Chapter 407

This seemed to be the last thread tying them together.

If this matter was resolved cleanly, there would be nothing left between them. They would become complete strangers.

"Good. I have nothing more to say."

Nathaniel's emotions were tangled, just like his feelings for Vivian.

He couldn't claim to hate her.

But there was no reason left to hold her close again.

Four years had changed too much.

Nathaniel turned away sharply, ready to leave.

"Wait."

Vivian's voice stopped him.

"Something else?"

"Thank you."

Her words were sincere.

"For what?"

He frowned.

"For visiting my parents' graves these past four years. I loved you deeply once. I hated you just as much. But now, it's over. No love. No hate. Next time we meet, I hope we can smile at each other. I hope we both live well."

She spoke from the heart, a soft smile on her lips.

Before, she had carried too much weight. Only now did she realize how light life could be when she let go.

Her words were meant to be freeing, but Nathaniel's expression darkened.

She was that eager to sever their ties?

"I think this amber pendant is yours. I found it four years ago. It's time I returned it."

Vivian removed the pendant from her neck—the one she'd kept for years—and handed it to him.

"You had it?"

Nathaniel snatched it from her fingers. The amber still carried the warmth of her skin.

After a careful inspection, he confirmed it was the pendant his brother had left behind. Emotion flickered in his eyes. "This is important to me. I've searched for it for years."

"You dropped it at my parents' graves. I never expected you to go there, so I didn't realize it was yours. Sorry for the trouble."

Her tone was polite. Distant.

Nathaniel despised that politeness.

They had been intimate once. Now she treated him like a stranger.

But a man like Nathaniel Blackwood would never let his frustration show.

"Pray it isn't damaged. An apology won't be enough if it is."

With that icy remark, he walked away without looking back.

Vivian leaned against her car, watching Nathaniel's imposing figure disappear into the night. A faint smile touched her lips.

Tsk. Still the same arrogant attitude. Maybe it's time life taught him a lesson.