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?”

absurd. Stephanie let her hair down, dismissing the thought. It must have been from sleeping on it

He stood straight, and his expensive black coat was drenched through, water droplets clinging

inside, closing the door behind him.

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

dried his curly hair. Then, be locked

her with his clear blue

“There’s a thunderstorm”

remained expressionless. The house was brightly lit, and Oscar continued to stare at

I’m not scared!” Stephanie snapped back, irritated by his suggestion.

Then, he laughed

he smiled, his eyes crinkled

the sight of it

laughing! I said stop laughing? Stephanie yelled,

with him

lights were on, yet she claimed not to be afraid. But he

Chapter 269

his eyes seemed to deepen. He loved to see her

wrong?” he asked

He had picked up on

racing with paranoid thoughts.

glancing towards

herm

stiffly, clearly brushing him off.

And with that strange mark on her neck, she was even more resolved to

as she opened the fridge and pulled out the leftovers from that morning, planning

and actually pretty tasty,”

Oscar just grabbed a can of chowder and started

side, watching him maneuver around the cramped kitchen. She couldn’t help but say again. “You

Watching him cook was surprisingly captivating. His serious expression when he stirred the chowder with

failure she was as a woman, feeling guilty as she glanced at the pile of three or five plates at the side. They were the dishes she

better of her, and she stepped in to help.

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

he said, looking at her with a hint

glanced down at her hands, covered in soap bubbles. It seemed like she was indeed playing

not playing. Stephanie retorted stubbornly, but she just

often the one causing problems, leaving Oscar to clean up her messes without a word of complaint.

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

all stuck together. It must have been sitting out for a while. It’s awful” Stephanie took a bite