Crossroads

Chapter 269

Stephanie rushed inside, quickly sliding the glass door shut behind her.

The wind and rain battered against the glass. Soaked to the bone. Stephanie opened her right hand and looked at loose

at the small screw that had fallen

It was early evening, and the st

storm was raging outside with flashes of lighting and booming thunder.

The bright lights inside the room offered a small comfort. She tried to convince herself the screw had simply loosened on its own.

Stephanie cast one last glance at the gloomy balcony, shook off her unease, and headed to the bedroom to change her outht

But her heart was still filled with anxiety and insecurity

She double–locked her bedroom door and turned on every light. The storm outside was a stark contrast to the silence in her room. Even the

sound of her own ragged breathing seemed loud and clear.

Stephanie peeled off her damp clothes and towel–dried her face and hair. She reached for fresh clothes on the bed, her eyes f

falling on the faint scar on her abdomen, a remnant of the C–section.

She stared at it, her cool fingers tracing the nearly invisible line. Oscar had given her some kind of cream, and even the stretch marks had vanished.

It was as if her pregnancy and brief marriage to the Wellington family had been nothing but a dream. All traces were gone, and Dominick had disappeared from her life…

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, shattering the silence.

Her nerves were on edge. She glanced at the phone on her vanity table and hurried over. It was Oscar calling

“Babe, I’m outside,” he said.

Stephanie fraze for a moment before responding “Oh, hold on a sec. She hung up, quickly dressed, and checked her appearance in the vanity mirror.

Suddenly, something caught her eye, and she stared at her reflection.

Stephanie gathered her hair into a bun and lifted her chin, tilting her head to the side. On the smooth skin of her neck, just below her left earlobe. was a faint reddish mark.

Her fingertips brushed against the strange mark. It looked like a hickey.

“A hickey?”

dismissing the thought. It must have been from sleeping on it wrong,

here?” she asked as she opened the door for Oscar. He stood straight, and his expensive black coat

the

off your coat. Are you soaked through?

dried his curly hair. Then, be locked

with his clear blue

“There’s a thunderstorm”

and Oscar continued to stare at her. After

scared” I’m not scared!” Stephanie snapped back, irritated

Then, he laughed

deep blue eyes that were almost mesmerizing. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled

and the sight of it now

yelled, and her cheeks flushed

only one who could spar with him like this. It was an unspoken bond between

at the brightly lit room. All the lights were on, yet she claimed not

Chapter 269

seemed to deepen. He loved to see her worked

he asked

was ever perceptive. He had picked up on her discomfort within minutes of

with paranoid

kept glancing towards the

herm

she said stiffly, clearly brushing

about the haunted apartment. She’d never hear the end of it. And with that strange mark on her neck, she was even more resolved to keep

pasta?” Stephanie said as she opened the fridge and pulled out the leftovers from that morning, planning to hear them

and actually pretty tasty,” she added, intending

grabbed a can of chowder

useless, stood awkwardly to the side, watching him maneuver around the cramped kitchen. She couldn’t help but say again. “You don’t have to go to all this trouble. Something simple

on his task. Whether working or cooking, he always moved efficiently. Watching him cook was surprisingly captivating. His serious expression when

at the pile of three or five plates at the side. They were the dishes she used for takeout a couple of days ago. She had planned to wash

the better of her,

turned on the faucet and began washing the dishes. Meanwhile, Oscar didn’t pay attention to her efforts, taking some clams from the fridge. cleaning them, and adding them to the chowder. When he turned his head, he saw Stephanie enthusiastically

around,” he said, looking at her with a hint of helplessness.

glanced down at her hands, covered in soap bubbles.

stubbornly, but she just rinsed the dishes and put them away.

causing problems, leaving Oscar to clean up her messes without a word of complaint. And now she couldn’t

room, each with a bowl of clam chowder. Oscar had added some kind of seasoning. and the warm aroma filled

It must have been sitting out for a while. It’s awful” Stephanie took a bite of the microwaved pasta and immediately grimaced, switching to her