GoodReadThe moment the words left Jeffrey's lips, not only was Karen stunned, but Dorothy was equally flabbergasted.
Subconsciously, Dorothy wondered if this wasn't some ploy by Jeffrey, cooked up to keep Karen and the baby tied to him.
But before Dorothy could fully wrap her head around the idea, Karen beat her to it.
"Do you think I'd buy that?" "It's true! Everett—" Jeffrey cut himself off mid-sentence, suddenly remembering Everett's stern warning not to let Dorothy know he was back in town.
Guiltily lowering his voice and sneaking a glance at Dorothy, he stammered, "Everett helped me find out my blood type doesn't match the baby's..." So, Everett had a part in this too.
Dorothy suddenly felt like she was a third wheel, standing there while they needed to hash things out. So, with a few discreet coughs, she chimed in, "You know what, you two talk. Since the kid isn't yours, you probably have a lot to discuss. I'm going to take a walk. Karen, call me if you need anything." "Alright." Karen knew Jeffrey wouldn't let her off the hook easily and that she wouldn't be able to shake him off for a while.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTruth be told, Dorothy really did want some air.
All day long, she had been on edge, waiting for phone calls, her heart hanging by a thread.
Now, as she stepped outside to breathe in some fresh air, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
There was a quaint little park nearby, which she knew of, so she made her way in that direction.
For some reason, the park was unusually empty that day.
Checking her phone, Dorothy saw it was Tuesday. A chill breeze prompted her to pull her jacket tighter around her, but she could somewhat understand why there was no one there.
She took a seat on a bench and for some unknown reason, craved a drink.
Glancing around, she spotted a convenience store not too far off.
Dorothy walked in, grabbed a six-pack of beer, paid for it, and asked for a plastic bag. Bag in hand, she made her way back to the park.
As the night grew darker, the wind turned colder.
Cracking open a beer, Dorothy, perhaps truly thirsty, downed a can in several gulps.
Since her apartment wasn't far, she let herself drink freely, planning to simply head back and sleep it off.
But her tolerance was low, and it had been a while since she last indulged in alcohol. Barely starting on the third can, Dorothy felt her head spin and her legs turn to cotton.
She pushed herself to stand, but her gaze caught on a familiar figure.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCould it be Everett? But when she blinked and looked again, the figure had vanished.
Dorothy bit her lip, sat back down, and pulled out her phone. Fueled by a slight buzz, she found Everett's number.
[Are you in Eldorria City?] Almost a minute later, he replied: [No.] Rubbing her temples, she reached for the third beer and began to sip, her eyes never leaving the phone screen.
Everett hadn't said anything more than those two words. He didn't even ask why she was contacting him so late at night.
That wasn't like Everett.
So, there was only one explanation—her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
Dorothy thought for a moment, then lowered her gaze and continued to message Everett.
[Oh, okay, I'm a bit tipsy. Thought if you were in Eldorria City, you could maybe come pick me up. But since you're not, never mind."] After a second’s pause, she added another message.
[I can call Kenneth to get me. He's got a spare room, and he can take care of me.] No sooner had she sent the message than she heard steady footsteps coming up behind her, heading straight for her.
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