She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 52

Half an hour later, the competition concluded, and the crowd began filtering out in small groups.

When Caden and Helga walked out side by side, they immediately spotted two figures in the lobby.

Rhys Jewell was standing by a pillar, holding a hot drink, leaning in and saying something to Shera.

Shera looked unwell. Her lips were pale, but a soft, genuine smile still graced her lips. Rhys handed her the hot drink, then raised his hand to gently press against her forehead. Shera didn't pull away; she allowed him to check her temperature.

Her tilted face seemed to invite the gesture.

The interaction was steeped in intimacy.

Caden stopped dead in his tracks. Helga followed his line of sight, a knowing glint flashing through her eyes.

"Isn't that Ms. Jewell? And the man next to her is...?"

She looked up, noting Caden's dark expression, and offered smoothly, "Don't overthink it, Caden. Maybe they're just friends?"

She gave his sleeve a gentle tug. "Why don't we leave first? Let's not interrupt them. Ms. Jewell might feel uncomfortable if she sees us."

Uncomfortable?

Uncomfortable about what?

She was the one intimately whispering with another man right in front of him, and *she* would be the one feeling uncomfortable?

What, was he supposed to walk up and apologize to them?

Helga's words were phrased delicately, but they acted like a precision-guided needle, piercing straight into Caden's rawest nerve.

He watched the woman standing a short distance away, something violently churning in his chest.

When she was with him, she was always compliant, cautious, desperate to please.

But with Rhys Jewell, her features were relaxed, her smile was natural, as if she had dropped every single one of her defenses.

This stark difference in how she treated them was more blindingly painful than anything else.

"Caden?" When he didn't respond, Helga called his name softly again.

Caden finally tore his gaze away. His voice was completely devoid of emotion. "Let's go."

Rhys began stirring the winter melon soup to help it cool down. "You still have more than half a bag left. You'll pass out from hunger."

"I'm not that fragile."

She picked up a buttery pastry, popped it into her mouth, and chewed slowly. "I wonder how the semi-finals will turn out."

"Stop worrying about that for now. Just focus on getting better."

He scooped up a spoonful of soup, carefully blew on it, and then brought it toward Shera's lips.

Shera froze at the gesture. Feeling incredibly awkward, she reached out and took the spoon from his hand. "It's okay, I can do it myself."

The divorce wasn't finalized yet. This level of intimacy felt like crossing a line.

She was still legally tied to Caden, and she had no intention of dragging anyone else into her mess.

Rhys's deep eyes darkened; he completely understood her hesitation. "So, how did the talks go?"

Shera sighed. "Everything blew up yesterday. I'm planning to go straight to him. If the easy way doesn't work, we do it the hard way."