My heart stirred with emotion. Even though I wasn’t their daughter, Peter and Michelle treated me with the same care and love as if I were their own daughter.


    They had truly epted me as family. I still remembered Alvin’s older brother, Philip Dolton, joking that ever since I moved in, both he and Alvin had lost their parents’ favor.


    Jasmine was right-it was easy to break up with Alvin, but cutting ties with the Dolton family was another story entirely.


    I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.


    All eyes turned to me as I stepped inside. Michelle immediately got up and came over. “Zoe, you’re back. We’ve been waiting for you to eat.”


    “Michelle, Peter,” I greeted them, and Alvin, who had been nudged by Peter, got up and walked over.


    He took my bag from me. “Why are you sote?”


    “I was ying pool for a bit,” I said. I knew Oscar would probably tell him about our meeting, so I didn’t see any point in hiding it.


    Alvin frowned. “Next time, call me if you’re going. I don’t like you doing things like that without me.”


    He wasn’t a fan of me having fun without him, especially if it meant hanging out with his brothers behind his back.


    Yet, he had no problem getting cozy with Thea and even gave her the supplementary card he had never given me.


    I didn’t reply, just walked toward the bathroom. Alvin followed me. “What’s wrong?”


    “Nothing, I’m fine,” I said, washing my hands, shing him a smile in the mirror.


    “Zoe, I’ve already exined. Don’t make a big deal out of this,” he said, and I lowered my gaze.


    I scrubbed my fingers. My left middle finger had a small dent in it, a scar from four years ago when Alvin had gotten drunk and gotten into a fight. I tried to pull him away, and in the process, I got scratched.


    A chunk of flesh had been torn off at the time, and though the wound healed, the spot still had a noticeable indentation.


    Alvin had promised he would fill it with the biggest diamond, but here I was, still waiting for that diamond-and still waiting for him.


    “Today, I saw Thea. She paid using your supplementary card,” I said, my voice cutting through the sound of running water.


    Alvin stiffened. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s because her inws med her for Benjamin’s death and cut off all her cards. She had no choice but to use mine.”


    I turned off the faucet and faced him. “Alvin, do you owe Thea or Benjamin something?”


    His eyes flickered, and I saw his veins bulge on his forehead. “What are you talking about?”


    “If not, I pressed, “then why are you treating Thea so differently? Or…” I thought about the gossip on Myra’s phone, “did something happen between you two back in college?”


    “Zoe!” Alvin snapped, his voice cold with anger. “Are you investigating me?”


    Seeing his fury, I gave a faint smile. “You do know the video of you hugging her at the office is all over the ce, right?


    “Even your parents know about it. You really think the gossip at work doesn’t matter? With the inte today, it’s easy to dig up dirt.”


    Alvin fell silent. I could tell from his expression that there really was something between him and Thea.


    “There was nothing between us back then,” he quickly denied.


    I listened carefully, sensing the hesitation in his words. “So what you’re saying is… there’s something now?”


    Alvin’s eyes betrayed a clear sense of panic. He grabbed my still-wet hand tightly. “Zoe, please don’t jump to conclusions, alright? I told you, once she has the baby, I swear I won’t have anything to do with her anymore.”