Chapter 88 Chapter 30.1
HEAVEN’S POV
I called my secretary and asked her to bring drinks for Erick and me. While she was gone, Erick made himself comfortable on the sofa, his gaze immediately drifting toward the paper bags Desmond had left behind. I moved quietly, taking plates and utensils from the cabinet because he had already mentioned that he was hungry.
“Did you cook all of this?” Erick asked, his tone casual but curious.
I hesitated for half a second. I couldn’t tell him the truth—that the food was cooked by my ex-husband, the same man who had just shaken my already fragile heart. I knew Erick well enough to know that once his curiosity was sparked, he wouldn’t stop asking questions until he was satisfied.
“I bought it outside,” I replied instead, forcing my voice to sound natural.
I returned to the sofa and handed him his plate and spoon. He didn’t question my answer and immediately began eating, clearly enjoying himself. I let him. I allowed him to eat the food Desmond had prepared for me.
I picked up the flowers Erick had given me earlier and arranged them carefully in my vases, placing them around the office the way I always did. Desmond’s bouquet, however, remained on the table. I planned to take it home later and display it in my condo’s living room. I didn’t want to leave it behind.
“Heaven.”
I turned toward the door when it suddenly opened.
My breath caught when I saw Desmond standing there.
He had come back.
His eyes immediately locked onto Erick, who was still eating the food he had cooked. Then Desmond looked at me. I instinctively avoided his gaze.
“What do you need?” I asked, continuing to arrange the flowers as if his presence didn’t affect me at all.
“Is it good?” Desmond asked, directing the question at Erick.
I picked up the vase and flowers and walked toward the sofa, deliberately ignoring the tension in the air. I didn’t like the tone of Desmond’s voice—it was sharp, restrained, and dangerous.
“Hmmm,” Erick hummed, still not looking at him. “Where did you buy this, babe?”
I heard Desmond let out a short, humorless laugh. I could feel his irritation radiating through the room. His eyes shifted to the flowers I was arranging, then to the bouquet he had given me, which was still resting on the table.
His jaw clenched.
Without another word, he turned and slammed the door shut.
I blinked, stunned.
Did he just get angry?
Why? What was he angry about? What did he need? Why did he even come back?
I shook my head, trying to brush it off.
“What was his problem?” Erick asked curiously. “I thought he had something to say. Why did he suddenly leave?”
I shook my head again.
“Don’t mind him,” I said lightly. “Finish your food.”
The afternoon passed quickly. When it was time to leave, I gathered my things and picked up the bouquet Desmond had given me. He hadn’t returned since earlier, and I didn’t bother thinking about it anymore.
I handed the bouquet to my secretary and asked her to place it in my car. Then I went back inside my office after realizing I had forgotten my phone.
I had just picked it up and was about to leave when the door suddenly opened again.
I jumped when Desmond walked in.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my brows knitting together.
His face was dark with anger.
“I cooked your favorite dishes for you—not for you to feed them to that starving man,” he snapped. “Do you like the rose he gave you more than the one I gave you? You fed my food to him, and then you handed my flowers to your secretary?”
His words came out sharp and heavy. I stepped back instinctively until my back hit the cold wall.
“What business is it of yours?” I shot back. “You gave those to me, didn’t you? I can do whatever I want with them.”
I didn’t admit the truth. I didn’t correct him.
“Why?!” Desmond shouted, his jaw tightening. “I could have accepted it if you had rejected my gifts outright.”
“You’re angry because I let someone else eat the food you cooked and because I gave the bouquet you gave me to my secretary?” I snapped. “Don’t I have the right to do that? If this is how you’re going to react, then don’t give me anything next time. I didn’t ask you to give me anything in the first place.”
His brows were still furrowed, but his expression slowly softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice suddenly calm as he took a step back. “I know I hurt you before, and it’s nothing compared to what I’m feeling now. I’m sorry I got angry. I put effort into cooking your favorite food and finding your favorite flowers.”
He looked at me intently.
“I want you back, Heaven. I want to fix what we broke. Since you left, you’ve never once left my mind. If you don’t believe me, I had you searched for.” He paused. “Do you love that guy?”
Was he jealous of Erick?
If I said yes, would he finally leave me alone?
“You don’t have the right to know anything about my personal life, Desmond,” I said firmly. “If you can’t move on, then stop bothering me. I forgot you a long time ago. I’ve accepted that you only loved me because I got pregnant.”
He shook his head, but I looked away when I saw the sadness in his eyes. I didn’t want to be swayed by his sweet words again. I didn’t want to get hurt because of him—ever again.
“I won’t stop until I have you back, Heaven,” he said quietly. “See you tomorrow.”
I stared at him, stunned, but he had already turned away and left my office.
Tomorrow?
What did he mean by that?
I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I was afraid to believe him. What if he was only doing this to get back at me for leaving him?
Part of me wanted to trust him—to believe his explanations, his sincerity—but another part of me was screaming not to. Something deep inside me was stopping me from going back to Desmond.
If I returned to him, then what was the point of leaving in the first place?
Erick had been courting me for six months now. If I accepted him and Desmond found out that I had a boyfriend, would he finally leave me alone?
I was terrified of becoming weak again because of Desmond. I didn’t want to give in to him. What if he already knew about Daryl and was only pretending to get close to me? What if he planned to take my child away from me?
I felt like I was walking on air as I left the office.
When I got into my car, my eyes immediately fell on the bouquet Desmond had given me on the passenger seat.
Did he see me hand it to my secretary? Did he think I had given it away?
I stared at the flowers.
I loved Juliet roses because they bloomed so rarely. They were expensive and hard to find.
Why would I waste something like that?