Chapter 25

Edward was enraged to see Kathy happily kissing the unfamiliar man with deep affection, as though she were in his embrace. The stranger kissed his daughter's forehead and smiled at Kathy as the server approached their table.

"Come on, Dad, don't let that get to you. He's probably her sugar daddy, acting kindly to her, but he'll likely leave her eventually. Furthermore, she will cry and come back to us.”

“Honey, we are here to have an enjoyable time and eat our food before it gets cold,”

As Edward glanced over once more, his eyes caught a detail he hadn’t noticed before: Kathy’s wrist was wrapped in a pale cast, the edges peeking out beneath her sleeve as she lifted her glass. The sight made him pause, his anger momentarily replaced by a flicker of concern. Still, he kept silent, watching as Kathy and the unknown man laughed quietly over their meal, sharing sips of wine and the easy comfort of conversation. For a while, Edward could do nothing but observe the clatter of cutlery and low hum of the restaurant filling the quiet ache inside him.

Kathy ate some of Anthony's food, and he tasted hers; she then rubbed her foot against his leg, causing him to look at her and keep his hand on her leg. She could feel her cheeks burning, and she struggled to swallow her meal. She watched as her father approached, but the men prevented him from getting closer. She didn't want to speak with her dad and wished he would leave. Before her father can make a scene.

“You must be Eward, Kathy's father,”

“Yes, I am, Kathy you will come back home to me right now,”

Edward was going to grab Kathy, but Anthony grabbed his wrist and nearly broke it, though Kathy intervened to prevent her partner from doing so. The entire restaurant went still; Anthony glared at Anthony, shoved him away from the table, and they both ended up on the floor.

“I think you should leave, father. I will be over the house to pick up my mother's things so you won’t have to see me again,”

"Kathy, I see you've chosen to pursue someone wealthy, while your family struggles financially."

"I am currently with my husband, and this isn't my concern."

Kathy showed her father the wedding ring, which enraged Edward to the point that he almost confronted Anthony. Anthony plans to berate Edward, shift Kathy to his left, confront Kathy's father directly, and stand tall. Edward drew back, shrinking, and began to distance himself from the table.

“My wife informed me that we'll be coming over to your house to pack her belongings and her mother's. I hope everything is still there when we arrive,"

"Sir, my daughter is already betrothed to someone else who wishes to take her as his wife. He'd still go through with the marriage, regardless of a pregnancy.”

"You plan to force your daughter into a marriage with someone else, even though she doesn't want to. She made it clear that she doesn't want to. Furthermore, if she were expecting, I would be the father. I suggest you retreat and return to your family, leaving Kathy be.”

“Yes, sir,”

"I'm aware you saw your daughter's wrist cast before you go. You didn't ask her what happened.

Edward observed Kathy's wrist, though she looked away, trying to hide it from view behind Anthony.

Edward asked, "Kathy, what happened?"

"I was involved in a car accident; someone forced me off the road, but luckily, Anthony witnessed the event and immediately took me to the hospital," Kathy stated.

Edward simply turned around and went back to his table, while Kathy tugged on Anthony's sleeve, frightened of getting kicked out of the restaurant, and their food was already cold. The server came over.

“Yes, sir,”

"Do you have any takeout containers so we can bring this with us?"

“Yes, sir,”

Kathy is disappointed because she didn't finish her meal and couldn't try the dessert, but she might return.

Edward returned to his table, but Skye realized the aphrodisiac hadn't worked yet; her stepsister should be burning with desire. After using the entire bottle, she began to wonder why it wasn't working. Skye was unaware that two patrons, seated at separate tables, had ordered the exact same drink, a Strawberry Mocktail, one version containing alcohol and the other without. As Kathy was leaving the restaurant, holding leftovers and about to walk out, everyone saw her, which could be the final thing that gets her into trouble.

Skye stood up from her seat and dashed toward the couple, then positioned herself in front of them just as they were preparing to depart.

“Kathy, I see you got a rich man. Sir did you know that is pregnant by an older man?”

"Can you provide evidence?"

"I confirm, I photographed it,"

Anthony was shown Skye's pictures after she unlocked her phone and went to her photo gallery. After that, she smiled and looked at Kathy.

"Taking someone's pregnancy test was a really childish thing to do."

"Kathy is seeing you because she's pregnant with another man's child, and she wants your money."

"Yes, I understand, but she never asks me for money or buys anything for herself."

If she were carrying another man's child, I would still raise the child as my own. What would indicate that the man who impregnated her is treating her abusively? I'll be on my way to take my wife home now, if you'll excuse me.

"You'll regret this,"

As Anthony walked toward the car, Miles opened the door for Kathy, then Anthony entered, and Kathy looked out the window after hearing Anthony talk about her father and stepsister. Anthony moved his face close to Kathy's, causing her to blush intensely and bite her lip.

"You're chewing on your lip once more. If you continue with that behavior, I won't be able to restrain myself, and you will become pregnant immediately.”

Kathy nodded to Anthony, who leaned back and pulled her close as they drove toward her father's house, the moving truck following behind them. For a while, neither spoke, letting the low hum of the engine and the rhythm of the tires fill the silence between them. Kathy's head rested against Anthony's shoulder, her breath evening out, as the city lights blurred past their windows — a quiet promise of a new beginning.

Outside, the sky shifted from dusk to midnight blue, and the glow of the dashboard painted gentle shadows on their faces. Anthony squeezed Kathy's hand gently, a silent reassurance as she gazed at the winding road ahead. The moving truck’s headlights glimmered in the rearview mirror—a reminder that their old life was packed up and trundling close behind, about to be exchanged for whatever awaited them at her father's house.

Inside the car, the warmth between them was a fragile balm against all the words that had been spoken and all the doubts left unspoken. Kathy closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the closeness, and Anthony pressed a soft kiss on her hair, determined that, no matter what shadows followed, they would face them together.