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?”

her hair down, dismissing the thought. It must

door for Oscar. He stood straight, and his

the door behind

at him and quickly grabbed a dry towel. “Take off your coat. Are you soaked

the towel and roughly dried his curly hair. Then, be

clear blue eyes

“There’s a thunderstorm”

house was brightly lit, and Oscar continued to stare at her. After a few more seconds, he sighed and added. “You get scared.”

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

Then, he laughed

almost mesmerizing. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled at the comers, and even his pupils seemed to

sight of it

stop laughing? Stephanie yelled, and her cheeks

who could spar with him like this. It

lights were on, yet she

Chapter 269

seemed to deepen. He loved to see her worked

he asked

picked up

racing with

however, kept glancing towards

herm

said stiffly, clearly brushing him

apartment. She’d never hear the end of it. And with that strange mark on her neck,

and pulled out the leftovers from that morning,

actually pretty tasty,” she added, intending

can

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

Watching him cook was surprisingly captivating. His

feeling guilty as she glanced at the pile of three or five plates at the side. They were the

the better of her, and

clams from the fridge.

looking at her with a hint of

She glanced down at her hands, covered in soap bubbles. It seemed like she

she just rinsed the dishes

were together, Stephanie was often the one causing problems, leaving Oscar to clean up her messes without a

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

been sitting out for a while. It’s awful” Stephanie took a bite of