Chapter 465 Accompanying Her
Bella watched Sunny's lively figure in the video, as if she could still hear its cheerful barking in her ears, but now it had become so precious and unforgettable.
Bella's finger lingered on her phone screen for a long time. She replayed those videos over and over again, as if doing so could turn back time and bring Sunny back to her side. She watched and cried, cried and watched, back and forth like this, until she fell asleep on the sofa.
After making sure Bella was sound asleep, her breathing steady and deep, Sterling carefully picked her up from the sofa, his movements so gentle as if afraid of waking her.
Her head rested against his chest, her breathing carrying a slight nasal sound from crying, which made his heart ache even more. He cautiously crossed the living room toward the bedroom, each step taken with extreme care, afraid of making even the slightest sound.
Gently laying Bella on the bed and tucking her in, Sterling stood by the bedside gazing at her for a long time, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
It was already late, the night deep. Driving back to the hotel now would not only be exhausting, but he couldn't put his mind at ease leaving her. So he decided to stay here tonight, to keep her company.
Though he would sleep on the sofa.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Sterling woke up. He quietly finished washing up and glanced toward the bedroom. Bella was still fast asleep, faint tear stains on her face, but her expression had become much more peaceful.
Sterling frowned with concern and decided not to disturb her, letting her sleep a bit longer. He had to go to the company for a meeting. Before leaving, he specially ordered breakfast delivery for Bella on his phone, along with a bouquet of her favorite flowers, hoping that when Bella woke up and saw these things, it might slightly ease the pain of losing Sunny.
He had carefully calculated the delivery time for the food and flowers to arrive exactly when Bella usually woke up.
In the apartment, the alarm clock in Bella's room rang on time, waking her from deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes, feeling her head a bit foggy, as if she had experienced a long dream last night but couldn't recall the specific details.
She struggled to sit up in bed, her eyes scanning the room, trying to recall everything from last night. She remembered crying her heart out over Sunny's death.
She remembered Sterling's gentle yet firm eyes, and how he tried to comfort her. But what happened after that? How did she get back to bed? It all seemed like a blurry dream, impossible to grasp.
Just as she was puzzled, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She paused, got up, casually threw on some clothes, shuffled in her slippers toward the door, still thinking about last night's events.
Passing through the living room, she instinctively glanced at the sofa. There was an air-conditioning blanket there, folded neatly, as if it had never been used. However, her intuition told her that Sterling hadn't left last night. Although there were no obvious traces on the sofa, she could sense his distinctive scent still lingering in the air, that faint smell that made her feel at ease.
Bella frowned, a wave of complex emotions rising in her heart. When she opened the door, sure enough, she saw the delivery person and that bouquet of familiar roses. What was Sterling up to? Why did he have to send her flowers every day?
Bella took the hot breakfast from the delivery person, feeling somewhat dazed in that moment.
Had Sterling prepared all this for her? When did he become so thoughtful and considerate? This was a first.
Bella recalled last night's scene, feeling even more emotional. The moment he learned of Sunny's death, the worry and guilt in his eyes.
And last night, he actually didn't take advantage of the situation. He just quietly stayed, then silently left before she woke up. This respect and consideration left her with mixed feelings.
Bella had once made up her mind not to accept any more kindness from Sterling, wanting to draw clear boundaries and restart her own life.
But reality didn't seem to develop entirely according to her wishes. The breakfast and flowers before her eyes were like his silent apology and care, leaving her at a loss.
Bella looked at the flowers on the table. The petals still had crystal dewdrops on them, giving off a faint fragrance. They were her favorite flowers. And the breakfast was also the kind she usually enjoyed.
This time, Bella didn't have the urge to throw the flowers and breakfast into the trash. Although she had once been determined to refuse his kindness, he really knew what to send. If he had sent jewelry, she definitely would have thrown it away without a second look.
But what he sent happened to be things women liked—breakfast and flowers. No woman doesn't like flowers, and she had never been in the habit of wasting things.
While eating breakfast, Bella's mood was unusually complicated. She held a spoon in one hand, mechanically stirring the hot milk in her cup, constantly debating whether to send Sterling a message or call him to say something.
Bella knew it wouldn't be quite right to say nothing at all. After all, last night because of Sunny, she had lost control of her emotions and cried all over him. Thinking about this, Bella actually felt a bit bad about it.
She understood that Sterling had always taken good care of Sunny before, and he wasn't at The Windsor Villa when Sunny died, so she couldn't blame him.
Last night's crying was more about her own momentary loss of emotional control and had nothing to do with Sterling. Thinking about this, she felt even more that she should apologize to him, at least let him know she didn't mean to treat him that way.
But apologizing was easier said than done. She didn't know how to start, much less whether Sterling would accept her apology. After all, there had been so many misunderstandings and barriers between them. To suddenly apologize now seemed somewhat abrupt.
Bella put down her spoon and picked up her phone, her finger sliding across the screen, but she never pressed send. She kept weighing the pros and cons in her mind, thinking about how to express her apology in the most appropriate way.
Finally, she decided to send him a message first, simply expressing her feelings.
"About last night, I'm sorry. Sunny's death—I don't blame you. I just lost control of my emotions. Also, thank you for the breakfast and flowers." After sending it, she let out a long breath, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.
From time to time, Bella would pick up her phone, unlock the screen, then quickly scroll to her conversation with Sterling to see if he had replied to her message. But each time, she disappointedly put down her phone. On the screen was still only the message she had sent that morning, lying there alone with no response.
She knew in her heart that Sterling might be busy and hadn't replied in time. But she still felt somewhat disappointed. After all, this was the first time she had taken the initiative to apologize to him, and the first time she had looked forward to his reply so much.
Carrying this complicated mood, Bella gathered her things and headed out to the shop.
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