Chapter 482 Don’t You Dare Leave Me

• Staring at the homeless man under the bridge, warming his hands over a tiny fire and tearing into a scavenged loaf of bread, Sherlyn froze. She had never imagined the Dwayne North she’d been searching high and low for would be under Crescent Moon Bridge—like this. His clothes were in rags, his exposed skin smeared with grime. That neat, medium-length hair she remembered was now a matted mess. He finished the bread but clearly wasn’t full. He hesitated, lifted the paper bag, and licked every last crumb clean. Watching that, Sherlyn’s heart cracked. She bit down hard on her lower lip; fat tears rolled off her cheeks, one after another. The firewood was running low. The homeless man shivered, pushed himself up, and headed for a nearby pile of trash to find more twigs. Up on the bridge, Sherlyn took in his stooped silhouette and finally couldn’t hold back—she burst into tears, loud and raw. The homeless man flinched. After a beat, he turned, disbelief flickering in his eyes. “Dwayne… why are you hiding from me? You’re in Andridge. Why won’t you see me?!” Sherlyn locked her gaze on him, tears spilling unchecked. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? I miss you like crazy…” “Sorry, miss. You’ve got the wrong guy.” He should’ve answered her. Instead, after one look at Sherlyn, the homeless man tossed out that line, spun around, and strode off. “Stop! Dwayne, what are you doing? Are you leaving me again?!” Sherlyn shouted, sprinting down toward the underside of the bridge. That was Dwayne North. That was his voice. He was getting farther away. Sherlyn didn’t care about anything else—she rushed down the slope. But the ground was coated in thin snow. The moment she hit the incline, her foot slipped. “Ouch!” She yelped as she tumbled down. “Careful!” He halted at the sound, then ran back in a panic. “Are you okay?” He hovered over her, anxious. “Did you hurt anything? Where does it hurt? Tell me.” Sherlyn’s clothes were caked with mud now; the twilight hid any obvious bruises. She just looked up at him with a smile, happiness lighting her face as tears broke loose all over again. She reached out and clutched his coat. Her voice shook. “Dwayne, I’ve got you now. You’re not ditching me again…” He froze mid-check, then said, “Miss, I told you—you’ve got the wrong guy. Where does it hurt? Where?” “My heart hurts…” Big tears fell hard. Then she lunged forward and wrapped Dwayne tight, sobbing out loud. “Dwayne, have you been here all these days? I look for you every single day. I miss you so much. Please… don’t leave me again, okay?” “I…” He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Sherlyn held him and whispered, “Don’t you dare lie. I know you. You’re wearing those bargains I bought you—this coat, these pants, those fake Adidas… even shredded like this, you couldn’t throw them away. And your voice… the way you smell… I remember all of it.” “What smell? Besides stink?” Dwayne let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. “No. It’s the scent I know.” Sherlyn clung to him and begged in a small voice, “Dwayne, please don’t leave me. Please?” “I’ve got nothing left, Sherlyn. Come on, get up. Don’t cling to me like this—it looks wrong.” He patted her back lightly, his chest full of ache. The Norths had thrown him out. He could still see his dad’s silver hair at the airport and that bleak look on his face. He used to think he could drop everything—trade it all for a lifetime with Sherlyn. But when the family finally cast him out, he realized he had nothing. Without money, you can’t move an inch. What was he supposed to use to give Sherlyn a good life? Drag her into a bare-bones grind with him? He was a grown man. How could he bear to let the woman he loved suffer? Now he had nothing—nothing at all. Leaving Victory Lakes, his heart was ashes. The world is huge—where was home supposed to be? He was already broken, but he still reflexively had the plane bring him to Andridge. In Andridge, he’d spent seven precious years and met the most important person in his life. This place held too many memories he couldn’t let go. Only when he got back and checked his account at Elysium Bank did the elder council’s warning hit like a hammer. The huge transfer from his father had been frozen and wiped clean. He was flat broke. These days, he saw Sherlyn rushing everywhere, hunting for him. Watching her grow more and more worn down, Dwayne felt like someone was carving him up. But he didn’t have the guts to step out and face her. He had no right to love her anymore. He figured that after a few days of searching with no luck, she would go back to Nova Esmary and start fresh. He never expected Andridge University to be fully on break and Sherlyn still wouldn’t give up. Even the tiniest sound under the bridge just now—she caught it. “No. I won’t let go.” Sherlyn hugged him with all her strength, like she wanted to fuse him into her bones, shaking her head wildly. “Dwayne, I don’t want you to leave. You’re not allowed to leave me again. I’ve been looking so long. You’re clearly in Andridge—you were hiding on purpose, weren’t you? Doesn’t your heart ache for me? Can you really stand watching me roam these streets every day, your photo in my hand, searching the whole world for you?” Dwayne’s face tightened. “I twisted my ankle. I can’t walk. This is on you.” Seeing he was speechless, Sherlyn’s eyes turned sly. She murmured, “Carry me home, okay?” “Okay.” He hesitated, then nodded. “Here. The key.” Sherlyn pulled a key from her pocket and handed it to him, giggling. “I rented a place near Highland International, close to campus. It’s only a thousand a month—more than enough for us. It’s up ahead. I’ll point—” “I know where it is.” Dwayne’s voice was low. The second she moved in, he knew. His heart bled. A girl like Sherlyn could snag a wealthy boyfriend and never suffer like this. Yet she kept combing the city for him. Dwayne was filthy, but Sherlyn didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he carried her toward the tiny rental. “Dwayne, we’re both messy now, so neither of us gets to judge the other, okay? And you don’t get to ditch me again. Got it?” She leaned close to his ear, whispering, her earlobes flushing red. Dwayne, this time, no matter what—you’re not allowed to leave me again.