The Sway and Slide of Love

Stormridge did get snow, but due to its geography and climate, it was only light snow—nothing like the heavy snowfall and snowman-building conditions Rosie had been dreaming of.

Last year, Seline had offered to take Rosie abroad to see real snow, but she was still too young then, so Noelle had declined without much thought.

But this time was different. Now that Rosie was older and had her own opinions, the moment Seline brought it up, Rosie immediately agreed. Then, as if suddenly remembering Noelle's say in the matter, she turned to look at her with big, sad puppy eyes.

"Mommy, we're going, right?"

With her looking like that, even if Noelle wanted to refuse, she couldn't bring herself to say no. In the end, she just nodded and said, "Okay. We'll go."

"Yes!" Rosie cheered, practically bouncing in excitement before turning to Seline to ask about the departure date. She even brought out her piggy bank, insisting she wanted to buy her own gloves and hat.

Seline had originally planned for them to leave by the end of the month, but her schedule got packed. And by the time they actually left, it was nearly New Year's Day. That was the coldest time of the year in Halbort, with the entire city blanketed in heavy snow.

Worrying that Rosie wouldn't be able to handle the cold well, Noelle almost backed out at the last minute. But Rosie kept insisting she'd be fine.

"Please, Mommy, let's go! I promise I'll be good!" Rosie pleaded pitifully. Hearing that, Noelle finally caved.

The day they arrived, the weather was surprisingly nice. Even the driver commented that it was the best weather Halbort had seen all month. The sun was warm, and along the way, Noelle saw many people sitting by the roadside, basking in sunlight.

The red coats and yellow corn hung by the doors were iconic features of the city. Noelle had only seen them in photos and paintings before, but now that they were right in front of her, she found them quite charming.

However, they weren't staying in this area. Seline had booked them a room at the best hotel in the city.

Seline was there for an inspection, so despite her promise to take Rosie skiing, she was swamped with back-to-back meetings all day.

Not that Noelle had expected her to be free. The only problem was she didn't know how to ski, either. So every day, she just took Rosie nearby to build snowmen. Luckily, that alone was enough to keep Rosie happy and satisfied. noveldrama

The hotel also had a hot spring, and since it was winter break, there were quite a few people there on vacation. Rosie quickly made a new friend, who was two or three years older than her and already up to Noelle's chest in height.

The little boy adored Rosie, calling her "Rosie Posie" every other sentence.

"My son won't even play with his own younger brother!" his mother complained to Noelle. "But look at him fawning over your daughter like that."

Noelle couldn't help but laugh.

"But I've got to say, your daughter's really pretty! She has your eyes, though not your cheekbones. Her father must be very good-looking, too, right?"

Noelle paused, then smiled. "Well, I suppose so."

"Why didn't he come with you? I've only seen you with your daughter these past few days."

"We're divorced," Noelle replied.

The woman froze for a moment. Then, her hand flew up to her mouth. "Ugh, listen to me! My husband always says I have no filter and no tact."

"It's fine," Noelle said with a smile. "Don't worry about it. It's really not a big deal."

"That's true. Divorce isn't exactly rake these days. You're gorgeous-you'll find someone even better in no time and make your ex-husband regret ever divorcing you!"