Chapter 189 If Bruce


    Weren''t Her Savior


    Through the darkness, Corrine made her way home, fighting the persistent urge


    reach out to Nate.-


    Settling at her desk, she opened herptop to find Jules'' email waiting


    Her fingers glided across the mouse as she absorbed the contents, when Jules'' video call suddenly illuminated her screen.


    "I warned you from the beginning about men like him, but you wouldn''t listen. Now the proof lies before you, in as day. What''s your response?" Jules'' voice carried a mixture of concern and vindication.


    "Even the most discerning among us can fall prey to deception," Corrine mused, resting her chin thoughtfully on her hand while continuing to scroll through the evidence.


    Jules studied herposed demeanor with growing bewilderment. "How are you. maintaining such calm?"


    Corrine lifted her eyes to meet his through the screen, considering her words carefully. "Perhaps my feelings weren''t as deep as I imagined."


    Her mind wandered to how Bruce had materialized precisely when her need was greatest, causing her to mistake gratitude for something deeper.


    Through their daily interactions, that dependence had masqueraded as love.


    Bruce had once seemed like her eternal anchor, yet he abandoned her when her guard was down, leaving her world spinning


    His abandonment had torn open old childhood wounds, making any path to forgiveness impossible.


    have


    Jules ignited a cigarette, leaning back as he drew in a contemtive breath. "Corrine, you considered that the man you encountered that night five years ago might not have been Bruce?


    The room''s darkness was broken only by the cigarette''s pulsing ember.


    His prating gaze held the depth and chill of a winterke, his sharp features. intensified by an inexplicable gravity.


    "What exactly are you suggesting?" Corrine''s voice tightened with sudden tension.


    "After hearing your ount, I conducted my own investigation. While Bruce was indeed in Yikar then, his stay was brief," Jules exined, tapping ash from his cigarette with practiced grace. "I suspect someone used his presence there as convenient cover.


    The revtion transformed Corrine''s expression, her pupils contracting with shock. "How certain are you?"


    "The passage of time has erased many leads," Jules admitted, his gaze steady on her face. "Corrine, you might want to find a way to verify this."


    "I understand," she responded quietly.


    After ending the call, Corrine remained motionless before herptop, feeling strangely disconnected from herself.


    Jules'' words echoed relentlessly in her thoughts..


    If her mysterious savior that night hadn''t been Bruce, then who had intervened?


    And if Bruce weren''t her savior, then herst shred of mercy toward the Ashton family would evaporatepletely.


    Her phone''s sudden ring cut through her brooding.


    A smile softened her features as she answered, revealing Nate''s handsome face on the


    screen.


    "Have you been waiting long?"


    "Is work finished?"


    They spoke in unison, sharing a moment of genuineughter.


    Nate''s eyes traced every detail of the face he''d longed to see, noting the subtlest changes. "Something''s weighing on your mind."


    Corrine paused, touching her cheek before offering a radiant smile. “Just fatigue from the day, that''s all."


    A shadow of concern darkened Nate''s eyes momentarily, though his voice remained gentle. "No matter how demanding work bes, please take care of yourself."


    "I will," she assured him, captivated by the boundless tenderness in his gaze.


    She pressed her lips together, hesitating before asking, "When... will I see you again?"