He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 97 - 86: Second Spring

Isla Prescott always remembered the look in Shane Sterling’s eyes as she left. It was dull and gray, casting a deeper shadow over the twilight.

The door slammed shut behind her fleeing footsteps. BANG. It was like a blade biting into flesh and bone, a pain born of mutual destruction.

That night, Isla Prescott packed her bags and left Shane Sterling’s house. Before she went, she left behind the bracelet he had given her. She also scraped together the money for her mother’s surgery and transferred it all back to him.

The only silver lining was that her studio had been doing well recently, so at least she wasn’t in his debt when they broke up.

After leaving the residential complex, Isla Prescott called Annabelle Leighton.

Annabelle Leighton, ever the loyal friend, came to pick her up right away, no questions asked.

"Isabelle, what on earth happened? I had a feeling something was off with you yesterday. Did that bastard Shane Sterling do something to you?"

Isla Prescott told Annabelle Leighton how Shane Sterling had gone on a blind date with a member of the Quincy family behind her back.

Filled with righteous indignation, Annabelle Leighton passionately cursed Shane Sterling the entire drive. But by the end of her tirade, her tone suddenly shifted. "Then again, could there have been some misunderstanding? Back then, Shane Sterling was willing to let himself be cuckolded just to get out of the engagement with the Quincy family. Why would he agree to another marriage alliance with them now? I just don’t think he’s the kind of guy to fail at getting engaged to the older sister and then turn around and try with the younger one."

Isla Prescott thought of Genevieve Quincy’s ambiguous text message.

’Who knows? Maybe he wasn’t interested in the older sister, but took a liking to the younger one.’

She didn’t doubt the sincerity of feelings, but feelings were always fleeting.

"No matter what, in the end, we’re just not from the same world," Isla Prescott said dismally.

Annabelle Leighton let out a long sigh. "Forget it, forget it. Just don’t think about anything for now. Come to my place and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll figure it out after that."

Isla Prescott went with Annabelle Leighton to her apartment.

That night, her insomnia was even worse.

It turned out that having her heart broken once before hadn’t granted her any immunity to the pain. In the dead of night, the ache would only reawaken, treading with even greater precision on her nerves.

She didn’t know how long it would take this time to escape the web Shane Sterling had woven.

The next day, despite the dark circles under her eyes, Isla Prescott went to her studio.

Annabelle Leighton told her to take a few more days off to rest, but she refused. She knew that work would be a better distraction than sitting alone, drowning in sorrow. It would give her emotions a moment of respite.

Besides work, she also started looking for an apartment again. The problems Shane Sterling had once solved for her had come full circle, and in the end, she still had to solve them herself.

"You know, you could just live with me," Annabelle Leighton said.

"No, I don’t want to mess up your routine because of my problems."

Isla Prescott knew her boundaries. Though she and Annabelle Leighton were very close, even the best of friends should maintain a certain distance. Besides, living with Annabelle wasn’t a long-term solution.

Fortunately, her apartment search went smoothly this time.

Isla Prescott rented a one-bedroom, one-living room apartment of thirty-eight square meters near a subway station. Though small, she liked its layout and the amount of light it got, and the commute was very convenient.

She spent a few days redecorating. On moving day, as she watched the sunlight fall on her new curtains, painting a faint golden arc like a smile, she felt a long-absent sense of peace.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, her mother, Susan Dudley, suddenly called her.

"Isabelle, are you spending the New Year with Sean this year, or with us?"

"Mom, we already broke up."

--

The news that Isla Prescott and Shane Sterling had broken up came as a huge shock to Susan Dudley and Sienna Prescott.

The two of them rushed over to Isla Prescott’s rental apartment that same day to see her. But while they came to check on her, it was Isla Prescott who spent the whole time comforting and reassuring them.

The mother and her two daughters talked all night, and in the end, they decided to go on a trip for the New Year to take their minds off things.

As it happened, Isla Prescott had been wanting to take them on another trip to Surfsong Island.

After receiving her year-end bonus, Isla Prescott immediately booked flights and a hotel, and also bought two new outfits each for her mother and sister.

This was the first time the three of them had ever gone on a trip together. The moment she saw the ocean, Susan Dudley cried.

"I never thought we’d see such good days."

Isla Prescott wrapped her arms tightly around her mother and sister’s shoulders. "Mom, we have a long stretch of good days ahead of us."

Susan Dudley glanced at her, and her tears fell even faster.

Isla Prescott knew that her breakup with Shane Sterling was probably her mother’s biggest regret on this trip.

The island in winter was free from the hustle and bustle of peak season, possessing a greater tranquility. The palm trees were still green, and the daytime sun was still bright but not scorching. For the New Year, the homes and shops on the island had hung up red lanterns and put up spring couplets.

Although Isla Prescott and her family were staying in a hotel, they ceremoniously went to a supermarket to buy paper window decorations to put up.

On New Year’s Eve, they got a large takeout order of seafood and home-style dishes from a restaurant on the island to bring back to the hotel. Isla Prescott also ordered a bottle of low-alcohol wine for the three of them to share.

After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them snuggled up on the hotel sofa to watch the New Year’s Gala. After a while, their mother, Susan Dudley, disappeared.

At first, Isla Prescott thought she had just gone to the restroom, but when she didn’t come back after a while, she found it a bit strange. She got up to look for her but was pulled back down by her sister, Sienna Prescott.

"Sis, don’t worry about her," Sienna Prescott said.

"You know where Mom went?"

Sienna Prescott jutted her chin toward the balcony. "Over there."

Isla Prescott peeked toward the balcony and saw Susan Dudley on a video call with someone, gesturing excitedly, her face lit up with a brilliant smile.

"Who’s Mom on a video call with?"

"Who else? Uncle Dudley, of course." Sienna Prescott tilted her head and leaned on Isla Prescott’s shoulder, whispering, "Mom originally told me not to tell you. She was afraid of upsetting you right after your breakup. But look at that goofy, lovesick smile on her face—there’s no hiding it. I might as well just tell you straight up: our mom is dating Uncle Dudley."

Isla Prescott was both shocked and delighted. "Really?"

"Yep. I told you back when Mom was in the hospital, didn’t I? I said Uncle Dudley definitely liked her. You didn’t believe me then, but see? I was right."

"When did they get together?"

"Probably after Mom got out of the hospital. I’m not sure of the exact time, but when I went back home last month, I saw Uncle Dudley helping Mom cook."

Isla Prescott was overjoyed that after enduring so many hardships, her mother, Susan Dudley, was getting a second spring. She deserved this happiness.

"Uncle Dudley originally wanted us to spend the New Year with him, but since you and my brother-in-law... oh, no, my mistake." Sienna Prescott lightly slapped her own mouth. "Sorry, Sis. I’m just used to calling him that."

Isla Prescott didn’t say anything.

Sienna Prescott gave an awkward laugh and continued, "But since you broke up and were feeling down, we changed our plans at the last minute to come out here with you to cheer you up. And now, look at them. That romance of theirs is like a wildfire. They get antsy if they don’t video chat for even a day."

Isla Prescott smiled as she watched her mother’s back.

This year, she had wavered between gain and loss, but this good news, delivered by fate at the year’s end, reinforced her belief that the snow piled in her heart would also one day melt for spring.