The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 188

This was…

The photo showed a young Franco, maybe around ten. Standing just off to the side was a little girl, her chubby cheeks and mischievous smile making her look like a perfect porcelain doll. She was clinging to Franco’s shirt, refusing to let go.

Petty froze.

That was her.

But she couldn’t remember ever taking a photo with Franco. In the picture, she had a small brown teddy bear in her arms—the same one that vanished after the Lane family lost everything and left their villa in The Glades. That must mean this photo was taken before her family went bankrupt.

Still, she didn’t recall anything about it.

“This…” Adelaide carefully took the photo from Petty, holding it up to the window for better light. She adjusted her reading glasses, studying it with a faint smile. “This one’s from forever ago.”

She glanced between Franco’s annoyed expression and Petty’s cheeky grin, then started to laugh.

Adelaide reached out and tapped Petty on the forehead. “How old were you then? Five, maybe? Such a tiny thing, gripping Franco’s shirt and insisting you’d marry him when you grew up. No one imagined you’d cling to that idea for so long.”

Petty kept staring at the photo, but there was nothing in her head… not a single memory from that day.

Then again, she’d always been a bit slow to catch on, and her memory as a kid had never been great.

She was just about to leave the White Estate when suddenly, Owen stepped in front of her in the sunroom downstairs, blocking her way.

He didn’t say anything right away. He just stared, the usual spark of mischief gone from his eyes, replaced by something sharp and intense.

“Did you go see Franco last night?”

Petty didn’t buy the coincidence—Owen showing up at the White Estate right as she returned. It was obvious he knew her every move.

Seeing her so distant and guarded, Owen’s face grew darker. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed her chin, tilting her face up to meet his eyes, his stare turning harsh.

“Petty, this perfect man you worship… do you honestly think he doesn’t have secrets? That his past is spotless?”

“Franco is more complicated than you’ll ever know.”

Petty felt a sharp ache in her chest. Her voice was barely a whisper. “It’s over. I’ve already let him go.”

…

At the border base, Abbot flipped through the file his subordinate just handed over.

It was a full report on Petty.