The Sway and Slide of Love

Noelle didn't know when Hendrix had appeared. She also couldn't remember how he had taken her away. But Marla's devastated expression kept replaying in her mind, over and over again.

It was said that no one could truly understand another's pain. But in that moment, as a mother who also saw her daughter as her entire world, Noelle could feel Marla's despair. She could understand why when Marla saw Rosie, she wished it had been Rosie who died instead.

And in that moment, Noelle even felt a twisted sense of relief that Rosie had survived. But that feeling vanished after just two seconds. Then, she wanted to slap herself. After all, Seline was her best friend. When Noelle was at her lowest, it was Seline who had helped her time and time again.

How could Noelle be so selfish? How could she even think that? Even she herself felt like she was being too cruel.

If Seline knew, she would probably rush over and slap her twice. Then, she'd say that she must have been blind not to see Noelle's true colors and that she shouldn't have befriended her in the first place.noveldrama

Yes, if only Seline hadn't befriended Noelle. None of this would have happened, and she wouldn't have been dragged down by Noelle. Maybe, as Marla had said, Noelle really was a jinx. Everyone around her would suffer and be dragged down by misfortune because of her.

The kinder they were to her, the worse their fate would be. Just like Cynthia and Seline. In the end, it was all Noelle's fault. She was the one who had brought them misfortune. That thought kept swirling in her mind, over and over again.

Later, she lost track of where she was or what she was doing. Her mind was a chaotic mess.

One moment, she felt as if she were back in that distant mountain town, where a thin, frail woman carefully handed her a biscuit she had secretly stashed away. The next moment, she felt like she was in Dynalis, meeting Seline for the first time, waving excitedly at her with a bright smile.

At times, she was standing at the foot of the snowy mountain, watching as an avalanche rushed toward her, with Seline standing right in front of her. Noelle wanted to tin

tell her to run, but she couldn't make a sound. It was as if something was stuck in her throat.

Time blurred into a haze, and Noelle had no idea how long had passed. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room Her arm felt sore, like it Kad been weighed down by something heavy for a long time.

And when Noelle turned her head, she immediately realized what it was-Hendrix was slumped over her bedside. It seemed like he had

meant to stay close and take care of her. But he must have gone too long without proper rest, because even though Noelle had woken up, he was still sound asleep.

Noelle took in her surroundings-the room was completely unfamiliar to her. She didn't know where she was, nor was there time to figure it out. Right now, all she wanted to do was to find Rosie.

But the moment she moved, Hendrix woke up. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately grabbed Noelle's forearm. It was as if he was afraid that if he let go, Noelle would disappear.

Noelle looked at him with a frown.

Two seconds passed before Hendrix finally came to his senses and said, "You're awake."

"Mm."

"You had a fever," he said, releasing her arm. "I figured you wouldn't want to go to the hospital, so I had a doctor prescribe some medication for you."