Chapter 19
“Sympathy? I don’t owe her anything, so why should I feel sorry for her?”
Louis scoffed at the thought.
Why would he sympathize with a woman who accused him of being an incompetent doctor?
The fact that he hadn’t cursed her out was already generous enough.
Like he said before, her tragic fate had nothing to do with him.
Why should he have to deal with the consequences?
And who had ever spared any sympathy for him?
Nathan, growing more confused by his friend’s unusually harsh attitude, frowned.
“Louis, what’s with you today? It’s like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Did she offend you or something?”
Louis snapped out of his thoughts, realizing just how much a single woman had disrupted his mood.
“Forget it. Let’s eat.” He dismissed the topic.
But Nathan, ever the instigator, suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right, your nephew is practically engaged to Ruby, isn’t he? You and the Matthews family are going to be in–laws soon. Holding such a grudge against them might not be the best idea.”
Louis’s patience wore thin. “Are you eating or not? Because if you’re not, I’m leaving.”
“Alright, alright, I’m eating,” Nathan surrendered quickly, calling the waiter over to place an order.
But after a pause, he couldn’t help adding, “Honestly, if it were the old Adora Matthews, she’d be a great match for you. What a
shame.”
Louis‘ expression darkened.
Without a word, he pushed back his chair, ready to leave.
Nathan quickly reached out and held him down. “Alright, alright, I won’t say another word. My treat–order whatever you want.‘
Louis sat back down, but Nathan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
His friend had always been reserved and indifferent, but when it came to women, he was at least polite.
Yet today, his reaction to Adora was completely out of character.
1/3
Chapter 19:
+ib Bonus
Adora and Laura spent the entire afternoon wandering around town.
Afterward, Laura returned to campus while Adora took a cab back to the Matthews estate.
The taxi only went as far as the entrance to the gated neighborhood, so she got out and carried a few reusable shopping bags as
she walked the rest of the way.
The heat was suffocating, like being trapped inside an oven.
She hadn’t even walked far before sweat dripped down her forehead, her breathing becoming labored.
Her body was still far too weak.
“Adora.”
A car suddenly pulled up beside her.
Hearing the familiar voice, she glanced back but didn’t respond.
Instead, she kept walking.
The Bentley cruised alongside her at a slow pace, and Eugene watched her with a gaze full of feigned tenderness.
“Adora, it’s scorching out here. Get in, I’ll drive you home.”
She didn’t turn around, her voice flat. “You’re not afraid that I’m dirty?”
“Of course not.”
A flicker of hesitation flashed across Eugene’s face before he quickly denied it.
“And you’re not worried about Ruby throwing a fit?
“Ruby wouldn’t mind. She cares about you too. Even after everything you’ve done to her, she never held a grudge.”
Adora laughed coldly to herself.
Ruby never held a grudge?
On the first day she returned, Ruby pretended to be affectionate, playing the role of the loving sister.
But after last night’s dog poop incident, she dropped the act entirely.
This morning, right in front of Laura, she slandered her and even tried to stir up trouble between them.
And this was what Eugene called not holding a grudge?
Eugene watched her in silence, thinking she would refuse as usual.
After all, she despised him.
2/3
Chapter 19
But to his surprise, Adora suddenly stopped walking and turned around.
His heart skipped a beat, startled by her unexpected reaction, and he instinctively hit the brakes.
“Adora, you can sit in the ba-”
He was about to tell her to sit in the back.
But before he could finish, Adora walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger–side door, and got in.
Eugene instantly stiffened, his whole body going rigid.
Being this close to her… could it be contagious?
“What are you waiting for? Or do you want me to get out?”
Adora turned to look at him, flashing a deliberate smile.
Eugene stared at that familiar smile, and in an instant, a flood of memories washed over him–scenes of the past, moments they
had once shared.
