Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 276

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 276**

**Chapter 276**

After Charlotte returned home from the sprawling grounds of the Sterling estate, she found herself suffocated by her parents’ incessant chatter about forging a marriage alliance with the Sterlings. The air in the house felt heavy with their ambitions, and she quickly sought refuge in her bedroom. As the door clicked shut behind her, she sank onto her bed, her mind swirling with thoughts that refused to settle.

Charlotte was not the type to rush headlong into situations without considering the consequences. Throughout her life, she had maintained a clear understanding of her own limits and aspirations.

Yes, Julian intrigued her, drawing her in with an allure that felt almost magnetic, yet the marriage her parents envisioned was more a reflection of their dreams than her own desires.

In the past, she had clung to a flicker of hope, believing that the absence of women in Julian’s life might eventually work in her favor. Perhaps, she thought, if she waited patiently, the clouds of uncertainty would part, revealing the bright moon of possibility.

But then, everything changed during that fateful day at the club. She had witnessed the way Julian looked at Sydney, an expression of quiet reverence etched across his face, a depth of emotion that he could not conceal, no matter how hard he tried.

And then, as if to obliterate her last remaining shred of hope, an unforeseen event unfolded at lunch. Julian had left abruptly for a business meeting, and in a moment of carelessness, he had forgotten his wallet on the desk. It lay there, an unintentional beacon of his life, waiting for her to discover it.

Charlotte approached the desk, intending to put it away for him, but as she reached for it, a photograph slipped from the inner pocket and fluttered to the floor. She picked it up, her heart racing as she examined the image. It was a snapshot of a young girl with a radiant smile, joyfully holding a birthday cake adorned with candles. The girl’s crescent-shaped eyes sparkled with trust and warmth as she gazed up at the person behind the camera.

It was Sydney.

The candles on the cake formed the number “16.” During her New Year visits to the Sterling estate, Charlotte had often heard whispers that Julian had abandoned Sydney soon after that milestone birthday. The townsfolk had labeled him cold, heartless, and ruthless for such a decision.

Who could have guessed that the last birthday she had shared with him was captured in that very photograph, and that he had carried it with him all these years like a relic of a past love?

In that moment, Charlotte felt her final flicker of hope extinguish. Nine years spent living in close proximity to him, eight years of yearning from a distance. How could she ever hope to compete with those cherished memories?

Her time was far too valuable to squander on a love that was never meant to be hers. Her upbringing had instilled in her a sense of self-worth that would not allow her to diminish herself for someone who had already chosen another.

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