Chapter 21
It was 8:00 pm, and the sky was overcast. The air felt thick, as If it could rain any second.
Ivan’s dark circles were pretty bad. He checked the weather forecast and muttered, “Llam, the doctor sald you need to rest. It’s going to rain tonight. How about you just come back to the hotel with me? You can see Stephanie tomorrow.”
Liam stared at the entrance, his voice raspy when he said, “to rest if you need to. Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing ”
So this was what he meant by knowing what he was doing?
Ivan groaned inwardly. He lanew arguing with Liam wouldn’t get him anywhere. So, with no choice left, he headed to a nearby store to get food and
umbrellas,
The second Ivan walked into the store, Liam spotted that car he’d seen before. He remembered when he saw Daniel and a sharp wave of tension shot through him. A burning hostility was rising within him.
A few moments later, Stephanie got out of the car, just like Llam had expected.
Her smile was brighter than it had been yesterday, and Liam felt a constriction in his chest, making it hard to catch his breath.
The pain he’d been pushing down for days flared up, threatening to explode, and just as that happened, another blow hit him.
Hubert and Rita had just returned from their walk. Spotting Stephanie and Daniel, they walked up to them with warm smiles. The four of them stood together, talking and laughing, looking every bit like a family.
Hubert gave Daniel a friendly pat on the shoulder, his voice filled with admiration. “Daniel, your dad mentioned you’re pretty good at chess. Next time you’re free, come over, and we’ll have a game or two, alright?”
“Mr. Rowell, since you’re already suggesting it, how about tomorrow night? I’m going to the flower market with Ms. Rowell during the day, and I’ll be driving her home in the evening. We can play a few rounds then.”
Hubert and Rita beamed excitedly when they heard Stephanie and Daniel were meeting again tomorrow. They happily agreed.
Rita clapped her hands and smiled at Daniel “Come on, you two have known each other forever! Stop being so formal by calling her Ms. Rowell. We all call her Steph, you should as well!”
Daniel’s eyes lit up, but instead of simply calling her “Steph“, he looked to Stephanie as if looking for her permission.
Stephanie felt embarrassed with Hubert and Rita’s overly friendly behavior. When she caught Daniel looking at her, she quickly flashed a polite smile.
“Sure, you can call me Steph. I guess that means I should switch how I call you, too. What should I call you?”
“Everyone at home calls me Dan. You can call me that if you don’t mind.”
Stephanie found it difficult to adjust to how close they’d become so quickly. When she saw Hubert and Rita watching her expectantly, she reluctantly said, “Okay, I guess I’ll call you D–Dan”
Liam clenched his jaw, frustrated by how heartwarming the scene was. He was dying to run over and claim his spot, but he managed to rein himself in
He knew showing up now would only leave a lasting negative impression on Hubert and Rita. Besides, he and Stephanie had just ended things. What good would it do to show up as her ex at a time like this?
Liam forced himself to swallow the jealousy and bitterness rising in him and watched them from the shadows.
After another ten minutes of small talk, they finally said their goodbyes.
Stephanie hooked her arm with Rita’s, and they slowly made their way home.
Hubert took the bag from Stephanie’s hand and asked, “How’d the interviews go? Do you have to work overtime or on weekends? Maybe you should just pass on the job if it’s too much.
“All your mom and I care about is you staying healthy and spending time with us. You don’t have to burn yourself just to make money.”
Stephanie was about to speak when she spotted someone standing under the tree. She furrowed her brow slightly.
Why was Liam still hanging around?
