Gone Quiet, Gone Love novel Chapter 22

Another late fall season arrived.

A high-profile charity gala was being held in the grand ballroom of the city's most luxurious hotel.

Sabrina attended the gala as a guest of honor and honorary advisor, while The Sabrina Foundation was one of the event's co-hosts.

Before the gala began, the backstage hallway bustled with people—staff, guests, and reporters weaving in and out.

Sabrina was walking toward the lounge while quietly discussing her upcoming stage remarks with the foundation's director, Henry Walker.

As they rounded a corner, she nearly collided with a man coming the other way. He was thin, dressed in a well-fitting but slightly worn black suit, his hair neatly combed. He was looking down at a document in his hands.

When the man looked up, their eyes met. Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Nester froze where he stood like a statue, flash-frozen in place. The document slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

He stared at her unblinkingly and hungrily, as if he was trying to carve her image into his bones.

Years had passed, and she was even more beautiful now. Gone was her fragile beauty of youth that needed protecting. In its place was a confident, luminous beauty that was tempered by time and glowing within her.

Sabrina wore a champagne-colored evening gown. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, her makeup was impeccable, and her smile was gentle and practiced. She was like a pearl that had finally been polished to its full brilliance, radiating a restrained glow that was impossible to ignore.

Nester's lips quivered. He wanted to speak, but it felt as if an invisible hand had closed around his throat, and he could barely make a sound.

Only his heart thundered wildly in his chest and pounded against his ribs until it hurt.

He had aged and grown weary. Though barely in his thirties, fine lines traced the corners of his eyes. A few stark strands of gray hair stood out at his temples.

The light in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, unmovable pain and an almost humble longing.

Sabrina was briefly startled, as if she hadn't expected to see him here. But her expression quickly smoothed into calmness.

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