Grace took Ed''s hand again and continued walking out.


    When she arrived, the manor still had lights on. Now, all of them were dark. Luckily, she still remembered the way out.


    Along the way to the manor''s gate, she felt a bit puzzled-why had the mysterious owner never appeared?


    But she didn''t have time to dwell on it. She brought Ed to the car.


    There were no streetlights nearby, with only a distant light swaying gently under the eaves.


    She ced the magnolia blossoms in the back seat and stepped back to close the door. When doing so, she almost slipped.


    Next to her car was a fresh tire mark pressed into the snow.


    She steadied herself, opened the driver''s door, and saw that Ed had silently taken the passenger seat. His head was lowered, lost in thought.


    Grace drove them to the little vi he lived in. As always, only themp in the front


    of the couch was on, casting light on just one of his hands.


    She quietly treated his wound and gently blew on his palm.


    "I can''t stay with you tonight. You need to rest well on your own, okay?"


    "Mm."<fn0e20> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? Find1Novel</fn0e20>


    Seeing him so obedient made her heart ache even more.


    But she still had to deliver the flowers to Ethan-she couldn''t go back on her word again.


    After taking a deep breath, she leaned in, held his face, and kissed his lips earnestly.


    His lips were cold at first, but as they touched, her warmth quickly spread out, warming them.


    Suddenly, his hand wrapped tightly around her waist, and his breathing started changing.


    If she didn''t leave now, she wouldn''t be able to. She quickly pulled away and gave


    him a few small kisses at the corner of his lips as if rewarding him.


    "I''m going now. I''ll bring delicious food for you tomorrow. We''ll have dinner together on Christmas Eve, alright?" she promised.


    "Mm."


    She smiled, got up, and left.


    Back in the car, she looked at the dark little vi under the night sky, feeling conflicted.


    It was already 1:00 am. It would take two hours just to drive to Palm Bay.


    She was quite out of sorts throughout the drive. When she finally parked outside the gates of Palm Bay, her whole body felt drained.


    The patrolling guard was surprised to see her and asked, "Ms. Lambert, why are you only arriving now?"


    Grace had thought she''d have to wait quietly until dawn, until Ethan''s car passed so she could pass him the flowers.


    She hadn''t expected the guard to recognize her.


    "I came to deliver flowers to Mr. Henderson. I''m so sorry for the dy."


    "Come on in. Mr. Henderson has been waiting for you all evening."


    Ethan was waiting for her? Did he really like magnolias that much?


    She quickly boarded the vi''s sightseeing cart with the magnolia blossoms in her arms and headed inside.


    But halfway there, the cart was suddenly hit by someone who stumbled into its path.


    She almost fell forward, barely managing to steady herself.


    The driver was startled. "What''s this woman doing out here?"


    Grace got out to check if the person was hurt, but the woman suddenly lunged at her, clutching both her hands tightly.


    "Grace!"


    The woman actually knew her.


    Grace was shocked, but the woman''s hair was too messy and covered most of her face, which prevented Grace from seeing her features clearly.


    "It''s me! Do you recognize me?"


    The woman was incoherent with excitement, gripping Grace''s wrists tightly. "Grace, you''re alive! You''re really alive! He lied to me! That guy lied to me!"


    Grace''s wrists hurt from the woman''s grip, but she could feel that the woman meant her no harm.


    Her heart began to pound wildly. It was as if she had identally uncovered a piece of hidden truth or a long-held lie.


    "Excuse me. You are...?" Grace asked.


    The woman suddenly leaned in close.


    "Grace, that child-do you remember? You..."