The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 351

Charley Sheffield walked up to the gate of Lavinia's courtyard and ran straight into Saul.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Is Lavinia okay? Did you two have a fight?" Saul asked.

"I would never fight with her. If she's upset, I'd be the first to apologize," Charley paused. "What did she tell you?"

Saul scratched his head. "She just called out of the blue, said she missed me, and told me to take care of myself. I got a little worried, so I came to check on her."

Charley's eyes darkened slightly.

When the two men walked into the yard, Lavinia was busy setting up a small memorial table. Instead of a traditional incense burner, she had placed a bowl of rice in the center, flanked by plates of roast chicken and duck.

Saul pulled out his phone to check the calendar, utterly bewildered. "Lavinia, what day is it? The holidays are completely over, and there are no major anniversaries coming up."

Lavinia kept her head down, busy setting the silverware. "Tell Latham and Mandy something for me."

"About the divorce?"

"Yeah."

"We should definitely tell them so they don't worry." Saul took the memorial candles from her hands and carefully set them into the bowl of rice.

Locals in this area were quite traditional; lighting candles and setting up a small memorial was common practice during the holidays or whenever a major life event occurred.

Saul didn't think much of it.

Charley helped burn some handwritten letters addressed to her late parents, glancing up at Lavinia's back every now and then.

After paying their respects, Lavinia cleared the table, and they sat down to a simple dinner of roast chicken.

***

After dinner, seeing that Lavinia seemed perfectly fine, Saul left with peace of mind.

Charley stayed until ten o'clock. He was usually a perfect gentleman who made his exit by nine.

"Are you not heading home?" Lavinia asked.

"I feel like you might need something to hold tonight to fall asleep." He paused. "Like me, for instance."

Lavinia's face flushed hot. "You're acting weird."

While Lavinia was still lost in a daze, Charley stood up and leaned in close, his deep voice vibrating right against her eardrum. "Do you want to shower first, or should I?"

Lavinia felt like she'd been struck by lightning. A jolt of electricity rushed through her entire body, leaving her dizzy, as if she'd just been tossed into a steaming hot spring.

He waited a moment. When no answer came, he pulled back slightly and looked down at her.

She was as red as a boiled lobster.

He let out a low, husky laugh. "I'll go first."

While Charley showered, Lavinia went out to the balcony to gather the laundry, desperately trying to cool herself down. But her mind kept replaying his words on an endless loop.

*I feel like you might need something to hold tonight to fall asleep.*

He was so unapologetically direct.

Was this just how normal men acted when they liked a woman? She had been married; to any man, she was a mature woman. And mature desires were supposed to be straightforward—no need for ambiguous games, just cutting straight to the chase.

Furthermore, he was a healthy man in his late twenties. No matter how stoic he appeared, he naturally had those needs. Honestly, if he didn't, she would be the one worrying. This wasn't the Victorian era; no one wanted a purely platonic romance.