She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Lyra stepped off the escalator and walked onto the ground floor of the mall.

Caleb called to say they were at the diner and told her to meet them for lunch once she finished shopping, but Lyra politely declined.

Seeing Kayla had dragged up all the agonizing memories from her past life.

Lyra wasn’t in the headspace to pretend everything was fine and casually eat lunch.

A whole lifetime had passed, but her guilt toward Kayla remained as heavy as ever.

The Fairchild family had utterly failed her.

Lyra hadn’t driven herself; she had hitched a ride with Caleb.

Now on the first floor, she was just about to head for the exit to catch a cab.

Suddenly, she froze.

She never expected to run into more familiar faces just by going to the mall.

It was Rowan and Jasmine.

Lyra hadn’t spoken to Jasmine in what felt like forever-at least six months. The only exception was when she followed Caleb to the club to stop him from doing something stupid, and even then, they hadn’t exchanged a single word. She couldn’t believe she had bumped into both Kayla and Jasmine on the exact same day.

Jasmine’s venomous words from her past life still echoed clearly in her mind: [Your dad is dead, your mom lost her mind, and your brother’s business was snatched right out from under him. Rowan tossed you aside. What right do you have to raise your voice at me, Lyra? Do you really still think you’re some untouchable princess?]

And the final time Jasmine had visited her in the hospital, standing over her bed to deliver the crushing blow: [Kayla’s twins didn’t make it. The Fairchild bloodline is officially dead.]

She had suffocated Lyra’s last shred of hope, shattering her soul completely.

She had made Lyra truly understand the suffocating wave of despair that came with having absolutely nothing left.

“Lyra…” Jasmine spotted her right at that moment.

Her grip on Rowan’s hand tightened, refusing to let go.

Rowan cast a cool glance her way, clearly acknowledging Lyra’s presence, but his expression remained completely indifferent, as if she were a ghost.

[You should marry someone who actually returns your feelings, not me.]

[What exactly do you want from me, Miss Fairchild? Tell me, and I’ll change it.]

Not in this lifetime, nor the last, had Rowan ever loved her.

“Lyra, can we just talk for a second?” Jasmine barely got the sentence out before Lyra walked right past without even breaking her stride.

“But she’s so in love with you… She looked like she was about to cry just seeing some random woman holding your arm earlier today.” Lyra offered a soft smile.

“Once she realized it was you, she was fine,” Caleb said, affectionately ruffling his little sister’s hair. “Why did you run away like that?”

“I was embarrassed.” Lyra lowered her head, blinking away the moisture gathering in her eyes.

“You? Embarrassed?” Caleb laughed, flicking her forehead playfully.

“Caleb, you have to promise you’ll love her for the rest of your life. You can just tell she’s an amazing person.”

“Alright.” Caleb’s lips curled into a smile. His sister used to throw fits demanding he never get married, but now she had completely flipped the script.

He had no idea Lyra had lived this life once already.

He didn’t know the crushing regret she had carried after watching her father and brother die in her previous life.

The holidays were just around the corner.

The next day, Victoria Jameson called, asking Lyra to come over.

Lyra tried to decline.

But Victoria insisted she needed a favor, leaving Lyra with no choice but to head over to the Jameson estate.