Chapter 426
Chapter 426
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She must have heard my voice when she called Neil and decided to check in on us.
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Dr. Karina. Neil isn’t here,” I replied with a touch of frostiness.
After all, it was clear that Neil and I needed to keep our distance after the day’s events.
It wasn’t entirely our fault though.
Stella’s situation had complicated matters and I was in no mood to dwell on it. I just wanted to save time.
Dr. Karina didn’t seem convinced as her eyes scanned the yard before finally resting on the door leading into the living room. “Really? Why can’t I reach him then? Weren’t you with him just
now?”
“We were together earlier, but he left a short while ago. I think he went back to Mitch’s place. Maybe you could try looking for him there.” I told her the truth. There was no point in hiding it
from her.
Dr. Karina’s expression shifted subtly. Instead of leaving immediately, she turned to Hiram. “Hiram, didn’t you need to use the restroom earlier? Why don’t you ask Ms. Finch if you could use hers?”
Hiram looked to me, perplexed, before obediently asking, “Ms. Finch, may I use your restroom, please?”
I was surprised by how quickly he picked up on Karina’s underlying intentions.
“Sure, go ahead.” I couldn’t deny him. If she wanted Hiram to check if Neil was here, so be it.
Hiram scurried off into the living room while I stayed back, ensuring Karina didn’t follow him.
Attempting to break the uneasy silence that had set in, Dr. Karina teased, “Ms. Finch, why were you in Neil’s car earlier? I’m curious.”
“We have mutual friends. It’s quite normal to cross paths, don’t you
think?” I retorted.
“Is it? A good ex should be like a ghost,” she smirked, her smile deepening as she brushed a lock of hair from her face..
“Isn’t it normal? You disappeared for so long, everyone thought you were dead. But here you are, back with a child. Isn’t that more unusual?” I stared down at her, a hint of disdain in my
eyes.
Caught off guard, Karina had to admit that her situation was indeed more unusual.
“I had no choice at the time. They wouldn’t have approved of us, and I feared they’d force me to abort if they discovered I was pregnant. I had to fake my death,” she explained calmly, her reasons sounding plausible.
But what did that have to do with me?
I nodded, “I see. You should explain this to Neil. If he finds it reasonable and doesn’t mind, then it’s fine. Telling me doesn’t make a difference.”
Karina’s gaze hardened as she stared back at me, her calm exterior wavering slightly. “Of course, as long as he accepts me, that’s all that matters. But you’ve been getting too close to the father of my
child. Your constant presence is uncomfortable.”
Had she lost her patience? So much for her facade of grace and patience in front of Ryan and Faith.
“Mummy, let’s go find my daddy!” Hiram suddenly emerged from the living room, rushing back to Karina’s side.
His message was clear. He hadn’t found Neil inside, so they could leave now.
Karina’s tense expression relaxed slightly. If Neil was still here and not answering the phone, she would inevitably start to worry.
“Alright, let’s go find your dad.” Karina replied softly, ignoring me as she led Hiram away.
As soon as they were out of sight, I closed the door.
Stella, who had witnessed Hiram’s entrance, asked, “Why is Neil’s son here?”
“Karina brought him. She was looking for Neil,” I sighed, sitting down. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to distance myself from Neil. Whether it’s Bonnie or Karina, they all seem to have their eyes on me. But the truth is, I’m the least of Neil’s concerns.”
“Rena, I envy you,” Stella admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. “At least you got out of that toxic marriage and now have a simple, happy life. I’m just entering the mess and I don’t know what to do…”
Seeing Stella in such distress, all I could feel was sympathy. Just then, our group chat lit up.
I shared Stella’s situation with the group. Barbara and Alicia hadn’t seen the messages earlier, and were now expressing their outrage.
Barbara said, “I can’t believe I misjudged Mitch. I thought he’d become a good husband and father, but he’s just as fickle as ever!”
Alicia also asked, “Is Stella really going to divorce Mitch? What about their children?”
“The children have to stay with Stella. She’s the one who gave birth to them. And given Mitch’s track record, he might introduce a stepmother sooner than later!” Barbara soon replied.
Alicia agreed, “That’s true. We can’t let him corrupt the child.”
Stella’s face was unreadable, her emotions a whirlpool as she observed the incessant messages popping up in our group chat. She was in no mood to respond, so I stepped in, typing out a
message.
“Just wanted you guys to know what’s up. Please don’t spread this around, let Stella sort things out first.”
The chat finally fell silent.
As the day dimmed into evening outside, I suggested, “Stella, how about we take a walk?”
It would do us good to get some air, clear our minds. Being cooped up at home and lost in thought would only make things worse. Stella didn’t object, so we bundled up our child and stepped out into the cooling evening air. We could grab dinner when we came back.
As we left, my gaze lingered on the surveillance camera by our front gate – a fixture that had been there for some time.
A thought sprang to mind, but it would have to wait until we returned.
After a refreshing walk, the first thing I did upon returning home was to check the surveillance camera footage on my phone.
I scrolled back to the time when Neil and Russel had their altercation.
