Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2825
At this, Jessica’s eyes clamped shut in an attempt to recompose herself. Ugh, forget it! No one will believe me. She bounced onto her feet and marched out of the office.
Caspian’s heart chipped as he watched the woman he loved storm off. Although it pained him to be so unsupportive, he knew it was for the best; he didn’t want Jessica recklessly chasing after some hallucination.
After exchanging some brief words, Caspian left the office and made haste to catch up with Jessica.
Elsewhere, a different conversation occurred. Dustin had holed up in Abelyn’s villa ever since Joan went missing. He refused to step foot outside, and it broke Abelyn’s heart to see him turn his back to the world.
“Cheer up, hmm?” Abelyn uttered cautiously as she patted his shoulder.
It had been a long, long time since Joan went missing. Yet, Dustin still found himself unable to focus on tasks. He wasn’t sure when or how long it would take before he could finally move on from losing her. All he knew was that he had fallen into an abyss, and he wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
“It’s none of your business!” Dustin thundered without a trace of warmth whilst flinging her hand off of him.
Normally, Abelyn would have yelled at the man for his crappy behavior. But things were different now; Dustin could barely hold himself together after losing Joan, so Abelyn couldn’t bring herself to scold him.
“Dustin, I’m begging you to snap out of it! Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed for you? I even broke up with that bartender!” Abelyn’s voice came out shaky.
She had been taking care of Dustin, who slumped away in his sorrows after Joan’s disappearance. Her bartender boyfriend blew up in a rage when he found out about this. He then forced her to choose between him and Dustin.
It took her a long time to decide, but she eventually stuck with Dustin because she couldn’t bear watching her best friend waste his life away in depression. She was determined to save him.
Once Abelyn’s words registered in Dustin’s mind, his gaze softened as he looked up at her.
He knew that she was the only one who had looked after him all this time. She had dedicated her time and energy, as well as sacrificed her love to be there for him. If only she knew her love was only a means to end for that bartender boy… Dustin sighed inwardly.
“Abelyn, do you think Joan’s still alive?” he asked in a calm voice.
He’s already asked me this question countless times! The woman held back from voicing her thoughts.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him. She knew that there was only one answer to his question, the one answer that would keep them both blindly hopeful. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s alive. She’s probably lost and is finding her way home, so don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll come looking for you once she makes it home.”
That was perhaps the only response that could soothe his distraught mind.
“You can drop the act. I know she’s not coming back.” Dustin suddenly rose to his feet.
Abelyn was taken aback by his abrupt response.
“I need some air,” Dustin informed before storming outside the villa and driving off.
Scrambling onto her feet, Abelyn drove behind his car. She shadowed him and kept a close eye on his every move for fear that he would get himself into trouble.
Before she knew it, they ended up on the beach with their toes barely touching the seawater that curled onto the shore.
Coincidentally, the couple that had previously saved Joan were busy at work on the beach as well. Some time had passed since then, and they seemed to have aged tremendously.
“I wonder how Joan’s doing right now… Is she alive? And if so, where is she now?” the old woman mumbled to herself whilst shaking her head.
Hearing this, the old man straightened up and stared into the distance broodily. He couldn’t help but fidget with his beard before throwing a hopeful gaze at the old woman. “Maybe she’s still alive.”
Dustin happened to listen in on their subtle discussion. He couldn’t help but perk up when he heard them mentioning someone by the name of Joan. Could that… Could it be the Joan I know? Hope roared inside his chest. He then darted in front of them and frantically asked, “Hello, sir. You guys mentioned a person named Joan earlier. May I know where she is?”
Huh? Who is he? Why is he asking about Joan? The old man eyed Dustin from head to toe before denying cautiously, “You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t know anyone named Joan.”
The old man refused to blurt out Joan’s affairs to any stranger that came knocking. He would protect her privacy, regardless of whether Joan was dead or alive.