Anneliese closed the fridge and walked back out. "Let''s just order takeout."


    She was about to look for her phone when the doorbell rang.


    Jessica hugged the pillow tighter without thinking. She saw Anneliese already walking to the door to open it, so she raised her voice.


    "Who is it?"


    Her voice sounded a little tight.


    She had always been afraid the Johnson family would find her. She had been very careful about making friends. Other than Anneliese, she never brought anyone home.


    Because of that, there were usually no visitors here. Aside from Anneliese, only Zane hade by a few times before.


    Anneliese paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned to look at Jessica. Once she understood where the tension came from, she frowned slightly. There was no video doorbell at home, so they couldn''t see who was outside.


    Can it be that scumbag Zane, who had disappeared for days, is back now?


    Anneliese was about to look through the peephole when Jessica rxed again. She waved her hand like she didn''t care.


    "Just open it. It doesn''t matter."


    Even if it really was Zane, everything was already settled. Nothing could change anymore.


    Anneliese checked Jessica''s expression and saw that she looked fine. She didn''t say anything else and opened the door.


    A man stood outside in a dark gray suit. His posture was straight, and even the narrow, dim hallway couldn''t hide his calm, confident presence.


    It wasn''t Zane. It was Jonathan.


    Anneliese was surprised. "Why are you here?"


    Jonathan lifted his arms a little. Only then did Anneliese see that he was holding takeout bags in both hands. The smell of food drifted toward her as he moved.


    "Feeding a runaway wild cat," the man said. His voice was low, and he raised his brows slightly.


    "Ah, you really came at the perfect time."


    Anneliese reacted right away. She took the bag from his right hand and hooked her arm around his. She dragged him inside.


    Jonathan must have guessed that Jessica didn''t have much food at home, so he came over at just the right time with food.


    Anneliese felt touched. She stood on her toes and kissed his lips.


    She turned her head and realized Jessica was still sitting on the couch watching them. Meatloaf had been excited when he saw Jonathan and had wagged his tail as he was about toe over. When he saw Anneliese hugging Jonathan and kissing him, Meatloaf looked like he couldn''t stand watching. He turned around andy back down by the couch.


    Anneliese held back the heat creeping up her ears and lifted her chin toward Jessica.


    She looked a little proud.


    She knew Jessica wanted to see her and Jonathan being sweet.


    That way, Jessica could leave with more peace of mind.


    When Jessica saw it was Jonathan, she couldn''t tell if she felt relieved or if everything felt even heavier inside.


    Her fingers tightened around the pillow, then slowly rxed.


    Watching Anneliese and Jonathan together, she felt both envy and reassurance about her choice to leave.


    Love should look like this. Two people choosing each other, with their feelings clearly in sync.


    A single look or shared nce filled the air with warmth.


    Compared to them, what she had with Zane felt ridiculous.


    There was no reason left to hold on.


    "Hubby, do you want to eat a little with us?"


    Anneliese brought the two bags to the coffee table and started taking out box after box of hot food.


    It was from a famous private


    restaurant in Oceaton. Even eating there in person usually meant waiting a long time. They didn''t normally do delivery.


    The food looked amazing.


    "I already ate. This is all for you," Jonathan said.


    He watched Anneliese looking like a greedy little cat and smiled. He walked over and bent down to help her open the containers.


    Jessica had already shifted her seat and was ready to eat. She smiled at Jonathan. "Thanks, Jonathan."


    Jonathan looked at her. When he


    heard


    bet


    say his name like that, the


    share his expression eased.


    A small smile appeared. Content ·


    "Do I qualify to be the baby''s godfather?"


    There was no need to exin whose baby he meant. Anneliese already saw herself


    as the godmother by default.


    Jessica thought the same. Still, just because the baby had Anneliese as a godmother didn''t mean Jonathan would automatically be epted as the godfather.


    Jessica didn''t dare let her baby get that close to someone like Jonathan.


    She didn''t expect him to ask for it himself.


    Jessica froze for a moment and looked at Anneliese. Anneliese smiled and nodded at her.


    "Say yes. Let him try being a godfather first. I want to see if he has any talent for being a good dad."


    Jessica knew very well that the more powerful the family, the more cautious they were about being godparents.