The doctor gave Tessa a shot and some new medication after checking her

condition. After hearing how Tessa would recover by tomorrow, Sienna sighed in relief. “Her annual holiday will start the day after tomorrow. She can actually enjoy her break now.”

…

A day before the start of Tessa’s annual holiday, she heard firecrackers being set off outside her apartment. The atmosphere was lively and raucous.

Tessa stayed in bed until she woke up naturally. When she checked her phone, she noticed she had a few missed calls from Samuel, Marianne, Naomi, and Sienna. She was certain that they had called her to ask about her condition.

Tessa returned Samuel’s call and told him that she would be returning to the Yates residence later.

“Tessa, do you want to eat lunch with us? We can wait for you.”

She glanced at the time on her phone. It was 11:00 am, so there was enough time for her to return to the Yates residence to have lunch with them. “Alright,” she answered.

…

Tessa drove her car into the villa area and toward the Yates residence. A familiar- looking Cullinan appeared in her line of sight. She looked at the car plate number and confirmed that it was indeed Stephen’s car. It was inevitable that she would pass by the Jacobson residence on her way home since they were neighbors.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as her heart stung.

A feast had been prepared for the Yates family lunch. Other than some of Tessa’s favorite dishes, there were also lobsters, king crabs, coral groupers, and all sorts of other seafood dishes.

Tessa handed the gift she had prepared to Seline. “Seline, this is a gift for you.”

Seline accepted it happily. Meanwhile, Samuel had also prepared gifts for both Tessa and Seline. “A gift for the adult child, and a gift for the young child. Everyone gets a gift.”

Tessa’s eyes crinkled into crescents. “So as an adult child, I still get gifts too?”

“You’ll always be a child in my eyes,” Samuel answered cheekily. “As long as I’m still around, you can always get gifts from me, Tessa.”

Tessa could feel tears welling up in her eyes. “When did you become such a sweet talker, Dad?”

Marianne stood to the side with a smile on her face. “Your dad’s right, Tessa.”

They enjoyed tunch together. After finishing their meal, Tessa held Seline’s hand as they strolled around the garden and chatted with each other When she lifted her head, she noticed a woman standing in the garden of the villa opposite theirs. It wás Nancy.

Tessa was stunned on the spot. Noticing how Tessa had stopped in her tracks, Seline lifted her head and blinked her big, bright eyes at her. She asked, “What’s wrong, Tessa?”

Feeling like her entire body had frozen, Tessa could only purse her lips as she stared at Nancy. Nancy had also noticed Tessa and waved at her, shooting her a charming smile.

Tessa felt like Nancy’s smile had blinded her. She was still frozen in place, so she didn’t return Nancy’s greeting, Stephen exited from the villa shortly after Nancy waved at Tessa. As a result, she turned to look at Stephen, looking like she was telling him something and pointing at Tessa.

Realizing what Nancy was up to, Tessa sucked in a sharp breath. In the next second, Stephen turned to look in her direction. Their eyes met across the short distance that separated them.

The biting January wind of

Rivertown carried a chill that could seep right into one’s bones. It blew past her, burrowing into her collar and sleeves to settle within her freezing her to the core. He only looked at Tessa for a short moment before he shifted his gaze away. Lowering his head, he whispered something to Nancy before they retreated back into the villa.

Since Stephen had brought Nancy home to officially meet his parents, did it mean that he was planning to get engaged to her? Pain pierced Tessa’s heart over and over again.

A month had passed since Tessa broke up with Stephen, and she had assumed she had gotten over him. However, from the moment she noticed Nancy standing in the garden of the Jacobson residence, Tessa knew that she hadn’t truly given up on him.