As if a thought suddenly struck her, Rosalind spoke again just before Noreen could. "He''s not your father!"
Noreen was speechless.
She hadn''t even asked.
When the idea had first crossed her mind, Noreen had felt quite conflicted. She had no feelings for Forrest whatsoever. Even before she knew he was Bianca''s father, she''d had a poor impression of him.
Hearing Rosalind''s deration was, strangely, a relief.
"That''s good to hear."
Noreen felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
"But I did date him once," Rosalind added.
Seeing Noreen shoot her a sidelong nce, Rosalind huffed, "What? You''re allowed to have an ex with a record, but I''m not? Everyone makes mistakes in judgment."
Noreen remained silent.
Rosalind continued, "We were in the same ss in college. We started dating in our junior year. After graduation, he passed the civil service exam andnded a government job in a remote rural area. I stayed in Rivercrest City and found a decent job, and we started a long-distance rtionship."
"Back then, we were full of dreams for the future. I waspletely devoted, just waiting for him to get a promotion and transfer to Rivercrest City so we could get married."
"I had even picked out where we would buy our house, but then he started ghosting me. He wouldn''t answer my calls or reply to my letters."
"Finally, I had no choice but to go all the way to his workce to find him, but he avoided me, refused to see me. No reason, not even ame excuse. He just cut me offpletely, just like that."
"On the way back, I got into a car ident. I was in the hospital for nearly half a month, and he never once called. After that near-death experience, I saw him for who he truly was. I epted the abrupt breakup, erased him from my world, and we never spoke again."
So many years had passed, and Rosalind recounted the story with an air of detachment.
But Noreen''s heart ached for her.
People who betray someone''s trust deserved the worst.
"After he betrayed me like that, why on earth would I have his child? I''m not an idiot!
It was only recently, when I ran into him, that I found out he was Bianca''s father. I
was disgusted. And then he told me something—he can''t have children. Hahahaha!"
Noreen was stunned. "???"
What a bombshell.
Rosalind was genuinely relishing it. "So, he''s been raising another man''s kid for over twenty years! Hahahaha!"
That was certainly no better than swallowing a thousand needles.
It seemed karma really did exist.
What goes around,es around.
No exceptions.
In mid-February, Winrichnded another major project.
To celebrate, Noreen treated the entirepany to a team-building party at a private club.
The venue was chosen by Sophia.
When Noreen arrived after finishing up some work she realized it was Half-Light Club.
The
>
She made a mental note to tell Sophia that this ce was on her personal cklist.
But everyone was already there, and as the boss, she couldn''t be a killjoy.
Sp,
e went with the flow are e
headed inside.
The Half-Light Club was one of the most exclusive clubs in Rivercrest City, which was precisely why Sophia had chosen it. >
Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
As the party started to wind down, Noreen stood up, said her goodbyes, and prepared to head home.
She still had to prepare for her thesis defense.
Colby left with her, while Sophia stayed behind to make sure everyone had fun and got home safely.
As the two of them walked out of the private room and toward the exit, Noreen thought she heard a faint cry for help.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar.
She instinctively nced back in the direction of the sound.
The lighting was too dim; she couldn''t see a thing.
Noreen asked Colby, "Did you hear something?"
"No, I didn''t hear anything," Colby replied.
Could she have imagined it?
She had had a few drinks with her team that evening. Perhaps it was just the
alcohol ying tricks on her mind.