I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 207

"Have a seat on the couch and wait for me. I'll be right back."

Miles guided Lyra to the living room.

Once she was seated, he turned and headed toward the storage room.

Perhaps bored from waiting, Lyra stood up and wandered around the living room, her gaze eventually landing on a painting on the wall.

She walked over slowly, standing in front of it and studying it quietly.

It was a very simple piece, yet the strokes were incredibly fluid, clearly the work of a master.

The reason it caught her eye wasn't just because she liked it.

Half a month ago, she had stumbled upon an art exhibition, and this exact painting had been on display.

But when she tried to purchase it, she was told someone had already bought it.

She had left the exhibition full of regret.

She never expected the buyer to be Miles.

When Miles walked back into the room, he saw her staring at it. He faltered slightly, his grip on the first-aid kit tightening.

Sensing his presence, Lyra snapped out of her daze and turned to face him, her expression eerily calm.

Of course, her emotions were even more muted.

In that moment, Lyra truly couldn't find the words to describe how she felt.

Miles stepped up behind her. Just as he was about to speak, Lyra spun around. The moment their eyes met, she looked away.

"Let's just take care of the wounds first."

When she said those words, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

She then walked back to the living room and sat down.

Miles followed closely, sitting beside her. He opened the first-aid kit, first tending to the scrape on her forehead, and then moving to her wrists.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't speak, nor did he look up.

Because of this, he completely missed the complex emotions swirling in her eyes.

She was waiting for him to speak first.

Lyra looked at him calmly. There was no accusation, no screaming, just like the old days.

Except the man standing in front of her was no longer the brother she knew.

He was the recently acknowledged, yet unannounced, heir of the Gardner Family.

"Mom and Dad didn't say it out loud, but they were desperate for any news about you. You vanished without a trace for a whole month. You could have sent a single text, but you didn't."

Lyra took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart, only to find it completely impossible.

"Miles, does the family that raised you for over twenty years mean so little that you could abandon us at a moment's notice?"

Panic gripped Miles's chest. Acting purely on instinct, he pulled Lyra into his arms.

In that split second, he felt like he was losing her forever.

Regardless of his role in her life.

"No, Lyra, I..."

A thousand excuses hovered on his lips, but he couldn't force a single one out.