When Jude found Seth, he was sitting by the fountain in front of the hotel.


    Because Jaxon was hosting his birthday banquet there, the fountain had been left


    on.


    Seth was soaked to the bone.


    Jude let out a long sigh of relief seeing he was okay.


    Then, seeing how drenched he was, he rushed over to him. "For God''s sake, you''re going to get sick sitting in the water like this!"


    Seth seemed to have no energy left. He let Jude pull him up and move him without resistance, though he needed support to stand.


    Jude quickly got him into the car and headed straight for their hotel so Seth could change into dry clothes.


    He felt like a mother hen at that moment.


    Not only was he running around after Seth, but he was also nagging him nonstop.


    "I thought you were just going to the restroom. What happened? You just disappeared! I was looking for you everywhere! You have no idea, shortly after you left, that Caldwell family girl got kicked into the koi pond. It caused a huge scene....."


    "I kicked her."


    Before Jude could finish, Seth''s t statement cut him off.


    Jude was speechless.


    "Wait, why would you kick her?"


    "She pushed Noreen."


    Jude sighed. "..."


    He shouldn''t have even asked. What other reason could there be for Seth to lose hisposure and physically attack a woman?


    "So that means you saw Noreen? Did you get a chance to talk to her?" Jude was more curious about that.


    Logically, if he had seen and spoken to Noreen, he should be happy.


    So why did he look so miserable?


    Seth was silent for a long time before he finally mumbled, "She said she doesn''t love me anymore."


    ...Of course. He''d been rejected again.


    Seeing Seth so dejected, Jude couldn''t help but feel sorry for him.


    He tried to reason with him. "Seth, maybe it''s time to just let it go."


    After all, it had been five years. Noreen had clearly moved on.


    Continuing like this, the only one suffering was Seth.


    What if the emotional toll became too much and he had aplete breakdown?


    Seth just shook his head. "No."


    "I''m only now beginning to


    understand how she felt. But t


    pain I''m feeling... it''s nothingpared to what she went throughs


    How much pain must she have been in back then?


    Verhe


    The thought of everything she had endured felt like a hand reaching


    into his chest and brutally tearing at


    his heart.


    Jude was growing even more worried. "But you''re going to be in agony if you keep


    this up."


    "It''s what I deserve," Seth said simply.


    It was just karma.


    "What if Noreen never forgives you? What if she never takes you back?"


    Seth''s heavy eyes, already dark, now grew red at the corners.


    That was a question he couldn''t answer.


    In the car, Castle asked Noreen, "Are you hurt?"


    "No." She pulled his jacket tighter around herself, feeling a little self-conscious. Fortunately, Castle didn''t press the issue, always maintaining a respectful distance. After dropping her off, he said he had some business to attend to and left.


    Whenever Noreen stayed at the


    Joyner Mansion in Harborview City, Castle would always find a reason to leave, never staying at his own.


    home, just to make sure she felt


    As soon as Noreen entered the main hall, Katy ran up and threw her arms around


    her.


    "Why are you still awake?" Noreen asked.


    "I couldn''t sleep without you here."


    Noreen was d she hade back early; otherwise, the little girl would have waited up for her all night.


    "Come on, let''s go to bed."


    As Noreen went to her room to take off her makeup, Katy kept going over to the window to look outside.