Chapter 0451


    Abby


    I stand in the dimly lit kitchen, leaning against the counter with a half-empty ss of wine in my hand. The soft hum of the


    refrigerator is the only sound breaking the silence of the night.


    Dinner with the team was lively tonight, filled withughter and chit-chat, but now the quiet feels heavy, almost suffocating. | can’t


    stop thinking about what Chloe said earlier about not making a choice |’ll live to regret, and the thought of it has kept me awake.


    Everyone else has long since gone to bed in their respective rooms, but | slipped out of bed and snuck down to the kitchen for a


    ss of wine to calm my nerves.


    I''m lost in my thoughts when | suddenly hear the sound of footsteps approaching. A momentter, Karl steps into the room. He’s


    in his pajamas, a loose pair of pants and an oversized hoodie, and his hair is a little messy from tossing and turning. | always


    thought he was cute when he’s like this.


    “Oh, hey,” he says, eyeing my ss of wine. “I didn’t expect to see you in here.”


    | nod, taking a sip of my wine. “Couldn’t sleep,” | admit. “I take it you couldn''t, either.”


    Karl shakes his head. He walks past me and picks up the bottle of wine sitting next to me, inspecting the bottle for a moment


    before he grabs a ss out of the cab and pours one for himself.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    “Cheers,” he says, holding up his ss. | respond with a slight smile and clink my ss against his.


    For a few moments, we just stand there in silence as we drink our wine. | think that everything has been such a whirlwindtely


    that we’re both too exhausted to speak, which | appreciate. But the moment is short-lived.


    “Abby, can we talk?” he asks, his voice gentle yet carrying an undercurrent of seriousness. | nod, setting my ss down. The


    clink of it against the countertop sounds louder than usual in the quiet of the kitchen.


    Karl leans against the opposite counter, his eyes searching mine. “Why did you decide to tell Chloe and Leah only part of the


    truth?” he inquires, his tone not usatory but genuinely curious.


    | take a deep breath, feeling the weight of his question. “I didn’t feel right keeping the baby part from them,” | admit, my gaze


    drifting to the window where the moon casts a soft glow on the garden outside. “They’re my friends, Karl. They deserve to know


    about something so important in my life, you know?”


    Karl nods, a look of understanding flickering through his eyes. “And the other part?” he probes gently, referring to the more...


    intimate aspect of our arrangement.