Chapter 132
Kate didn’t dare to argue with me at work, and looked grumpy all afternoon.
After work, I drove off and right as I was leaving the office, I spotted a familiar red BMW. Bonnie just got out of the car. She was all dolled up, wearing a polka dot beret, looking young and trendy. Her attire matched well with the red BMW
Why was she here if she had quit her job? I was puzzled, but didn’t give it much thought.
After I got back to my apartment complex, I took the elevator up as usual. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand shot in and stopped them The elevator door slowly opened again, and Neil walked in expressionlessly He glanced at me once, and then the two of us never made eye
contact again
Neil was carrying some groceries. It was the first time I saw him doing grocery shopping. He looked like a real family guy
A few seconds after the elevator doors closed, the elevator jolted abruptly, I grabbed onto the handrail to steady myself, my heart pounding.
“The elevator’s broken, Neil tried the open door button, but it didn’t respond.
“Seriously?” I was speechless. “Call the property management”
Soon, we heard the property management over the intercom, telling us not to panic. The elevator had a minor issue and they had already called a
repairman
Then there was silence in the elevator Neil and I had nothing to say. The silence was broken by the sound of my stomach. Usually, I would have started cooking by this time. I felt extremely hungry
Neil glanced at me and I awkwardly turned my head away
My stomach grumbled again.
“Hungry?” Neil bent down and opened the bag on the floor. Inside, besides some groceries, there were also a few apples and bread.
He handed me a piece of bread, “Here, have a bite”
I nodded, took the bread and started eating. It was gone in two, three bites. The more I ate, the hungrier I got, and I couldn’t help but glance at the bag again I was extremely hungry, it was driving me nuts
Neil seemed surprised at my sudden appetite. I used to eat very little. He picked up the bag, opened it in front of me. “There’s only a bit of bread and some apples left. Help yourself”
I didn’t hesitate, didn’t care if the apples were washed or not, and just started chowing down. By the time I was full, there were only three apples left in the bag and all the bread was gone
“Have you ever had your stomach checked?” Neil didn’t seem to care about the few pieces of bread and apples. He looked at me with a furrowed brow.
I wiped my mouth, Yes, I did. Just a mild gastritis, nothing serious.”
“Good,” Neil’s brow relaxed a bit.
The repairman was taking his sweet time. Half an hour had passed and we finally heard voices from above. The issue seemed to be up there. But I didn’t understand how they were fixing it. Suddenly, the elevator jolted again and I lost my balance, heading straight for the wall.
“Watch out!” Neil caught me accurately and swiftly. I ended up in his arms, the familiar scent of tobacco mixed with a faint fragrance entered my nostrils.
Because of my pregnancy, my sense of smell was sharper than before. Sometimes certain smells would make me nauseous, especially the smell of smoke. But the smell of tobacco from Neil’s clothes was faint, mixed with a hint of fragrance. I found it surprisingly comforting. I couldn’t help but wonder, had my baby already formed some sort of connection with him?
If I worked hard to raise her, but she ended up bonding with Neil, I would be furious.
“Thank you” I thanked him politely after I steadied myself.
“Sure,” Neil let go of my hand, his face expressionless as usual.
There was a weak signal in the elevator, so I decided to sit down and play with my phone. That was when Neil’s phone rang. He glanced at me and answered it.
Due to the noise of the repair work and people talking above us, Neil put the call on speaker. So, I could hear the voice on the other end.
“Mr. Whitmore, Malinda and I made some food, we invited Kate as well. Would you and Russel Louis like to join us?” Bonnie’s voice was soft and sweet.
Just as I heard this, my stomach growled again, loudly. I helplessly rubbed my belly, thinking, “Baby, you can’t eat her food.
“I can’t make it today, Neil’s voice lacked the tenderness it used to have..
“Ahh? Alright then, Malinda and I will start without you. Don’t forget to have dinner, Bonnie sounded a bit disappointed, but she still reminded him gently
“I will,” He replied.
After hanging up, I looked at Neil, “Neil, do you think once you have something, you don’t need to cherish it?”
Neil took off his jacket and said to me, “Stand up.”
I stood up without understanding why He laid his jacket where I was sitting and gestured for me to sit down. Was this really Neil, being such a gentleman and considerate?
1 never had it, how could I cherish it?” Neil answered my previous question after I sat down.
I was
quite curious about how things had developed between Neil and Bonnie. During my past life, I was in the dark about many things, a complete loser. If Russel hadn’t told me some things, I would have died in the dark.
“Weren’t you with her?” I was surprised.
“No.” Neil’s answer was firm.
I didn’t know how to respond. How could they not be together? I had seen him fall for Bonnie at first sight, I had seen the texts he sent her, and I knew he had asked her to quit her job, to break up. All these things really happened.
After a while, I asked, “Why? Don’t you like her?”
Neil chuckled and he asked me, “You seem pretty sure that I was the one who pursued her first?”
Wasn’t that the case? The last time Russel and I talked, he told me that Neil had pursued Bonnie I had seen it myself after I was reborn. I saw the messages he sent to Bonnie
“If I never slept with her, would you remarry me?” Neil asked before I could answer.
“No way” I answered almost immediately, I didn’t care what happened between him and Bonnie. All I knew was that the scenes I had witnessed had hurt me deeply.
Neil gave a slight smirk, not saying another word. Just then, the elevator doors opened. I picked myself up off the floor, gave him back his coat, and walked out.
Neil and I turned our backs to each other, each heading our own home.
The moment the door closed behind me, my mind was a whirlwind. I couldn’t help but replay what Neil had just said. If he didn’t make the first move on Bonnie, did she give him some kind of hint? Was Neil’s love–at–first–sight and relentless pursuit of her just a front?
