69novels Chapter 430: It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore, Does It?
Chapter 430: It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore, Does It?
The black Maybach glided into the night.Stopping at the red light at the fork in the road, Janne Hayes glanced in the rearview mirror at Tanya Sinclair. She wasn’t looking outside, but staring absentmindedly at the empty seat beside her, reaching out to touch it, as if Declan Pierce were still sitting there.
Her side profile was as cool and detached as winter fog. Despite having no expression, Janne felt a sting in the nose and quickly looked away.
"Janne." Tanya Sinclair spoke at this moment, "I want to see him."
She didn’t say the name, but her tone was slightly trembling, yet Janne understood.
He silently agreed, the green light lit up, and the black Maybach drove in the opposite direction of The Sinclair Family’s old residence.
Janne Hayes parked the car at the foot of the mountain, not following her up.
Tanya Sinclair walked alone along the stone steps. The night sky loomed overhead with faintly visible dark clouds, as if holding back an impending rain.
The wind was still chilly, and Tanya Sinclair clutched tightly the bouquet of yellow roses in her arms—she bought them herself, choosing carefully, each one blooming perfectly.
Declan Pierce’s grave was in the deepest part of the cemetery, leaning against the mountain, facing the sea.
Originally, Jasper Monroe, as per his last wishes, scattered his ashes into the sea, and the grave was just a cenotaph. There was no photo on the tombstone, only his name engraved.
He refused to leave even a single photo.
Since Declan Pierce’s burial, it was Tanya Sinclair’s first visit here.
She knelt down and placed the flowers in front of the tombstone. Her fingertips brushed across the name "Declan Pierce", the icy sensation spreading from her fingertips to her heart. Cold enough to sting.
"Declan Pierce." She spoke, her voice hoarse and unrecognizable, "I came to see you."
The wind blew through, the leaves in the cemetery rustling.
Tanya Sinclair sat down beside the tombstone, her head resting lightly against it.
"When I saw you planting an entire garden of yellow roses, I was truly stunned." She reminisced, her head slightly bowed, her smile faint, the curve of her lips barely forming before it dissipated, "Honestly, I didn’t know if you actually liked roses. You never said. You just planted an entire garden because I liked them."
Tanya Sinclair didn’t intend to cry, but as she spoke, tears fell uncontrollably.
Not far away, the streetlights were also dimly yellow. Looking vaguely, they resembled the garden full of yellow roses, swaying in the night, as if each one was his silent confession and farewell.
"Declan Pierce." Her voice began to tremble, "You big liar! Didn’t you promise me you’d live to a ripe old age?"
"Didn’t you say you wouldn’t lie to me?"
"You said you’d wait patiently for me to come back and celebrate our first New Year together..."
She even planned the New Year’s Eve dinner menu, and thought of giving him a red envelope, with a note inside saying ’Every New Year from now on, I want to spend it with you’.
But he didn’t give her this chance.
While she was hopeful and planning their future, he had already figured out how to leave her life.
He arranged everything perfectly: her father, her research institute, her child, even her future—all neatly arranged.
His treatment of her was so good it was cruel.
"Declan Pierce." Tanya Sinclair closed her eyes, her voice raspy, "Since you want me to live, I will fulfill your wish. I will live well, until the day I meet you again..."
Choking, unable to suppress her sobs.
"Your life was so full of pain, but now, it’s no longer painful, right?"
This was the only thing that could comfort Tanya Sinclair.
Declan Pierce had left, so he wouldn’t hurt anymore.
He never lived for himself in this life. His life was salvaged from ruins, broken and pieced together, riddled with wounds. He offered the little warmth left entirely before her, then quietly exited.
Tanya Sinclair caressed the tombstone, suddenly feeling a small line of words on the side.
She leaned in to look.
——The Princess’s Knight.
She was amused, laughing and laughing until tears cascaded like rain.
From now on, no one would call her princess again.
Tanya Sinclair reached out, gently touching the tombstone, as if stroking Declan Pierce’s face, "I miss you. Every day, every moment, I miss you so much."
The wind ceased, silence fell around her but for her own breaths.
It was unknown how much time passed, Tanya Sinclair’s legs were icy and numbed.
She wiped her tears, stood up, tidied her wind-tossed hair, and turned to leave.
After a few steps, she couldn’t help but look back. The tombstone stood quietly in the night, seeming to silently guard her.
The Princess’s Knight.
Tanya Sinclair bent her lips into a smile, tears fell again.
Returning home, Caden and Aunt Tawny were waiting for her in the living room.
"Mom!" Caden ran up and hugged Tanya Sinclair tightly.
Tanya Sinclair patted her son’s head.
Aunt Tawny looked at Tanya Sinclair, "Ma’am, you’ve lost so much weight..."
Her eyes reddened from distress.
Tanya Sinclair smiled, "Then Aunt Tawny will have to make more delicious food, to help me gain it back."
Aunt Tawny smiled, secretly sighing in relief.
She naturally knew what had happened, only worried Tanya Sinclair hadn’t moved past it yet.
Caden showed Tanya Sinclair the awards he had received recently and even talked about school, which was rare for him. Caden wasn’t a talkative child, but tonight he kept talking to avoid awkward silence, hoping to cheer her up.
How could Tanya Sinclair not understand?
She pulled her son into her arms, "Baby, mommy is fine. In a couple of days, we’ll go see Grandpa, alright? Mommy has found her own dad."
"Sure!" Caden readily agreed, then worriedly looked at Tanya Sinclair, "Mommy, are you still sad? If you are, you can lean on my shoulder!"
Tanya Sinclair was amused, hugging her son.
Caden gently patted her back, hesitantly saying in a small voice, "I made a pinky promise with Uncle Pierce. When he’s not here, I’ll protect mommy well, and be her little knight."
Tanya Sinclair’s smile deepened; she closed her eyes, tears welled up.
The next day Tanya Sinclair returned to the base, reported for duty, and handled all her work, both concluding and handing over tasks.
Professor Truman and several senior colleagues saw her and were at a loss for words, treating her like fragile porcelain, ensuring she wasn’t idle save for restroom breaks, assigning the third senior sister, Celine Nash, to accompany her, preventing any downtime.
Tanya Sinclair looked with a bit of helplessness at the second senior brother who came four times in an afternoon.
"Senior brother, is your work not busy enough?"