Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 890

Noticing that she was awake, Sophia asked if it was time to head back.

Noreen thought for a moment. "Take me to Southlake. I just want to sit by the water for a minute."

"Right away."

Sophia wasn't surprised.

It was one of Noreen's regular sanctuaries.

She expertly navigated the car into the surface parking lot near the entrance.

Noreen stepped out alone, telling Sophia to wait in the car and that she'd be back shortly.

Autumn in Rivercrest City was beautiful. It lacked the restless energy of spring, the oppressive heat of summer, and the bitter bite of winter.

The crisp autumn breeze was perfect for sweeping away chaotic thoughts.

Noreen strolled quietly along the embankment, letting the cool air strip away the final, lingering traces of her buzz.

By the time she stopped walking, she suddenly realized she had unconsciously gravitated to the exact spot where she had thrown the ring away all those years ago.

She had convinced herself that, with so much time having passed, she had long forgotten the agony of that night.

Yet standing here, surrounded by the same shadows and the same rippling water, the memories came rushing back with suffocating clarity.

Acting on instinct, she wandered down the stone steps until she reached the water's edge.

She crouched down, reaching out to graze the surface of the lake.

The autumn water was biting, sending a sharp, icy shock racing up her fingertips.

Noreen quickly pulled her hand back.

Just as she was about to stand, the water barely three feet away from her violently erupted as a figure breached the surface.

The sudden, explosive splash sent her stumbling backward in shock.

If it hadn't been for the bright glow of the streetlamps illuminating the scene, she would have undoubtedly screamed.

But as she fought to steady her racing heart, her eyes locked onto an undeniably familiar face.

Caught entirely off guard, their eyes met. Both of them froze.

Seth stared at her, utterly paralyzed. The dead, stagnant waters of his heart suddenly churned wildly, violent ripples of emotion crashing against his ribs.

But in the very next heartbeat, Claire's vicious warning echoed in his mind.

[I want you to vanish from her world. Forever, forever, forever!]

The man's face hovered above the dark water, heavy droplets sliding from his saturated hair.

He had no idea how long it would be until the next one.

He simply sat alone on the cold bank, staring blankly as the disturbed water slowly settled back into an undisturbed mirror.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

As if his brief, desperate glimpse of her had been nothing more than a hallucination.

And the heart that had just been shocked back to life slowly, inevitably froze over again in the bitter autumn wind.

By the time Noreen arrived home, Rosalind Gilmore had already gone to bed.

Claire was still wide awake, curled up on the living room sofa, mindlessly scrolling on her phone.

"Didn't your flight land at seven? Why are you back so late?"

"I had to go to a dinner."

"A dinner doesn't take four hours."

"I stopped by Southlake on the way back to get some air and sober up."

"Oh," Claire murmured, shooting her a highly suspicious look. "Why do you look so spooked?"

Noreen poured herself a glass of water, taking several long gulps before she finally answered. "I ran into Seth at the lake."