Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert) novel Chapter 525

Sylvia stared at his face, and couldn’t help but think of the mysterious man at Kay’s wedding in her previous life.

They looked so much alike.

But back then, Edwin and Naomi were already gone—she’d arranged the whole funeral herself.

Their deaths had left her bedridden for two weeks.

She remembered how she couldn’t lean back against anything without pain, and Edwin, worried she’d catch a chill, had sent his assistant out to buy her a lightweight down jacket—something warm but not too bulky.

“Come on, put it on,” he’d said. “Your mom sees you like this and she’ll end up crying in secret again.”

Edwin never went long without mentioning Naomi.

Sylvia felt touched, but she also struggled with the secret she kept about Naomi’s fate.

Pressing her lips together, she finally asked, “Was what Ms. Winslet said true? You let yourself be overlooked because of my mom?”

Edwin paused, mid-way through helping her with her sleeve, and gave her a gentle, easy smile. “What are you thinking? I’m just not that talented—that’s why I’m not the favorite. The Garcias have Rupert, that’s more than enough. Honestly, I like this quiet life with your mom.”

“Even if she’s… not perfect?”

“Your mom? She’s got her quirks, sure, but she’s been really good to me. Don’t let Kay twist your thinking. With or without your mom, Kay and I were never going to happen,” Edwin said, his tone final.

Sylvia’s fingers tightened, but she didn’t push the matter.

Edwin had no reason to lie—if he’d wanted to be with Kay, he could’ve just divorced Naomi and done it openly. Naomi and Sylvia were on their own; they didn’t have the power to stop him.

There had to be something she was missing.

Her sleep had been terrible since the accident, and now with Naomi’s troubles, she felt utterly spent.

Edwin noticed. “Try to get some rest, okay?”

“Alright.”

She couldn’t lie on her back, so she curled up on her stomach instead. As her cheek hit the pillow, she heard Edwin hesitate.

“Edwin? What is it?”

“Sylvia, don’t blame Rupert. Honestly—”

“I don’t want to talk about strangers. I’m going to sleep.”

Sylvia cried for hours. The next day, she went to the morgue and saw her mother’s body.

But Edwin’s wasn’t there.

Hearing that, Sylvia collapsed to the floor, sobbing until she was out of tears.

Afterward, she went through the motions, numb, organizing the funeral.

From then on, memories she’d barely noticed before started coming back, clearer and clearer.

On the day of the funeral, the news announced a billion-dollar deal between the Garcia Group and the Winslet Group.

That same day, Kay went public with her engagement—airport photos of her and her fiancé were everywhere.

In those pictures, the man holding her hand… even from behind, he didn’t look ordinary.

On his hand was a crescent-shaped scar.

Edwin!