?Chapter 432:


    A heavy weight settled in Sadie’s chest, cold dread creeping through her.


    Indeed, she had no choice.


    “I see,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, tinged with disappointment.


    “Mrs. Wall—” Samuel began, but Sadie cut him off.


    “That’s enough,” she said, ending the conversation.


    Leaning back in her chair, she shut her eyes, allowing silent tears to slip down her face.


    The once-idyllic Myrtlewood Estate had be nothing more than a gilded prison she yearned to escape.


    She shouldn’t let herself hope.


    Noah’s heart wasn’t with her, so what was the point of holding on?


    Rather than enduring the suffocating mood at Myrtlewood Estate, leaving with Laura and Averi to build a life of their own was what she really wanted.


    Samuel stared at his phone, the screen shing Call Ended, his brows knitted together. The tone of Sadie’s voice unsettled him, and he grasped the weight of the situation.


    Without wasting time, he drafted a message to Noah, rying the news:


    “Mr. Wall, Mrs. Wall just called. She said she has no intention of returning to Myrtlewood Estate and ns to move into her rented ce with her grandmother and son.”


    The moment he hit send, unease gnawed at him. He knew Noah’s temperament, especially when it came to Sadie.


    With a quiet sigh, he hoped—prayed—that Noah would see Sadie’s struggle and not let things spiral further.


    In the dim glow of his study, Noah sat buried under stacks of paperwork, his expression grim, concentration unwavering.


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    Then his phone buzzed. ncing at the screen, he saw Samuel’s message.


    As he read the words, his pupils contracted sharply, and the papers in his grasp slipped from his fingers, scattering across the floor with a sharp rustle.


    “She’s refusing toe back?” he muttered under his breath, disbeliefcing his tone.


    He shot to his feet, pacing in agitation, shes of Sadie’s face tormenting his mind.


    “Damn it!” His fist mmed onto the desk, the sound echoing through the room.


    Reaching for his phone, he nearly dialed Sadie’s number—but hesitated.


    Instead, he sank back into his chair, dragging a hand down his face, exhaling deeply.


    What was he supposed to do?


    Was he really about to lose her?


    Inside his study, Noah tossed his phone onto his desk in utter irritation. The screen disyed a message from Samuel.


    Sadie wanted to leave, and she wanted to take Laura and Averi with her. She wanted to leave his life for good.


    He tugged at his tie while huffing in frustration, then walked to the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city.


    The lights from the establishments and the streets looked bright and cozy, but Noah only felt more isted at the sight of them.


    “How,” he muttered in disbelief, “how can she leave, just like that?”


    His mind was filled with Sadie’s gentle smile and Averi’s innocent voice, and a dull ache began to spread in his chest.


    He couldn’t lose them.


    The thought of Averi suddenly gave Noah an idea. Perhaps he should start with the little boy.


    Noah strode back to his desk and grabbed his phone to call Breck.


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