The Returning Ex

Sophia stared intently at the family of three, all the while being reminded of the fact that she used to want a life like the one they led. Unfortunately, nobody was there to fend for her in the past, nor did she have someone whom she wanted to fend for. The child chuckled, while the mother followed suit. Despite his stoic expression, the father’s eyes were gleaming with joy.

Sophia quickly averted her gaze, but as soon as she did, a man standing not too far away from her came into view. The scene reminded her of back when she wanted to scale the walls, only to see him watching her while standing under a tree.

Dylan approached her upon noticing that Sophia had seen him. “Why are you here alone?”

Sophia examined him before saying, “I could ask the same of you.”

Dylan sat down beside her before saying, “My dad’s birthday is coming soon, so I came to buy him a present.”

His reply startled her, which made her stammer, “Your dad—Hold on, you mean, Uncle Owen will be celebrating his birthday?”

A chuckle escaped Dylan. “Yeah, did John not tell you? His birthday is one week away, so the household might be hosting a celebration.”

shop, so I might’ve missed out on it when he

she said, Dylan grunted in response. “Now that I’ve told

she replied, “Yeah, I’ll try to make time.” However, she wasn’t sure if the Constances celebrated their elders’ birthdays together with the entire household during a banquet, as they weren’t on the best terms with each other, so if they happened to decide to not speak to each other during gatherings, things would turn out

quest in the mall, Dylan looked toward Sophia while asking, “Can you provide some suggestions

of suggestion does he want from me? Does it have to

to dismiss the idea, as she assumed that whatever a country girl like her picked out wouldn’t suit Owen’s taste anyway, but Dylan seemed to think it was a great idea. Thus, he stood while saying, “Come on, let’s take a look inside since you’re alone anyway.” Without giving her a chance to turn him down, Dylan headed straight

in an attempt to stop him, but to no avail. A frown formed on Sophia’s face as she mumbled, “Where I come from, we need only bring a few kilograms of pork to the birthday boy or girl’s house, so who the heck knows what you

laughing matter, so the both of them entered the gift section as if they were ready for a tough battle. Not even Dylan knew what to

her as he asked, “Do you have

him a shrug before telling him the truth as she perceived, as she liked nothing in the gifts section. While casting a glance at Dylan, she said, “I suppose Uncle Owen isn’t in need of anything,

her words, which he realized to hold some truth. A family like his wasn’t lacking anything in the material sense, as they

John, so I think your parents would be delighted if you brought with you a girlfriend.” She went on to