Maybe because it had been a long time since she talked about her past, Karan patted Ellinorâs shoulder meaningfully and said, âEllinor, donât fall for menâs sweet talk. Theyâre all good at acting passionate.â
âKaran, thatâs a bit too much. There are good guys too, like me.â Just then, Bartlett Rex walked in, interrupting Karan.
âWhoâs this?â Karan looked at Bartlett.
*Just an acquaintance.â Ellinor glanced at Bartlett with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Acquaintance? She had known him for so long, and she couldnât even use the word âfriendâ to describe him?
Bartlett felt a bit awkward and introduced himself, âHi Karan, Iâm Ellinorâs friend. I came to see you with her. You can call me Bartlett.
Karan looked at him, then at Ellinor, seeming a bit worried, âEllinor, do you have a boyfriend now?â
Ellinor didnât hide anything from Karan. She nodded and said, âYes, I have a boyfriend, but itâs not him.
To be more precise, heâs my boyfriendâs friend, not mine.â
Karan was silent for a while, then asked again, âEllinor, your boyfriend didnât accompany you, but let his friend do it instead?â
âNo, I ran into him here. He wanted to visit the monastery.â
Karan looked at Bartlett again and said seriously, âCan you please leave us alone for a moment? I need to talk to Ellinor in private.â
Bartlett shrugged and said with a relaxed smile, âSure, Iâll go for a stroll nearby. I wonât disturb your chat. Ellinor, Iâll come back for you later.â
Then he winked at Ellinor and left.
Ellinor looked at Bartlettâs casual manner and was a bit annoyed. She had told him that the monastery was not a place for him to mess around.
âWhat kind of person is your boyfriend?â
After Bartlett left, the usually calm Karan suddenly grabbed Ellinorâs wrist as her eyes filled with worry.
Ellinor was slightly taken aback, âHe⦠is a bit older than me. A pretty good person, I guessâ¦â
âDoes he treat you well?â
âI guess so.â
Ellinorâs answer was vague. She had been reevaluating her relationship and future with Theo.
But she didnât want to say too much and didnât want to worry Karan.
Karan looked into Ellinorâs eyes for a long time, then looked up at the cross on the wall, âBack then, my husband was also very good to me. I thought I was the happiest woman in the world. But not long after we got married, he started not coming home, not answering my calls, and getting impatient with me, and we started arguing.
Later, I barely saw him in a year, while he spent every night with different women, many of whom bore his children.â