piece had its own charm, but one painting really drew her in. It was a simple landscape of a vast mountain scene, free of any extra details. The plaque next to it said “Freedom.”
Violet found herself thinking about Dylan. Dylan had centered his whole life around hers in the five years they’d been married. He was always waiting for her at home, giving up his true self and freedom. Freedom was such a simple thing, but somehow, Violet had managed to make it feel out of reach for him.
A familiar voice suddenly broke through while she was caught up in her thoughts. She turned instinctively and instantly spotted the person she’d been thinking about day and night. Violet’s world went quiet. Everything else faded until all she could see was Dylan. He stood there, calm and collected, presenting his piece to the crowd with a warm smile. “Dylan!”