Chapter 24
A wave of panic crashed over Violet. It was a feeling she’d never felt before. She felt the urge to jump into the water after Dylan.
But a moment later, he popped up from the waves, gripping the ring tightly.
She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, her heart racing with fear and a feeling she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was terrified of losing Dylan to that endless sea.
Only now did it hit her what that feeling really was—love. Violet had fallen for him the moment he jumped into the water to grab that ring.
A wave of regret hit her all at once. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.
It was late at night when Galen finally made it back to the Farrow villa, his car stuffed with gifts.
Dylan eyed the pile, looking confused.
Galen quickly filled him in, saying that Violet had been in shock for quite a while after seeing the wedding ring. Eventually, she called someone to have a whole carload of gifts sent over to make it up to Dylan.
Dylan stared at the pile of gifts for a bit before deciding to unwrap them one by one. Violet had picked out gifts for every birthday he celebrated from one to fifteen, along with each birthday they’d shared during their five years of marriage. There were also presents for every anniversary, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and a host of other special occasions. Each gift was something he truly loved.
What could have been handled with a quick call took Violet seven long years.
Dylan put down the last gift, got up, and turned to Galen. “Sell everything and give the money to the orphanage.”
The days until Dylan left were creeping up on them. Callum and Luna had no clue when they’d see him again, so they cleared their schedules and spent every day showing him around the city. They watched the sunset by the water, rode the Ferris wheel, grabbed cinnamon rolls from street vendors, and splurged on fancy desserts at nice restaurants.
These were the best days Dylan had in over twenty years.
Luna heaped more food onto Dylan’s plate. “Eat in. Once you’re overseas, good luck finding food like this.”
Even though they’d set up for a chef and a housekeeper to travel with him overseas, there was no way to replicate the tastes of home in a different country. Dylan nodded along, enjoying every mouthful of the food Luna heaped onto his plate.
On the day Dylan was saying goodbye at the airport, he ran into someone he hadn’t seen in years—Violet. Without knowing why she was there, Callum and Luna instinctively stepped in front of Dylan to protect him.
Dylan’s expression softened with sympathy as he saw Violet in her wheelchair. Violet pretended not to notice. She smiled and said, “See you later, Dylan.”
When Dylan returned to Ivalis, he didn’t head to his old apartment. Instead, he settled into the villa Callum and Luna had set up for him. The two housekeepers who came with him jumped right into cleaning, while the chef whipped up his meals. The next few weeks flew by in a whirlwind of busy but happy days, filled with catching up with old friends over meals and hunting for a place to host his art exhibition.
One night, Dylan got a phone call. It wasn’t from Callum or Luna—it was Becky. She broke the news that Mandy had passed away. Becky had no idea about the complicated history between Dylan and the Faddens. She thought that since Mandy had once helped Dylan financially, it made sense for him to go to her funeral if he could.
In the end, Dylan did return to the country. Seeing the Padden villa in mourning hit him hard. Mandy had once backed him financially, so there was no harm in showing his respect. Dylan walked into the mourning hall and noticed a bunch of others who had also been helped by the Paddens. They recognized each other with quiet nods but didn’t say a word.
Becky had given Dylan a rundown about how Mandy passed away. Her health had been shaky for a while, and after Chester sent her to the mountain villa to rest, she just got weaker. Mandy had been kept in the dark about Valerie’s imprisonment and Violet’s disability. Then, one day, on a whim, she tried calling Valerie, who she thought had been sent off to Altoria. But when Valerie didn’t answer for quite a while, Mandy started getting worried and asked the housekeeper what was going on.
The housekeeper hesitated before finally telling her the truth. How could someone in prison answer Mandy’s call? Filled with anger and grief, Mandy’s heart problems flared up again, and she breathed her last right there on the spot.