Nina Sinclair and Joel Thatcher went to their favorite spot from their school days.
Back then, both families were well-off, yet they had a down-to-earth side, and they loved visiting this grilled fish restaurant. Surprisingly, it had survived all these years.
The busy manageress noticed them and warmly approached, "You haven’t been here for so long! You’ve graduated by now, right? Are you married? Do you have kids?"
Joel heard this and didn’t deny it.
He glanced at Nina, his eyes revealing a gentle expression.
Nina, feeling a bit embarrassed, lowered her eyes and awkwardly smiled, "I am married, but I don’t have kids yet."
Upon hearing this, Joel’s expression changed abruptly, staring at Nina in shock.
What... what did she just say? New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt
Joel’s face showed an expression as if struck by lightning, clearly astounded by Nina’s words.
After a while, Joel came back to his senses, his once gentle demeanor changed as he pulled Nina aside urgently, "You’re married!?"
Seeing Joel’s agitated expression, Nina’s face showed helplessness as she answered truthfully, "Yes, we lost contact before, so I didn’t tell you. Sorry, Joel. If I have a wedding feast someday, I would certainly invite you as the witness."
Nina hardly dared to think about the future and wasn’t sure if there’d be a wedding with Julian Lancaster.
"..." Joel was suddenly at a loss for words.
In an instant, his heart felt scorched, as if plunged into a freezing wasteland, life suddenly seemed lifeless.
He never expected Nina would enter the path of marriage with another man in such a short time.
He’d patiently waited for her all this time; why couldn’t Nina wait a little longer for him?
Joel actually understood that Nina only saw him as a good friend, perhaps a brotherly figure. She never showed any romantic interest in him.
But he was different.
He had liked Nina since they were children, kept his feelings hidden, thinking they’d grow up someday, but then the Sinclair Family faced that incident, and Nina disappeared without a word.
Now, he had the capability, but meeting again had such an ending.
Seeing Joel’s face darken, Nina quickly comforted, "Hey, don’t be upset. It’s not too late to tell you now, right? You wouldn’t stay mad at me, would you?"
She knew Joel wasn’t petty; he certainly wouldn’t hold it against her.
Until now, Nina still believed Joel was upset because she hid her marriage from him.
After a moment of silence, Joel accepted the blow.
He spoke somewhat bitterly, "Who did you marry? Which family’s son? What’s his background? Is he good to you? Do you... like him?"
Nina shook her head helplessly, "You asked so many things at once, how should I answer you?"
She pulled Joel to sit, "Let’s sit down and talk slowly."
Nina handed Joel chopsticks and began to talk about Julian Lancaster.
To ease Joel’s worry, she omitted how she accidentally met Julian. She only mentioned a close friend’s introduction, and they hit it off and had a flash marriage.
Joel listened silently and drew several conclusions.
First, Nina married a man she’d only met a few times.
Second, that man was a driver and assistant, a very ordinary guy!
Third, when Nina talked about the man, her eyes showed emotions suggesting she really liked him.
Each realization made Joel extremely uncomfortable.
When Nina left back then, he wanted to leave with her, but Joel’s father said they had no capabilities then. Why should Nina suffer with him?
If he stayed and studied hard, gaining everyone’s acknowledgment, he’d have the freedom in future to choose his own path.
Now, he achieved that, yet he lost Nina.