Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Chapter 44

HAZEL

(PRESENT TIME)

As I was preparing for another busy day at work, the sound of the doorbell interrupted my morning routine. Curiosity piqued, I approached the intercom, wondering who would be visiting at such an early hour. To my surprise, it was David, who appeared on the webcam and greeted me with a cheerful wave.

After giving him access, I returned to my room to complete my morning routine.

When I finally emerged, David had already made himself comfortable and helped himself to some of the delicious breakfast prepared by my cook. With a playful grin, I couldn’t resist teasing him, “Couldn’t even wait for me, huh?” Taking a seat beside him at the dining table, I joined in the mealtime banter.

Amidst his laughter, David managed to explain, mouth half full with scrambled eggs, “I couldn’t help it, I was starving, and you seemed to be taking forever to get ready.”

Rolling my eyes playfully at his feeble excuse, I couldn’t resist teasing him back. “What happened to the food at your place?” I asked, knowing well that he hardly ever eats at home, considering he’s an excellent cook himself. “Did you lose all your pots or something?”

David chuckled again, choosing to avoid the topic of his pots. He was well aware that I was onto his culinary habits – it’s either my place or takeout for him. “Why are you here so early then? Did something happen?” I inquired, wondering if there was a particular reason he decided to show up at my doorstep this early in the morning. if something was wrong, he would have just given me a phone call or wait for me at the office.

With a hint of hesitation, he mumbled, “Nothing happened. My car broke down yesterday, and I had to take it to the mechanic. I need a ride to work this morning, so that’s why I showed up.”

As I blinked rapidly, expecting him to laugh at his own joke, I noticed his serious expression remained unchanged. “You do realize that the distance from your house to mine is almost the same as the distance from your house to the office,” I pointed out, finding his excuse rather puzzling. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” he insisted, but his response didn’t entirely convince me. “I just wanted to take a ride with you to work this morning, that’s all.”

Though something seemed off about him, I decided not to pry further for now, respecting his privacy.

Changing the topic, I mentioned, “I spoke to Daisy this morning. She seems to enjoy her time whenever she visits your mom.”

He nodded absently, acknowledging, “My mother has a way of spoiling kids.” Downing the last of his tea, he took the cup to the sink to wash it off. With a playful smirk, he added, “I bet you scold her more than my mother does.”

Indeed, someone has to be the disciplinarian, and I don’t mind taking on that role when needed. “she was eager to get off the phone with me.” I couldn’t even believe it. “she raised you to be a good man, so I’m not worried about the morals she might instill in my daughter in my absence.” Returning the cup to the shelve, david turned to me. “if you don’t hurry up with the breakfast, we are going to late for work.” He is right. Gulping down my tea, I mirrored his actions before grabbing my purse and my keys.

David opted to drive and I agreed, showing to be a passenger princess.

Halfway down the road, David finally spoke up, his voice tinged with frustration, “I heard Southwark arrived in Seattle yesterday.” I sensed that this might be what had been bothering him. “Did you meet with him yesterday?”

“I was on the road, going to and fro your mother’s place, so of course, I didn’t meet him,” I replied, trying to remain composed and not sound defensive. Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked. “Is that the reason why you decided to drive me to work this morning? To make sure I don’t run into him or speak to him?”

David glanced at me briefly, and I could see the concern in his eyes. “Did you drive me to work to make sure I don’t run into him or speak to him?” I repeated.

His response was sincere and heartwarming. “I drove you to work because I didn’t get to see you the whole of yesterday, and

Chapter 44 I missed you,” he said. “I trust you well enough to know that you won’t be going back to your ex-

husband, not after what he did to you.”

I looked out the window, “can we not make Ravel our topic of discussion please?” I don’t even understand what I’m doing with Ravel. I should be angry at him for what he did to David’s face, but instead, I went on a dinner date with him and also accepted a dress invitation from him.

“I know I’m not supposed to talk about him, but I ran into him at the gym this morning.”

Surprised by his word, I glanced at him sharply with furrowed brows. “Seattle isn’t that small,” I muttered, finding it suspicious that he coincidently ran into Ravel at the gym. There are a lot of gym houses in Seattle, why will they use the

same one?

David turned right, “I know it sounds weird and very difficult to believe, but the fact remains that I coincidently ran into him at the gym, and I think it’s only fair for you to know that he didn’t come to Seattle alone.”

Of course, he didn’t come alone. “this isn’t some sort of vacation, of course, he will come with some of his staff from the company.”

David scoffed. “are you deliberately acting ignorant right now? Are you trying to tell me that you don’t know who I’m referring to?” I know for a fact who he is talking about, but I refused to utter a word. “well if you must know, I’m talking about June, his woman, the same lady he cheated on you with.”

Avoiding David’s knowing gaze, I looked out the window. “you don’t have to be so descriptive about June, I know who she is and what she did.”

He glanced at me again, but I refused to look at him. “I’m not the enemy here, I just felt you should know about this so you don’t get caught by surprise.”

I know David isn’t the enemy, but that didn’t stop me from feeling angry. What right do I even have to be angry? Ravel bluntly told me the day I found them together that he is in love with her.

The more I hang out with him, the more I become the other woman, and that’s something I’ll never allow myself to be. I deserve more than that, and I’m not going to settle for anything less. “I received an invitation to Ravel’s exhibition, do you wanna come?”

“You received an invitation?” he asked, clearly surprised by the news.

“Yes. He sent an invitation to my office yesterday.” And I wasn’t going to extend it to you, but I can’t begin to fathom how I’ll feel when I see Ravel with June and I have no one to turn to. “So are you coming?”

He nodded. “if you are sure you want to go, then I’m definitely going with you.” He pulled over at the parking lot. “I should get a tux though.”

Suddenly, I’m not looking forward to the exhibition anymore.