Since She Met Lucian

"Wouldn't Lucian think it unusual that you and Jonny are living apart like this?" Courtney asked the question that Amelia feared the most.

She had already made a decision regarding this. She didn't think that it was a good idea to continue staying at Jonny's villa so she moved out. She only had thoughts about working hard for her and her baby's future.

"We may not be living together but we're still a couple," Amelia confessed.

"Sometimes, I really don't get what goes on in your head, Amelia. To be honest, it would've been better for you to have stayed with Jonny than live alone like this. You always surprise me by doing things first and only telling me afterwards when the deed is done." Courtney sighed at the end of the line. She added, "It's not wrong to choose to be independent. Look at Kent! He once promised me a bright future together, and look at what happened? He's a father now, just like that!"

Courtney hadn't mentioned Kent in a while and Amelia thought that she had already gotten over him. Hearing her talk about him again made Amelia realize that Courtney had only been pretending to be strong, when in fact, her heart had clearly not forgotten him.

"Just try to look ahead, Courtney. Better things will come," said Amelia, sounding optimistic. But she did believe in her heart that better things were in store for her friend.

Just like Courtney and Kent, she and Lucian could never go back to the way they were. Shelly dropped by that day to make Amelia cut off all contact with Lucian. She told her flatly to stay out of their lives.

Amelia had no intention of interfering with their lives, and she had an inkling that Lucian felt the same. It was as if their love was a treasure that they had to bury deep into the earth.

After a long chat with Courtney, Amelia sent Jonny a message to make him feel at ease.

The next morning, Amelia woke up early to get to work on time. She had been experiencing morning sickness recently, but she felt better that day.

She felt lost in the sea of new faces during her first day at work. It was lucky that a colleague showed her around and guided her as she started to familiarize herself with the whole morning routine.

Her name was Maggie Wang. She was thin, tall, and looked like she was in her thirties. She didn't smile once as she showed Amelia around. She only talked about work and never showed interest in getting to know her on a personal level.

"You're Amelia, right?" Upstairs, there was a break room and a small cafeteria for the supermarket's staff. Every noon, the employees were given an hour for lunch and in order to save money, Amelia chose to eat at the cafeteria. Maggie took the seat opposite hers and smiled at her for the first time.

Amelia relaxed after seeing Maggie's friendly expression. Returning her smile, she replied, "Yes! Thank you for walking me through the whole work routine earlier."

Maggie said it was nothing and continued warmly, "You look like you're the smartest among everyone here. You'll save me a lot of trouble."

"Really?" The compliment made Amelia blush. She looked around the cafeteria and realized that there was only the two of them in the room. She asked, "There are twenty people manning this supermarket, right? Why are we the only ones having lunch here?"

Amelia was still feeling shy around Maggie.

the same question when I started working here because I would always eat alone," Maggie answered, "The rest of the staff live around the neighborhood, so they

Amelia replied

older than you but you can call me

and talked immediately changed Amelia's

stations. Their other colleagues also seemed scared of her because of her standoffish behavior. But conversing with her then, Amelia found

Maggie," Amelia mentioned her name

I wasn't this friendly earlier when I was showing you around," Maggie casually mentioned in between

an awkward smile, she denied, "Oh, no. It's just that I've always been meticulous at work. I'm just worried that I

been one of Amelia's

normal for you to think that way. I've been in your place before and I completely understand. But if you have any questions about the work here, you can always just ask me," Maggie said after draining her

herself lucky for finding someone like Maggie at work. Her gratitude for her kindness made Amelia less

the supermarket. She wanted to cook dinner for Mrs. Chen once

a few steps away from her rented house when she saw a tall,

mistaken. It

she knew she would recognize him even with a passing glance. Seeing him standing there stirred up

a bit different from the other houses

gate and the patch of yard. Colorful flowers would bloom during April, but the ancient trees remained emerald green all year round. The walls of the residence were

long lingering look before

could tell that Lucian bore a grudge

I'm here," Lucian said coldly once he

knew that Lucian had a wide range of contacts so it wouldn't be difficult for

was in crisis, Lucian had been distracted by the company's problems, affording her the chance to leave and lie low. She had evaded his pursuit by staying indoors

Mr. Lucian?" Amelia

in front of her stood in a perfectly tailored suit that only made

looked even more handsome. She had always found him irresistible whenever

him with admiration but

me, Amelia?" Lucian mocked. Everything about him was cold,

opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to

her embarrassment.

to Lucian that she had lost more weight. Her face looked tired and