For a transient moment, I deluded myself into thinking that the two of us could stay like this forever, and that our family of three could live happily ever after.
The car stopped in front of a cozy-looking restaurant. I got down and went straight into the restaurant to find us a table.
It looked like not many people came here at night, so as soon as I sat down, the waiter handed me a menu. Since Ashton already had his dinner and I was having an upset stomach, I ordered some light bites and a bowl of pumpkin soup.
To my surprise, after Ashton parked his car, he came in with Rebecca and Joe flanking him.
A coincidence? Or did they plan this beforehand?
Seeing that I was already seated, Ashton and the two of them came over to join me. When Rebecca saw me, there was a subtle shift in her expression, but she didn’t make any remarks since this was a table meant for four.
Because I was already seated, Rebecca sat down next to me before Ashton could. She peered at me and asked in a voice as sweet as nectar, “You don’t mind me sitting beside you, right, Scarlett?”
Could I say that I minded it?
Of course not!
Hence, I remained silent.
“What did you order?” Ashton asked as he took the menu from the waiter.
“Some small bites and a bowl of soup,” I replied.
He nodded and chose a few items from the menu. Just then, Joe pursed his lips and complained, “Don’t order anything for me, Ashton. I don’t have an appetite.”
Ashton nodded and gave the menu back to the waiter.
Thereafter, the three of them started to chat. I couldn’t join in their conversation, so I simply stayed silent.
The waiter brought over a bowl of pumpkin soup after a while. The moment he placed in on the table, Ashton naturally pushed it toward Rebecca and said in a deep voice, “I ordered this for you. Drink some. It’ll warm you up.”
Rebecca beamed. “Pumpkin soup is my absolute favorite! You really do know me best, Ashton!”
The chemistry between them was like a knife stabbing straight into my heart.
He remembered many things about her down to the tiniest details. His bone-deep affection toward her was something I could never earn even if I were given a whole lifetime to pursue it.
“Scarlett, what soup did you order? Why don’t we share? The pumpkin soup here is really good. Ash used to bring me here, so I know.” Without waiting for me to reply, Rebecca pushed the bowl of soup in front of me.
I shook my head and pushed the bowl back with a smile. “I ordered one too. It’ll be here soon.”
She shrugged and continued chatting with the two men, making me feel slightly left out.
Before long, the small bites and soup I ordered were served. Rebecca noticed that I had also ordered pumpkin soup and smiled innocently at me. “It looks like you like pumpkin soup too, Scarlett. Let me tell you a secret. Ashton makes the best soup!”
As she spoke, she leaned so close to me that I could feel her breath on my neck. I didn’t like it when others came too close to me, so I shifted slightly with a frown on my face.
“Ow!” Suddenly, my half-eaten bowl of pumpkin soup was spilled all over me, making a complete mess.
Because it was hot, my knee-jerk reaction was to stand up, but I accidentally bumped into Rebecca who was leaning close to me. Following that was her whimper of pain.
The blistering pain from getting scalded was so unbearable that I couldn’t be bothered to apologize, frantically reaching out to grab a piece of tissue to wipe the soup on my legs. Before coming out, I had only changed into a dress because Ashton was already waiting for me. The dress was thin, so my skin was already red.
After wiping most of the soup from my legs, I looked up to see that Ashton was crouched in front of Rebecca as he carefully wiped her bleeding nose.
I thought back and realized that I must have knocked her nose when I got up too abruptly just now, so…
Joe grabbed a tissue and handed it to Ashton, glaring at me as he spat, “Are you always such a klutz, Ms. Stovall?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
Looking at Rebecca’s swollen eyes and her bleeding nose, I forced an apology through the ache in my heart. “I’m sorry, Ms. Larson.”
I was certain that I didn’t touch the bowl of pumpkin soup just now. Other than Rebecca, who was the closest to me, I couldn’t think of anyone who would be so lame as to intentionally spill a bowl of soup on me.
“It’s fine, Scarlett. Just be more careful next time.” After that, Rebecca turned her red-rimmed eyes to Ashton. “Ash, I’ve lost my appetite. Can you go for a stroll with me?”
Ashton frowned, looking at the untouched food on the table and said, “Eat a little bit first.”
It seemed like amid this crisis, no one had noticed that I was scalded or even realized that the soup was spilled on me.
Standing by the side, I suddenly felt that my presence was redundant and laughable.
“I’m leaving,” I announced, then turned and left to the restaurant. My heart felt like it had been stabbed with a blade made of pure ice, the agony almost making my legs give out beneath me.
God is so unfair. He gifted some women with happiness, while other women with suffering.
“Scarlett!” A low and furious voice came from behind me. I looked back and saw that Ashton had followed me out.
He looked at me with furrowed brows, seemingly controlling his anger when he asked, “What are you doing?”
What am I doing? Is it accusation I’m detecting in his tone? Is he accusing me of knocking into Rebecca?
“I don’t have an appetite, so I’m going home.” Feeling miserable, I didn’t want to say too much for fear of losing control of my emotions and ending up airing my grievances to him.
