Chapter 426


    Chapter 426


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    I couldn’t help but chuckle. She must have heard my voice when she called Neil and decided to check


    in on us.


    “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Dr. Karina. Neil isn’t here,” I replied with a touch of frostiness.


    After all, it was clear that Neil and I needed to keep our distance after the day’s events.


    It wasn’t entirely our fault though.


    Ste’s situation hadplicated matters and I was in no mood to dwell on it. I just wanted to save


    time.


    Dr. Karina didn’t seem convinced as her eyes scanned the yard before finally resting on the door


    leading into the living room. “Really? Why can’t I reach him then? Weren’t you with him just


    now?”


    “We were together earlier, but he left a short while ago. I think he went back to Mitch’s ce. Maybe


    you could try looking for him there.” I told her the truth. There was no point in hiding it


    from her.


    Dr. Karina’s expression shifted subtly. Instead of leaving immediately, she turned to Hiram. “Hiram,


    didn’t you need to use the restroom earlier? Why don’t you ask Ms. Finch if you could use hers?”


    Hiram looked to me, perplexed, before obediently asking, “Ms. Finch, may I use your restroom,


    please?”


    I was surprised by how quickly he picked up on Karina’s underlying intentions.


    “Sure, go ahead.” I couldn’t deny him. If she wanted Hiram to check if Neil was here, so be it.


    Hiram scurried off into the living room while I stayed back, ensuring Karina didn’t follow him.


    Attempting to break the uneasy silence that had set in, Dr. Karina teased, “Ms. Finch, why were you in


    Neil’s car earlier? I’m curious.”


    “We have mutual friends. It’s quite normal to cross paths, don’t you


    think?” I retorted.


    “Is it? A good ex should be like a ghost,” she smirked, her smile deepening as she brushed a lock of


    hair from her face..


    “Isn’t it normal? You disappeared for so long, everyone thought you were dead. But here you are, back


    with a child. Isn’t that more unusual?” I stared down at her, a hint of disdain in my


    eyes.


    Caught off guard, Karina had to admit that her situation was indeed more unusual.


    “I had no choice at the time. They wouldn’t have approved of us, and I feared they’d force me to abort if


    they discovered I was pregnant. I had to fake my death,” she exined calmly, her reasons sounding


    usible.


    But what did that have to do with me?


    I nodded, “I see. You should exin this to Neil. If he finds it reasonable and doesn’t mind, then it’s


    fine. Telling me doesn’t make a difference.”


    Karina’s gaze hardened as she stared back at me, her calm exterior wavering slightly. “Of course, as


    long as he epts me, that’s all that matters. But you’ve been getting too close to the father of my


    child. Your constant presence is ufortable.”


    Had she lost her patience? So much for her facade of grace and patience in front of Ryan and Faith.


    “Mummy, let’s go find my daddy!” Hiram suddenly emerged from the living room, rushing back to


    Karina’s side.


    His message was clear. He hadn’t found Neil inside, so they could leave now.


    Karina’s tense expression rxed slightly. If Neil was still here and not answering the phone, she would


    inevitably start to worry.


    “Alright, let’s go find your dad.” Karina replied softly, ignoring me as she led Hiram away.


    As soon as they were out of sight, I closed the door.


    Ste, who had witnessed Hiram’s entrance, asked, “Why is Neil’s son here?”


    “Karina brought him. She was looking for Neil,” I sighed, sitting down. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to


    distance myself from Neil. Whether it’s Bonnie or Karina, they all seem to have their eyes on me. But


    the truth is, I’m the least of Neil’s concerns.”


    “Rena, I envy you,” Ste admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. “At least you got out of that toxic


    marriage and now have a simple, happy life. I’m just entering the mess and I don’t know what to do…”


    Seeing Ste in such distress, all I could feel was sympathy. Just then, our group chat lit up.


    I shared Ste’s situation with the group. Barbara and Alicia hadn’t seen the messages earlier, and


    were now expressing their outrage.


    Barbara said, “I can’t believe I misjudged Mitch. I thought he’d be a good husband and father, but


    he’s just as fickle as ever!”


    Alicia also asked, “Is Ste really going to divorce Mitch? What about their children?”


    “The children have to stay with Ste. She’s the one who gave birth to them. And given Mitch’s track


    record, he might introduce a stepmother sooner thanter!” Barbara soon replied.


    Alicia agreed, “That’s true. We can’t let him corrupt the child.”


    Ste’s face was unreadable, her emotions a whirlpool as she observed the incessant messages


    popping up in our group chat. She was in no mood to respond, so I stepped in, typing out a


    message.


    “Just wanted you guys to know what’s up. Please don’t spread this around, let Ste sort things out


    first.”


    The chat finally fell silent.


    As the day dimmed into evening outside, I suggested, “Ste, how about we take a walk?”


    It would do us good to get some air, clear our minds. Being cooped up at home and lost in thought


    would only make things worse. Ste didn’t object, so we bundled up our child and stepped out into the


    cooling evening air. We could grab dinner when we came back.


    As we left, my gaze lingered on the surveince camera by our front gate – a fixture that had been


    there for some time.


    A thought sprang to mind, but it would have to wait until we returned.


    After a refreshing walk, the first thing I did upon returning home was to check the surveince camera


    footage on my phone.


    I scrolled back to the time when Neil and Russel had their altercation.