Anneliese couldn''t help but think of Zacharias. The constant provocations she endured from Melody and Lenora were influenced by him. After all, he never tried to solve them whenever conflicts happened and only told her to give in. Thus, under his indulgence, his mother and sister became more arrogant each time.


    Comparing that to Jonathan, his gentleness and support became even more precious. Hence, it was only normal that she would fall in love with him since he was someone worth loving. That was why she couldn''t bear to let go.


    Suddenly, Anneliese missed Jonathan terribly. Counting the days, it had been about six days since theyst saw each other. Her grandmother kept a close watch on her, and even their daily calls barelysted a few words.


    Driving, Anneliese felt a pang of mncholy as she thought about how they had agreed to meet once a week. Back then, he had objected, but in the end, he didn''te to see her at all.


    ...


    Half an hourter, the car pulled into the parking lot of a private garden restaurant. She and Jessica got out and walked along the cobblestone path toward the restaurant.


    Just as the waiter led them to the private room that Zane had reserved, Jessica suddenly tugged at Anneliese, saying, "I need to use the restroom."


    In truth, she was a little nervous.


    Though she had been with Zane for some time, she had previously defined their rtionship as sex partners, and she guessed that Zane likely felt the same way. They had never walked hand in hand in public like a couple, nor watched a movie together. They didn''t even have a proper meal in a restaurant together.


    This time, when she told Zane she wanted to meet, he agreed immediately, but said he had a few friends over for dinner and invited her to join them, saying they could talk afterward. Jessica didn''t know if he intended to introduce her to his friends, nor did she know how he would react if she told him she was pregnant.


    The closer they got to the private room, the tenser Jessica became.


    "Do you want me to go with you?" Anneliese asked.


    Jessica shook her head and smiled faintly. "No, I''ll be quick."


    Anneliese nodded and watched as Jessica walked toward the restroom. Then, she turned to the waiter and said, "The private room is just around the corner, right? You can go now, thank you."


    The waiter smiled and left.


    Then, Anneliese pulled out her phone and sent a message to Jonathan as she strolled forward.


    ''Your grandparents came to visit my grandma in the hospital today. Did you know about it?''


    As she typed those words, she hesitated since she felt that her message sounded cold. Hence, she began deleting it word by word.


    She furrowed her eyebrows and decided to send a cute emoji first to test if he was busy.


    Just as she sent a cute cat emoji, the light in front of her shifted, and she suddenly bumped into someone.


    "Sorry..." Anneliese instinctively apologized without looking ahead. However, she quickly realized something was wrong.


    There was no one in this corridor, so


    ket


    it had a wide path. She hadn''t been watching where she was walking, but surely the other person hadn''t missed seeing her either. Thus, there was no way they could have avoided her..


    As she thought about it, she frowned and was about to look up when someone suddenly grabbed her waist. The small distance she had just stepped back was closed in an instant. Her forehead pressed again against a man''s firm chest, and she caught a familiar scent.


    At the same time, a notification sound rang from the phone in the man''s pocket,


    confirming her suspicion.


    Anneliese looked up in surprise and met Jonathan''s eyes.


    For a moment, both of them froze as they stared at each other in silence. Only when the private room door opened beside them did Jonathan smile and quickly kiss her forehead.


    Holding her close, he took two brisk steps forward and led her into the nearest private room. The heavy door closed silently behind them.


    Outside, the sky darkened.


    The dim light could not conceal the light in Anneliese''s eyes. "Why are you here?"


    Anneliese was surprised to see the person she missed appear before her all of a sudden. It was as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and always gave her the most fitting response.


    Jonathan stared at her face without answering her question. In fact, he wasn''t here


    by coincidence-it was simply because she was here.