Later that afternoon, after Vesta wrapped up her work, she thought about inviting


    Thorne out for dinner. She called his phone several times, but each attempt went


    unanswered. Finally, she decided to ring Thorne''s assistant, Coy.


    As soon as Coy picked up, Vesta asked, "I haven''t been able to reach Thorne. Is


    he still busy?"


    Coy seemed surprised. "Didn''t you know? The boss flew overseas on business


    this afternoon."


    Vesta paused, caught off guard.


    She honestly hadn''t known.


    Thorne hadn''t mentioned a word to her.


    "Was the trip ast-minute decision?" she pressed.


    "Yes, it was."


    Even if the trip hade up suddenly, it wouldn''t have taken long for him to send


    her a text or give her a quick call.


    But he hadn''t said anything at all...


    The thought left her unsettled.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Vesta grabbed her purse and left her home office,


    calling Jasmine as she walked.


    Jasmine was sprawled out in the living room, piecing together a puzzle. Seeing


    Vesta''s name sh on her phone, she answered cheerfully, "Ms. Hawkins?"


    "Hi, sweetheart," Vesta replied, her voice gentle. "Is Minnie home yet?"


    "She''s home," Jasmine confirmed.


    Vesta smiled, "Did you have fun at the parent-teacher conference with your dad


    today?"


    Jasmine giggled, "Ms. Hawkins, you got it mixed up! My mom came to the


    conference, not my dad."


    At the mention of Charlene, Vesta''s smile faded slightly, her tone softening. "Oh, I


    see..."


    She paused, then continued, "I called your dad around lunch and asked if the


    conference was already finished. He said yes, so I just assumed he was the one


    who went."


    Having her mom there for the conference had left Jasmine in high spirits all day.


    Now, hearing Vesta bring it up, Jasmine chirped, "Nope! But after it was over, Dad


    came to have lunch with Mom and me."


    Vesta''s finger lingered over the elevator button. "He had lunch with both of you?


    Was that your idea, Minnie?"


    "No, it was Dad''s. He said he''d join us for lunch once he finished his work."


    He went out of his way to have lunch with Charlene?


    Vesta''s smile faltered again. But


    then, considering that the cooling-off


    period for their divorce was almost


    over, maybe they still had important


    things to discuss—that''s probably


    why...


    She tried to sound casual. "I see... Did your dad say anything to your mom during


    lunch?"


    Jasmine, half-absorbed in her


    puzzle, had to think for a moment.


    "Not really... He kept trying to talk to


    Mom, but she didn''t seem very


    interested. It kind of looked like she


    didn''t really want to eat with him at


    all."


    Vesta lowered her gaze and murmured, almost to herself, "Is that so?"


    "Yeah."


    Vesta fell silent.


    In truth, she knew that for the past


    two years whether it was


    something big or small—Thorne and


    Charlene rarely spoke on the phone,


    relying almost entirely on text


    messages to handle things.


    Even when it came to the divorce, Thorne could''ve sorted everything out with a


    message.


    If anything, letting thewyers handle it would''ve been even more straightforward.


    And honestly, if Thorne wanted to do something, he didn''t need Charlene''s input.


    Which meant, really, there was no reason for them to meet face-to-face.


    Yet today, they had.


    And from the sound of it, Thorne had made a point of seeing Charlene in person...