Chapter 75
The rain hadn’t stopped all night.
By morning, it was still coming down.
Valeria was helping Selena get dressed when Selena wrapped her arms around Valeria’s neck and asked why they were in Sebastian’s place.
Valeria replied gently, “The rain was too heavy last night, so we stayed here for the night.”
“Then I’ll have to say thank you to Mr. Grant.”
Selena’s voice was so pure, and her eyes were so full of childlike wonder that Valeria couldn’t help but think back to that reckless kiss the night before. Maybe it was her behavior that made her the odd one out. Her constant worrying and tendency to retreat had built a cage around
her.
By all logic, since Sebastian had kindly let her and Selena spend the night to wait out the rain, the polite thing to do would have been to thank him.
But just moments ago, Valeria hadn’t even had the courage to open the door to the guest room.
“Yeah. You’re right. We should go thank Mr. Grant,” she said with a smile.
“Mommy, what happened to your chin? Why is it red?” Selena’s eyes widened with curiosity and concern as she reached up and gently touched a faint red mark on Valeria’s chin.
Valeria turned her face away without thinking. Under Selena’s wide-eyed, innocent gaze, her cheeks flushed all the way down to her neck.
“It’s just a mosquito bite,” Valeria mumbled.
“Mommy, you’re lying. It’s winter now. There aren’t any mosquitoes!” Selena blinked as she wrapped her arms around Valeria’s neck. “There’s one on your neck, too!”
Valeria was momentarily speechless. There was no way to explain that.
Just then, the faint rustling of movement came from outside the door. She got up and opened
Nemo trotted in, tail wagging, and walked straight to the bed. It locked eyes with Selena, and they were both silently sizing each other up.
Golden retrievers were known for being gentle, and this one, raised by Sebastian, was especially mellow. It didn’t have a single ounce of aggression – it smiled at everyone it met.
“Hey, there. I’m Selena.”
Selena really loved dogs. They had two at home.
She reached out to gently pat Nemo’s face. In return, it slobbered all over her tiny hand, grinning like a goof.
“You’re so cute! Are you Mr. Grant’s dog?” Selena asked, tilting her head.
Nemo mimicked her, cocking its head the same way.
“How old are you? I’m six,” Selena said earnestly.
Valeria didn’t know Nemo’s exact age, but it didn’t seem young anymore. Watching Selena play so happily with Nemo, Valeria instinctively took out her phone and snapped a few photos. Over the years, she’d grown used to capturing every piece of Selena’s life.
As her fingers wrapped around the phone, her eyes flicked to the full battery icon.
And just like that, her mind went back to last night-the kiss in the rain, that moment of lost control, and the dark, intense look in his eyes. He hadn’t said a word. He had just let go of her, opened a drawer in the coffee table, and quietly looped the charging cable around her wrist.
There was a USB charging port on the outlet by the bed. Valeria returned to the bedroom and watched as her phone slowly powered back up, her thoughts unraveling.
She was no longer Jane Carlson. She had a new name and a new life, yet he hadn’t recognized
her.
She didn’t see any mockery in his eyes. So, why would he act that way toward someone who was, to him, a stranger?
Was it an impulse? But he had seemed calm, composed, even. Was it… attraction?
Valeria let out a bitter laugh. Who would fall for a “stranger” they’d only met a few times?
A man like him, privileged and admired, practically born with the world at his feet, had a glamorous socialite girlfriend. Yet, instead of her, he came to someone like Valeria-an ordinary woman with a divorce in her past.
Her thoughts were scattered, and she didn’t even notice someone approaching from behind- until she heard Sebastian’s voice say, “His name is Nemo. He’ll be seven in five months.”
“Wow, seven already?” Selena gently rubbed Nemo’s face.
When she heard how old he was, her big, pretty eyes widened in surprise. Lucy had told her that dogs don’t live very long, which was why she made Potato and Pork Chop sleep beside her bed every night. This was the first time she’d ever met a dog that was already seven.
“Hello, Nemo.”
Valeria frowned slightly as she looked at Nemo. “This dog doesn’t look like a pure breed. Is Nemo a mix?”
“It’s a Samoyed mix,” Sebastian replied.
Selena asked curiously, “So, is Nemo a mix of Samoyed and golden retriever?”
“Yeah.”
“Then was Nemo’s mom a golden retriever, or was his dad the golden retriever?”
Kids always had a way of asking endless questions.
Sebastian stepped into the room. He was surprisingly patient as he answered, “I don’t know either. He was already three months old when I got him.”
