The Sway and Slide of Love

But now, Dylan had taken the initiative to hold Jean's hand. Just as Jean looked down at his hand, he had already pulled her into the building.

Then, he abruptly let go.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

Jean looked down at her now-empty wrist. After a moment, she raised her head to look at him. "Why can't I be here? I've served my sentence and been released."

Dylan pressed his lips together. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Then, what did you mean?" Jean feigned confusion. "Shouldn't I come to see you? My parents are gone, and my old friends won't even meet me. In this city, I'm no better than a beggar on the street. Given the circumstances, who else can I turn to if not you?"

As Jean spoke, she took a step closer to him. Her movement was small, even cautious. But Dylan reacted as if he'd seen something terrifying. His expression changed instantly, and he took several steps back. It was as if Jean were some kind of deadly virus, and just being near her would infect him.

Jean froze in place.

Dylan then said, "You haven't forgotten how you ended up in prison, have you?"

"Of course, I remember." Jean looked at him. It was you who reported me right? It wasn't much later that figured that out. You

knew how much I cared, yet you net

kept showing your feelings for

Noelle in front of me. If you really loved her, you would've kept your distance to protect her and avoid provoking me.

"But you didn't. You deliberately provoked me, pushing me to make that impulsive and stupid decision. So, my imprisonment was all part of your plan, wasn't it?"

Dylan didn't respond, but his silence was as good as an admission.

Jean had already guessed as much, but getting his confirmation still made her expression shift. However, she quickly smiled and said, "It's fine. I already knew, and I don't blame you. After all, I had a terrible temper back then and did a lot of things that hurt you. So it's normal for you to hate me.

"And the fact that you did this shows that your feelings for Noelle weren't that strong, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have used her against me. Now that it's all

in the past, and I've realized my mistakes, let's start over, okay?"noveldrama

As she finished speaking, Jean reached out to take his hand. But before she

could even touch his fingertips, Dylan raised his hand to avoid her.

Then, he said, "You're wrong. I truly love Noelle. Only with her can I be my true self. Back then, I did use her, but I knew you wouldn't have time to do anything drastic. And at that time, she was still with Hendrix. If I hadn't done that, how would she have ever given up on him?

"As for you I never liked you. Not in the past, and certainly not now. So, let's not

see each other again."