Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 235

But over time, that illusion faded, as reality crept in with every disappointment and every moment of letting go.

Now, all that remained was a dull ache and a wistful sigh.

So this is what unrequited love tastes like—bittersweet and sharp.

She didn’t notice that, at that very moment, Landon was sneaking glances at her in the rearview mirror.

He saw the flush of sorrow and bitterness suddenly cloud her face, and something twisted inside him as well.

“What are you thinking about?” Landon’s voice broke the silence.

Zinnia snapped back to the present and shook her head. “Nothing.”

Just then, the elevator doors slid open. It was the same father and daughter they’d run into two nights ago.

The man recognized Zinnia and Landon the moment he stepped inside, and smiled, nodding in greeting.

“Good morning, Mr. Ford, Mrs. Ford.”

Landon was hardly the type to warm up to strangers. He always kept a polite but chilly distance. But when he heard the man call Zinnia “Mrs. Ford,” something shifted—his usual cool indifference melted away, and a rare, genuine smile flickered across his face.

“Good morning,” he replied, giving the man a nod. He even went so far as to strike up small talk. “Is this your daughter?”

The man seemed pleasantly startled by Landon’s friendliness and nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, she’s my daughter. Her nickname’s Unique. Sweetheart, say hello.”

The little girl, adorable and well-mannered, blinked her big, round eyes at Landon and piped up in a soft, sweet voice, “Hello, sir.”

Maybe he was like this with Noelle in private, but she’d never witnessed it herself. In this moment, though, his warmth was unmistakable.

All the usual barriers—the distant, frosty shell that made him seem cold to outsiders—seemed to fall away.

Now, as he bent down to speak to the little girl at eye level, the usual ice in his eyes shimmered into something softer, almost tender.

“And what about the babies you and your wife have?” Unique asked, her innocent curiosity making Zinnia freeze, caught completely off guard.

Landon’s smile faltered, and he stiffened too. The laughter in his eyes faded, replaced by a flash of uncertainty.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Zinnia. His face was suddenly a mask of confusion and vulnerability.

This was a subject he had never been able to face, a wound that never fully healed, a reminder of just how much he’d failed in those three years.