The Cherished Wife



Tania slipped back into Phoenix Tree Residence way past midnight. The car's rumble barely had time to die down before Charles was on his feet. He squinted through the darkness and saw Noelle out like a light. Moving like a shadow, he made sure she was snug under the covers before he tiptoed out of the room.noveldrama

"Charles? You're still up?"

Tania could not hide her shock at finding Charles awake. He just nodded, giving her a once-over. "I figured you wouldn't make it back tonight." He frowned a little, seeing the weariness etched on her face. "What's up?"

Tania gave a weary shake of her head. "Nothing, really. It's late, and you should get some sleep too."

Once Tania vanished into her room, Charles lingered at her door, eyes narrowed in thought, before he finally retreated to his own space.

The bombshell about Trevon actually being Jack only hit Charles the next day. Tania, up with the dawn, found him waiting outside her door. "Charles?"

"Yeah." Charles confirmed with a nod. "Peter told me about Trevon and Jack."

Tania's lips quivered slightly, the news still a hard pill to swallow. She had tossed and turned all night, haunted by the revelation. Her mind raced back to long-forgotten moments and to the tangled web she had woven with Peter and then with Trevon.

Tania knew she was not in love with Trevon, but she could not deny how good he had been to her. She could admit that she married Trevon out of desperation—she was pregnant with Peter's baby, and Peter was out of the picture. She could not stand the thought of her kid growing up without a dad or in a broken home.

When Trevon showed up, offering to take care of her, her son, and even her adoptive dad, Tania felt like he was a hero swooping in to save the day. Despite the lack of romantic love, Trevon never pushed her to do anything she did not want to. However, what Tania never saw coming was that his kindness was all a front—he was just using her.

Charles could tell something was off with Tania's mood and looked at her with concern. "You..."

"I'm okay, Charles!"

"Alright." Charles nodded. "Heading to the hospital today?"

"Yeah, I've got to meet Mr. Smith for a check-up. We can't put off Mom's treatment any longer. So, I've got to swing by the hospital. Would you mind taking care of Brandon?"

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"No problem. Noelle is home resting these days, so Brandon can stay with Noelle!" Charles gave Tania's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

Tania paused, then nodded. "Sure, thanks. But I kind of wrecked Noelle's car."

Talking about last night made Tania cringe. She had been a little wild, and then there was Peter...

Charles's eyes sparkled with

mischief as he grinned at Tania. "Don't sweat it. I've got more cars than I know what to do with.

е

et

pick any out!" He gave Tania USA

shoulder a reassuring pat. "Come

on. Let's roll out!"

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Earlier that morning, Peter had phoned Charles to confess that he had accidentally trashed Noelle's car the day before. He was ready to make it right and promised to get Noelle a brand-new car. Charles, never one to pass up a sweet deal, had no qualms about scoring the latest model for Noelle.

He had even joked that his garage was overflowing with cars, and he would make sure Tania got to drive them all. He just wanted to annoy Peter.

Peter was itching for action after hearing that, barely holding himself back from giving Charles a piece of his mind.