Chapter 22
It wasn’t that Beatrice was being nosy. It was because the car Sebastian had parked in front of the shop was way too flashy.
Every passerby turned their head to look.
Valeria explained, “No, he’s just a friend.”
After dinner, they stepped out of the ravioli shop. Sebastian reminded her to take Lucy to the hospital soon and said her antihypertensive medication needed to be changed to avoid similar episodes in the future.
She thanked him.
It was 9:00 pm. A light breeze blew gently, stirring the hem of Valeria’s long dress, her hair fluttering in the night.
Sebastian stood in front of his car and opened the door, glancing sideways at her. He seemed to be in thought for a while before asking, “Where’s your husband?”
He could tell that the woman from earlier, Lucy, was her mother-in-law. On the phone, Selena
had described her as “Grandma”.
However, the few times they had been to the hospital, it was always Valeria bringing her daughter alone. No man had ever appeared.
Valeria frowned. “He’s abroad. Sorry to have bothered you tonight, Dr. Grant. Take care.’
With that, she turned to leave. As she spun around, her thick hair swept through the air in a dark arc, like mist quickly spreading.
Sebastian lifted a hand, and his long fingers instinctively reached out.
Her hair was like silk, soft and smooth, slipping right through his fingers.
He stood there watching her walk away, his hand still suspended in midair. In that fleeting second of contact, her hair carried a faint, lingering scent.
It was a strange feeling.
It wasn’t like he had touched a woman’s hair. It felt more like poppies brushing across his fingertips, leaving a tingling numbness.
Valeria returned to Lucy’s apartment.
She told Selena to rest in the room. Then, she started tidying the scattered medicine boxes on the coffee table.
Glancing at Valeria, Lucy couldn’t help but ask, “That man just now…’
Valeria quickly responded, “He’s a doctor I’ve met a few times. Nothing more.”
“And yet, he came all the way over tonight? I couldn’t breathe, and Selena panicked. She grabbed your phone and made one call, and that guy showed up within 20 minutes.”
Lucy thought Valeria had had it rough all these years, raising her daughter alone. She genuinely hoped Valeria could meet someone decent, but that guy just now…
That doctor-not even mentioning how handsome and tall he was-had a Rolex on his wrist. Back when Danny was alive, he had one passed down in the family, and now her son, Shane,
had it.
“He’s just a regular friend,” Valeria said with a smile.
It might not even be that.
Lucy was worried Valeria would get taken advantage of. She was beautiful and fair-skinned. There had been men trying to pursue her-even the tenant down the hall had made several
moves.
Once, he got drunk and tried to harass Valeria, and Lucy had dumped an entire bucket of
greasy dishwater on him.
“He’s good-looking, I’ll give you that. If you like him, date him, sure. Just don’t marry someone like that. Take it from me, I’ve lived through it. I’ve got a sharp eye for people.
“That kind of doctor? I bet he’s got women lining up for him. Plus, he’s clearly rich. You won’t be able to keep men like that. It’s what you young folks would call a total player.”
Valeria couldn’t help but laugh. “Mrs. Clark… where did you even learn that term?”
Lucy gave a proud little huff. “I dance with three different men at the square every night. Do you think I’m clueless? Do you think I can’t keep up with you youngsters?”
Valeria stayed with Lucy a little while longer, making sure she was alright before heading upstairs.
Selena had already washed up and was lying obediently in bed. Valeria hesitated for a moment before asking why she had called Sebastian.
The little girl blinked innocently. “He’s a doctor. He can save Granny Lucy.”
A child’s world was simple, unlike an adult’s.
Valeria realized maybe she had been deeply wounded, afraid that he’d recognized her as Jane. She feared that he would find out Selena was his daughter and that she would hear the ridicule in his voice, disrupting her quiet life.
She had been reckless and naive seven years ago. Now, she had no desire to get involved with him again.
