âWhy?â I blinked in confusion. With the pills, we can still have sex if we run out of condoms. Isnât it a good alternative?
Christopher grabbed the box and tap it on my forehead before returning it to the owner. âYou silly girl. This kind of thing is harmful to your body. Why would you take it?â
Glancing at Christopher, I was about to tell him that taking one pill occasionally would be fine but promptly changed my mind. As I thought about how he showed his concern for me, warmth enveloped my heart.
Christopher had asked the store owner to wrap everything up in an enormous shopping bag. I was stunned to see his purchases. What did Christopher buy? This is such a huge bag.
When we exited the store, I was in a hurry and nearly ran into someone at the corner. I hastily stepped back and picked up the personâs bag, which had dropped to the ground. âIâm sorry. It was an accident. Are you allâ¦â I trailed off after noticing who it was.
Christopher and I had just talked about Julia earlier, and now weâve bumped into her.
âAre you from the Tanner family?â Julia glanced at me and took her bag from me. It was a question, but she sounded sure about it.
âHello, Mrs. Lane!â I straightened my back nervously, as though I was a child about to meet the principal after making a mistake.
âHello, Ms. Tanner!â Monica nodded and flashed a smile. Beside her was Dariusâ wife, Shelley Lighton. Their hands were laden with shopping bags. It was obvious that Julia was here to spend quality time with her future daughter-in-law. My expression grew awkward.
âAre you shopping?â Julia asked calmly. She seemed quite pleasant. I knew that was how influential people treated other ordinary peopleâwith a distant and polite smile.
âYes, Iâm here to stroll around.â I was praying fervently that Christopher had spotted his mom and sister-in-law, and would be smart enough to hide somewhere until they left.
I wasnât prepared to reveal my relationship with Christopher to the public as I wasnât confident at all. My thought was that we needed to hold it back for at least one month. If Julia found out I slept with her son right after I got a divorce, the consequences would be horrible.
Alas, Christopher hadnât heard my prayer.
âWhy did you run away so fast? Help me with the stuff. Theyâre so heavy.â Christopherâs voice rang out from behind me. Stuck in a tight spot, I could only offer Julia an awkward smile.
âChris? Why are you here?â Julia asked in surprise when she spotted him. Her gaze also flitted to me.
âTo stock up on stuff. Mom, didnât you say you have an important afternoon tea date? Why are you shopping now?â Christopher didnât seem worried at all. He gestured at the shopping bags in his hands. I immediately imagined the scene of Julia spotting the adult products in the bag. Ugh, I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
âYes, itâs an important afternoon tea date. Iâve asked Monica out a few days ago. You told me youâre busy and refused to accompany us. But look at you now, youâre clearly not busy at all,â Julia chided unhappily and pulled Monica to stand in front of her.
âMonicaâs going to hold a piano concert a few days later. She is kind enough to make time for me, so itâs time for you to do the same. Come with us now.â
Christopher scratched his head, seemingly stumped. âI canât. Ms. Tanner agreed to help me choose some stuff and hold my shopping bag. In return, I have to deliver her luggage to her house. I donât want to go back on my word.â
Having said that, Christopher tossed the shopping bag in my direction. I instantly reached out to catch it, but the stuff was too heavy and landed on the ground instead. Without hesitation, I gritted my teeth and picked the bag up.
âOh? Chris, you know Ms. Tanner?â Monica pointed at us in surprise. My heart raced in alarm as I was afraid Christopher might say something inappropriate. It felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest any minute.
âOf course we know each other. Besidesâ¦â