NovelApexChapter 1695:
Corrine let out a soft, incredulous laugh. “So you're lumping every man into the sbasket—and including
yourself in the mix?”
It was ironic, really. Leif had just delivered a sharp critique of men as if he wasn’t one himself. She took a long
look at him. Thad reshaped him subtly but surely. His hair, once kept short, had grown out, and the ever-
present white coat he used to wear was nowhere in sight. His features were sharper now—more defined, more
mature.
But the traces of the boy he used to be still lingered beneath it all. His eyes hadn't changed. Still warm. Still kind.
Still filled with a quiet, unwavering affection for her.
She found herself drifting back to her tat the Red Florganization, to how everyone around her had cared
for her. Each person she had known there left behind a distinct feeling. And with Leif, it had always been comfort.
With him, she'd share pieces of herself she rarely gave to anyone else. He had been her confidant. He was
always there, like an older brother, to protect and spoil her.
Leif pressed his lips together, his gaze never leaving her. “Has he been good to you?”
Corrine raised an eyebrow, giving him a knowing look. “You, of all people, already know the answer to that.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBack when Vulture and Hawk had claimed Corrine was dating Nate, no one took them seriously—until Leif saw it
for himself, blown up all over the internet. It had felt... off. Out of character. Corrine had never been the type to
display affection publicly.
Back at Red Flame, she'd always been the last one to open up—cautious, guarded, sometimes oblivious to what
others felt unless someone spelled it out for her.
Even when something weighed on her, she kept it buried. If no one asked, she'd say nothing. And even when
they did, she’d only give away pieces, never the whole.
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So when she boldly made a public declaration of love, it caught everyone off guard. There was no denying the
sincerity of her feelings for Nate. That picture—her kiss with Nate beneath the glowing tower lights, a red heart-
shaped balloon floating skyward, surrounded by soft neon glow and whispered promises—was burned into Leif’s
mind. A memory impossible to forget.
He was genuinely happy for her. He was. But something tight coiled in his chest every the thought about it.
A strange weight he couldn’t explain. The girl he had cared for—protected, cherished—was now someone else's.
He exhaled slowly. “Is he the reason you haven't cback to see us?”
Corrine faltered for a second, then gave a small shake of her head. “It’s not about him,” she murmured. “I'm
just... not ready yet.” She wasn’t ready to face them.
Her sudden departure had rippled
through everyone—\Vulture, Hawk,
even Kinsley had pe hard) Ohke,
oF had dedasi's e answered to
no one. But that freedom had come
with a cost—shouldered by her aging
grandfather, who could no longer
bear it alone. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
He had shielded her, made it possible
for her to live that way. Now, the roles
(adr fury
were changing dt washer turn'to
CBrPthRight to step up and give
him the peace he deserved in his final
years. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
But what truly held her back was her
fear—fear of the longing that might
crushing back if she retuned to
Red Flagge. Fhatntaréd wilderness
hied'drice been her freedom, her
escape. A place too easy to fall back
into. And if she went back, she wasn't
sure she'd be able to leave again.
That temptation was too strong. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
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