When She Turns Her Back Novel

Chapter 359 Peyton looked up at Hector , just smiling without saying a word . But his silence was all the answer Hector needed . Hector sat by the pool , lost in thought , almost dazed . He was gentle by nature - never stubborn and relentless like Troy , and he didn't have the mysterious pull that made Teresa fall for Charles . Hector loved with an open heart , clean and steadfast , never hiding or holding back . But sometimes , his calm gentleness ended up working against him instead .

Peyton saw the dejection in Hector's eyes and shook his head softly , a hint of helplessness in his gesture . Meanwhile , Teresa brought Zane to the dining area , set him up at a little table , and piled it high with fruit and mini cakes . Zane was wearing his tiny swim trunks , legs swinging back and forth from the stool . Munching on a banana , he said to Teresa , " Teresa , I haven't seen you in so so long . I missed you ! " Teresa watched Zane pack his cheeks with food , grinning with his eyes half closed .

He was just too cute , so she couldn't resist reaching out to mess up his hair a little . " I missed you too , Zane . " Hearing that , Zane jumped down from his stool , eyes lighting up with anticipation . " Then , Teresa , will you do a puzzle with me later ? " Teresa barely had a chance to reply before she heard Hector's voice come from behind her . " Teresa , we still haven't gone to the night market . " She turned to find Hector standing there , dressed in a bathrobe .

Hector had never tried to fight for her - he just kept being good to Teresa , believing that one day she'd truly see him . But now , he knew that way just wasn't going to work . For once , he felt a rare spark of selfishness - he wanted to step up and take some initiative , even if that meant going head - to- head with a little kid . Remembering her plans with Hector , Teresa smiled and gently ruffled Zane's hair . She lowered her voice and said , " Zane , after Hector and I finish checking out the night market , I'll come play puzzles with you , okay ? " Zane didn't answer .

Instead , he turned his face to look at Peyton , who had followed Hector into the room . Seeing Zane look at him , Peyton said , " It's alright , Zane . As long as you tried your best." His words were pretty vague , and Teresa didn't really get what he was talking about . But Hector understood exactly what Peyton meant . He let it slide , since Zane was just a little kid anyway . Teresa couldn't help but ask , her curiosity getting the better of her , " Tried your best ? What did you try your best at ? " Peyton came over , his expression calm as ever .

He explained , " It was the puzzle - Zane gave it his all ." Teresa blinked , genuinely confused . " Is it really that tough ? " Peyton replied lightly , still unconcerned , " It's not too bad . " 1/4 1:22 pm Chapter 359 Teresa paused , then turned to Zane with a smile . " How about later . I bring Hector along and we all do the puzzle together ? Zane's brows knitted together . " Can't you come by yourself , Teresa ? " Teresa smiled , " Hector's great at puzzles .

With him here , he'll definitely help you finish it ." Seeing Teresa wouldn't budge , Zane lowered his head and muttered , clearly a bit unhappy , " Okay " After Teresa got Zane to agree , she stood up and glanced at Peyton . " Peyton , you and Zane go ahead and take your time . Hector and I are heading out . " Peyton tried to persuade her to stay , " Why don't you join us for lunch ? " Teresa smiled and declined . " That's okay . We're just going to walk around , grab some street snacks , and save room for dinner tonight ." Peyton began , " Then ...

" But before he could finish , Teresa had already walked over to Hector . " Hector , let's go ." Hector smiled at that . Only now did he realize how important it was to step up and take the initiative . Turns out , when he actually made a move , Teresa really did respond to him . After Teresa and Hector left , Zane puffed out his cheeks , glaring at Peyton and snapping , " Hmph ! Why didn't you help Mr. Hamilton ? " Peyton just replied evenly , " I really did try . " Zane pouted even harder and huffed , " No way ! You totally didn't ! " Peyton laughed , settling down next to Zane .

" Then tell me , kid - how else should I try ? " Zane jutted out his chin , all self - righteous . " You're Mr. Hamilton's best friend ! If you don't help him out , who will ? Do you really want him alone for the rest of his life ? " Seeing Zane so confident and fired up , Peyton grinned , " Really now , whose side are you on - mine or his ? " Zane folded his arms and stared at Peyton , sounding utterly serious . " Dad , Mr. Hamilton is really pitiful , you know . " Peyton shot back , " Oh , so I'm not pitiful ? " " But Dad , you've got me ! Mr. Hamilton's got no one !

" Seeing Zane getting all anxious , Peyton kept his tone gentle . " Zane , Mr. Reed is a true gentleman . Trust me , with the way he is , he'd never pull anything with Teresa ." Zane threw up his hands dramatically , looking worried . " But what if Teresa just can't help herself around him ? " Seeing little Zane trying to imitate Troy's way of talking , Peyton stepped up and shot him a playful glare . " Why do you always pick up the naughty habits instead of being a good kid ? " Zane stuck his tongue out at Peyton . " Who said Mr. Hamilton's a bad guy ? He's actually super cool !

" 7:22 pm pp Chapter 359 Peyton pretended to swat at Zane , but there was a faint smile on his face Zane knew Peyton was a softie at heart , so he tugged at his sleeve , pleading , " Dad , please , just help Mr. Hamilton get a shot . Can't you create a chance for him ? " Peyton pulled Zane in for a hug , looking down with gentle eyes . " Mr. Hamilton knows what he's good at , kid . He'll find his own way - so don't stress about it , alright ? " By the time Teresa and Hector got back to the hotel after hitting up the night market together , it was already nine o'clock .

As soon as they walked in , they spotted Zane in the lobby , glued to his phone . " Zane ! " Teresa called out . Hearing her voice , Zane dropped his phone and raced over , rushing straight into Teresa's arms for a tight hug . Peyton was busy at the front desk sorting out the room keys , but as soon as he caught Teresa calling out , he looked over his shoulder . Hector stood right next to Teresa , loaded up with all kinds of shopping bags , totally quiet and just sticking close by her side . Once the check - in was done , everyone went upstairs together .

Luckily , their rooms were all on the same floor and pretty close to each other . Zane tugged Teresa's hand . " You promised you'd play puzzles with me . " Teresa gave him a warm smile . " I haven't forgotten . " Zane coaxed , his voice soft and childlike . " Can we go now ? " Teresa didn't refuse . " Alright , let's wait for Hector to put his things away , then we'll head over ." Zane wished he could say he didn't want Hector joining , but he didn't want to put Teresa on the spot , so he stayed quiet .

Once everyone had stashed their things , Zane led the way and brought the whole crew over to another room . As they sat cross - legged on the floor puzzling away , Teresa noticed Zane couldn't sit still - his eyes kept darting all around the room . Picking up on his odd behavior , she asked gently , " What's wrong ? Not feeling well ? " Zane quickly shook his head , a little flustered , " N - nope , nothing's wrong . " He was actually scanning the room , searching for any sign of Troy .

This was supposed to be the plan - Zane would bring Teresa over , then Troy would show up just like they'd arranged . But the puzzle was nearly done , and Troy was still nowhere to be seen . Zane was starting to get restless . 7422 pm