Chapter 451
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Soon, Hendrix arrived at Nivis Villa.
For the past few days, he had been consumed with the thoughts of how Noelle was doing. He knew this had been Nathan’s plan all along, and Noelle had been part of that plan.
After all, if it hadn’t been for that phone call that night–telling him that Noelle was at Olivia’s place–he wouldn’t have gone to meet Olivia so late.
So now, what worried him the most was whether they had truly done something to Noelle.
But for some reason, despite his overwhelming anxiety and urgency–despite the fact that every moment in the police station had been spent thinking about Noelle’s safety and how to get out sooner to see her–now that he was finally home, he suddenly felt hesitant as he stood before the villa.
He simply stood there with his fist hovering in the air, unable to knock on the door, until the household staff opened it first.
Seeing him, the household staff froze for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Mr. Freeman, you’re back! Oh, it’s so wonderful that you’re finally back!”
Hearing her voice finally pulled Hendrix back to the present. He gave a small nod before looking inside. “Where’s Noelle?”
The moment he spoke, he realized how tense his own voice sounded. “How has she been these past few days?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Freeman. Mrs. Freeman is doing well,” the household staff quickly replied.
But instead of reassuring him, her words only made Hendrix frown slightly.
The household staff also seemed to realize the effect her response had on Hendrix. So, she couldn’t help but freeze for a moment before adding, “What I meant is–you don’t have to worry about anything, Mr. Freeman, as Mrs. Freeman has been doing just fine these few days.”
But her explanation only made things worse.
The household staff opened her mouth again, but in the end, she had no idea what to say.
Hendrix shot her a glance, then stepped inside.
Noelle was in her room. Her computer was turned on, and she was coloring in a few completed panels of her comic. She looked calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
Hendrix’s chest tightened.
After a long moment, he called her hoarsely, “Noelle.”
The sound made Noelle’s hand stop moving.
Hendrix felt a flicker of relief because, in that moment, he saw the slight tremor in her shoulders when she heard his voice.
A few seconds later, she slowly turned her head to look at him.
“You’re back?” she asked softly.
Hendrix didn’t answer. He simply stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. His grip was strong, tightening around Noelle to the point of pain, of almost suffocating her.
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Chapter 451
She couldn’t help but push him off. “The baby,” she reminded him.
It was only then that Hendrix seemed to remember she was pregnant, but he still didn’t let her go. Instead, he loosened his hold slightly.
Noelle didn’t say anything else.
After some time, Hendrix finally released her slowly,
Earlier, he had only seen the side of her face. And the moment he saw her, he rushed forward and embraced her. It wasn’t until now that he finally noticed the long wound on her cheek covered with a strip of gauze.
Hendrix’s pupils contracted slightly. His first instinct was to reach out to touch the injury, but before he could, Noelle caught his hand.
“What happened?” Hendrix didn’t press for an answer. Instead, he lowered his voice and asked, “Who did this?”
“Jean,” Noelle answered without hesitation. “It happened on the same night that Olivia fell to her death.”
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Chapter 452
