The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 268

Lavinia froze.

"I don't know what's important," she said softly. "Following your heart is probably the most important thing."

His lips slowly curved upward, a gentle evening sky resting in his eyes.

"Following your heart." He reached out, gently ruffling her hair. "But what if I don't have the money to take care of you?"

"Huh?" Lavinia was stunned.

Who wanted to take care of her?

In what way?

Take care. Of her?

Lavinia averted her gaze, her face slowly burning up. She looked down, staring at the tips of her shoes. It took a long time before she spoke, her voice barely a whisper:

"When I was little, my family didn't have money either. My parents worked from dawn to dusk, and every day was exhausting. But the only thing I ever saw on their faces was a smile."

She paused, continuing, "My mom always said that love is enough to sustain you. As long as a family is together and happy, that's what matters. No matter how much money you have, your stomach is only so big—you can only eat so much expensive food."

Charley looked at her, saying nothing.

Lavinia said earnestly, "I think true strength comes from more than just power, and wealth is about more than just material things. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah, you're right." He raised his hand and ruffled her hair again, lighter this time. "Thank you for the encouragement."

Lavinia looked at him, articulating clearly, "So stop talking down about yourself."

Her voice softened, but carried even more weight. "Charley, to me, you're precious."

Charley's hand stopped at his side, his fingers curling slightly.

He didn't speak.

The streetlight fell between them, the air so quiet they could hear the insects chirping in the grass.

After a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbed gently, and he shifted his gaze away from her face.

"Let's go. I'll take you home," he said.

The car pulled up at the end of the alley. Lavinia unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed the door open, and waved back at him.

He lowered his head, lifting a hand to touch his forehead. He threaded his fingers through his hair, feeling a damp heat. The tips of his ears were burning too.

"What should I do?" he muttered to himself, his voice faint. "I just feel like it's far from enough."

Nemo cracked an eyelid to give him a side-eye, lazily thumped his tail against the rug twice, and closed his eyes again.

Charley laughed at the dog's utterly unhelpful demeanor.

"I knew I couldn't count on you."

"You're a single dog, you don't know anything."

Nemo yawned.

Outside the window, the city lights blinked out one by one, leaving only the warm circle of light from the floor lamp in the living room.

He turned his head to glance at his phone screen. It showed her chat log, the last message sent half an hour ago: "Goodnight."

He turned the screen off, flipped the phone over on the rug, and leaned his head back against the sofa, letting out an inaudible sigh.