Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3134

She had seen him when she was in the hospital, but back then, his eyes had been hollow. He'd been sporting an unkempt beard, looking utterly haggard and beaten down by life. Today, he was wearing a crisp cream-colored casual suit, clean-shaven, with strikingly handsome and rugged features. He looked like an entirely different person.

She quickly nodded. "Thank you."

He pulled the book down and crouched gracefully in front of her wheelchair, handing it over. His gaze was impossibly deep. "How is your leg healing?"

Norah offered a polite smile. "It's getting better. The doctor said I should be able to walk again in about a couple of weeks."

He kept his eyes locked on hers and nodded slowly. "Your bones are still fragile right now. Make sure you're careful."

"I will, thanks." Norah's smile was warm, yet distant. "What brings you here, Uncle Gonzalez?"

Uncle Gonzalez?

She had finally started calling him by that respectful moniker again, but it only sent a dull, suffocating ache through Xavier's chest.

He found his voice. "I... needed a book, too."

"What a coincidence," she said brightly.

The fading evening light spilled through the aisles, casting a golden glow over the soft lines of her profile. Her eyes sparkled with their usual vivacity. There was no sadness in them anymore—only calm, polite indifference.

Norah looked down at the man crouched before her. It felt a little strange, but she figured he was just treating her like a kid. That had to be why he had knelt down to her eye level to chat.

His tone was so gentle and patient, too.

She didn't know whether to laugh or feel awkward.

Tucking the book into her lap, she said, "My friends are waiting for me. I should get going."

Xavier nodded. "See you."

Norah beamed. "Bye, Uncle Gonzalez!"

She maneuvered her wheelchair around and headed off without a second glance, exactly how someone would part ways with a vague acquaintance after bumping into them on the street.

Xavier slowly stood up, his eyes locked on her retreating figure. His gaze darkened like the setting sun being swallowed by storm clouds outside—briefly blazing, then fading into total obscurity.

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