After hanging up the phone, John looked much more relieved, but the smile on his lips froze as soon as he saw me.
“Ms. Garcia, what are you doing here?”
He seemed slightly uncomfortable, and he also kept avoiding my gaze. His behavior only served to confirm that he was hiding something.
“I heard everything you said on the phone earlier.”
I cut straight to the chase. Right then, I had a very low opinion of this man; I was convinced he was bad news.
Upon hearing what I said, John’s expression changed as guilt shone in his eyes.
“M-Ms. Garcia, I-”
The man turned flustered as he tried to explain, but I interrupted him before he could get another word out.
“Mr. Young, let’s talk over there. I’m sure you wouldn’t want anyone overhearing our conversation,” I suggested while pointing to the end of the corridor near a window.
John’s face stiffened, but due to his guilt, he obediently followed me toward the window.
“You were on the phone with another woman just now. There’s something going on between the two of you, isn’t there?”
I pinned him with a cold stare that matched my tone. Anger rose in me at the thought of him cheating on Natalie.
Natalie was my best friend, and I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her.
“Y-Yes…” Knowing that I had already heard everything, John was smart enough not to deny anything.
“Ms. Garcia, please don’t tell Nat about that phone call.”
John looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Tell me the truth. Do you like that woman you were on the call with or Natalie? If you don’t have feelings for Natalie, I suggest you stop messing around with her!”
I felt absolutely repulsed when I faced a scumbag who reminded me of Justin. Hence, I didn’t bother being civil with him. Neither did I care if I strained our acquaintanceship. All I cared about was making sure Natalie wouldn’t be betrayed.
“Of course, Natalie is the one I love. The person on the phone was just a young girl who’s been bothering me. That’s why I had no choice but to persuade her to leave me alone. I’m telling you the truth. Natalie is the only one for me!”
At my question, John immediately swore to me that my friend was the one he loved.
If it were me, I wouldn’t want to be with a two-timer like John, but I could see that Natalie really liked him. She would be devastated if she knew about this.
“I can promise not to tell Natalie about this, provided you promise me one thing in return.”
After deliberating for a long time, I decided to give John a chance. After all, he wasn’t as bad as Justin, who cheated on his fiancée with her best friend.
“What is it? Tell me! As long as you don’t tell Natalie about this, I’ll do anything.”
John stared at me expectantly and agreed to my condition before I even revealed it.
“Since Natalie is the one you love, I don’t think you need to keep in touch with any other irrelevant women. I hope you’ll love her with all your heart. No one else.”
After stating my condition, I scrutinized John’s face.
His eyes flickered, and he agreed to my condition without missing a beat. “Alright. I can do that. From now on, I’ll only take good care of Natalie and no one else. I won’t get involved with other women.”
Narrowing my eyes slightly, I walked up to him and spat in a warning tone, “I hope you remember what you said today. If you betray Natalie one day, you’ll have to answer to me!”
With that, I strode away without looking back.
In truth, nine out of ten sentences men said were lies. If it were me, I wouldn’t have given John a second chance, but Natalie was head over heels in love with him. Besides, I didn’t have concrete evidence to prove that he was indeed two-timing her. If I disclosed this matter to her, it would only make our relationship stiff.
Most importantly, I still had a sliver of hope; hope that John would really heed my warning and only love Natalie from then on. I really hoped the two of them could stay together so that Natalie would be able to marry the man she loved and have a family with him.
John only came back a few minutes after I settled back in my seat. I knew he had deliberately done that so as to avoid suspicion.
“What took you so long?”
As soon as John came back to our table, Natalie clung to him, looking like a bee attracted to honey. With a pout on her lips, she gazed at him with a hint of accusation in her eyes.
“I was having a mild stomachache. Sorry for making you wait.”
While speaking, John took a quick glance at me. After confirming that I had no intention to expose him, he visibly relaxed in his seat.
“Stomachache? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Upon hearing that he felt unwell, Natalie immediately grew anxious and gazed at him with a worried expression.
“I’m fine. I’ll take some medicine after I get home. Don’t worry about it.”
John’s expression was slightly unnatural as he tried to reassure Natalie.
Aware that he was lying, disdain flashed in my eyes. He was obviously flirting with another woman on the phone just now, but he had the audacity to use a stomachache as an excuse to gain Natalie’s concern.
I lifted my cup and took a sip from it to suppress the urge to expose him.
“Anna, since John isn’t feeling well, is it okay if we stop here today and meet up again some other time?”
Although John had already said that he was fine, Natalie couldn’t help but worry about him.
I shot a fleeting glance at the man before getting to my feet. “Sure. We’re done eating anyway. Let’s meet up again some time.”
“Then I’ll take John home first. You can get back on your own by taxi, right?”
As soon as Natalie said this, John immediately refused, “It’s fine. I can go back on my own. My stomachache really isn’t that bad.”
“You’re not feeling well. Natalie will worry if you go back on your own. Let her take you, just for her peace of mind.”
I knew John was afraid Natalie might discover something. That was why he had made up an excuse to reject her offer. However, since he had already promised to break off all contact with other women, he should prove it through his actions.
