Forbidden Passion
Chapter 424 Find Her, Hide Her

Delilah looked a bit embarrassed. She cleared her throat and said, "What are you talking about? When did I ever send women to your bed?" Edward didn't argue and just walked out.

Delilah called after him, "Drive slow. It's supposed to snow tonight. How can you go out with only a coat? Wait, I'll get you a down jacket." But Edward was already gone. Soon, the sound of an engine roared in the yard, and the high beams cut through the night.

Delilah shivered from the cold and retreated into the warm living room. Bianca handed her a cup of water.

"Mom, let Edward be," Bianca said.

Delilah glared at Bianca, sensing a bit of smugness. Bianca wasn't as pleasing as she used to be.

"If I don't care about him, he'll wait for Phoebe forever," Delilah said.

Bianca smiled, "Edward devoted. If he wants to wait, let him. It's better than Brian flirting everywhere. If I were Phoebe, I'd eventually come around." Delilah was speechless.

Brian was her weak spot. She opened her mouth but didn't argue with Bianca. "If only they could balance each other out, it would be fine."

Bianca sneered inwardly. 'Who knows where Brian is fooling around tonight; he still hasn't come back.'

If Edward could share some of his infatuation with Brian, she'd be thrilled. But better not let Brian's ways ruin Edward.

As the car drove out, snowflakes began to fall. Edward stared blankly at the snow, his heart burning.

The first snow was the day he and Phoebe fell in love.

Every year, on the first snow, he would get drunk to numb the heartache.

But now, he wanted to find Phoebe during the first snow and bring her back.

He and Phoebe had been to her grandfather Gonzalo Ziegler's old place. Edward drove through the night and finally arrived at the Ziegler residence just as dawn was breaking. The snow was getting heavier. Edward sat in the car, watching the first light of morning.

The gates opened, and Phoebe, in a white down jacket, appeared.

She coughed occasionally, her cheeks red against her white jacket.

Edward sat in the driver's seat, staring at Phoebe. It was the closest he'd been to her in years.

So close he could almost reach out and touch her.

Edward's gaze followed her. Phoebe felt someone watching her. She looked up and saw an SUV parked outside.

Without thinking, she quickly turned and walked back inside.

Seeing this, Edward jumped out of the car and caught up. "Phoebe, it's me. Are you going to avoid me, too?"

Phoebe's back stiffened. Hearing Edward's voice, she felt a pang of disappointment.

She closed her eyes, hearing the footsteps stop behind her. She composed herself and turned to look at Edward. Edward was in a thin black coat, snowflakes falling on him.

"Why are you here?" Phoebe asked.

Edward stared at her, her thin frame swallowed by the puffy down jacket.

"You've lost a lot of weight," Edward said.

Phoebe looked away, feeling a wave of sadness. "Edward, you shouldn't have come."

They shouldn't be tangled up anymore.

Edward gave a bitter smile. "I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions. Phoebe, even if there's no romantic love between us, you're still like a sister to me. How can I just let go?" Phoebe's vision blurred with tears. She looked down, her tears silently soaking into the snow. "I'm sorry."

"Can I come in and sit for a bit? I'm a little cold," Edward said, tightening his coat.

Phoebe couldn't help but smile. "You knew it was snowing and still wore a coat. You care more about style than warmth."

Despite her words, she let him into the yard.

Edward watched as Phoebe closed the gate. The yard was blanketed in snow, the trees bare and laden with it. The flowerbeds were filled with dead leaves and branches, a scene of desolation. The old house, though uninhabited for years, had peeling walls but was clean and tidy inside, showing the owner's care.

As Edward walked in, he saw a shadow dart into a corner. It was a small cat, baring its teeth at him.

Edward recognized it.

He had seen it in Phoebe's social media posts before she deleted her account. He didn't know what had happened.

"Ollie?" Edward asked.

Phoebe followed him inside, turning on the light and closing the door to keep the warmth in. She poured him a glass of water and placed it by his hand.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Phoebe asked, sitting across from him and occasionally coughing, looking quite ill.

"I saw it on your social media. It's cute. I remember you always liked small animals," Edward said, noticing her flushed cheeks.

Phoebe felt embarrassed. That post had been a subtle boast aimed at Vanessa. Now, with Edward mentioning it so casually, it felt like her little secret was exposed. "Yeah, it's Ollie. Come here," Phoebe said, beckoning to the cat.

Ollie hesitated, then circled Edward and leaped onto Phoebe's lap. She didn't mind the paw prints on her white down jacket and gently stroked its fur.

"Ollie, this is your brother," Phoebe said, looking down at the cat's contented eyes.

"Uncle Edward," Edward corrected. "You call yourself its mom but call me its brother. What's your agenda?"

Phoebe laughed. "Don't you like being called younger?"

"No, I don't," Edward said, looking around the old house. The furnishings hadn't changed much; they were still the way he remembered them. "This place hasn't changed," Edward said.

"Yeah, things change, but places stay the same. It's heartbreaking," Phoebe replied.

Edward was about to say something when she started coughing again. He frowned. "You've been coughing a lot. Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I'm fine. The temperature dropped suddenly a few days ago, and the heating wasn't on. I caught a cold," Phoebe said.