Chapter 110 Strange Man
Chapter 110 Strange Man
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“It’s kind of bold, but I have to say this. You look just like somebody that I used to know. Can I ask where you’re from? If that’s okay?”
Dawn thought it sounded like one of those cheap lines guys threw around at bars, yet when her eyes met his, she felt the weight behind it. He wasn’t joking.
“Trifton,” she said.
“Trifton…”
He repeated it as though he were rolling the word on his tongue, testing its shape, searching it for answers. Then the fire in his gaze faded. His shoulders dipped, and a long breath slipped from his chest. His smile twisted, sharp at the edges.
“Sorry. I thought you were someone else. Makes sense though. She told me once she never wanted kids, so there’s no way you’d be hers.”
“It’s alright,” Dawn said, her voice gentle.
His mood dropped fast, and she could almost feel it pulling the air around him down too. Before she could stop herself, the question slipped out: “Was she family?”
“No.” Andy Kelsinger lifted his whiskey and downed the rest in one slow pull. His eyes turned ssy, and his words sank lower, almost like he was whispering only to himself. “She wasn’t family. She was more than that. More than anyone ever was. After that night … I never saw her again.”
The words carried a hollowness that tightened Dawn’s chest.
She pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
For now, he was just a man drowning in memory. He knew some people weren’t meant to stay in your life. Some burned so bright you only got one chance to meet them. To expect more was greedy.
He straightened, forced his thoughts back into order, and lifted his hand to g another drink.
“What should I call you?” he asked.
“Porter,” Dawn answered.
(
“Then forgive me, Ms. Porter, for my slip. Let me make it up to you.”
<b>17:26 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>18 </b><b>N </b>
Chapter 110 Strange Man
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He raised his ss when it came, finished it in one pull, and set it down without a tremor. “My name is Andy Kelsinger. Here’s my card. If you ever need anything, reach out to me.”
Dawn opened her mouth to refuse, but he didn’t give her the chance. He ced the card on the table, stood, and left with quick, sure steps.
She sat staring at it until Linda bounced back to her seat. Linda snatched the card squinted at it.
up
and
“Andy Kelsinger,” she read, breaking the sybles apart.
Her eyes lit up.
“Wow, Dawn. I leave for five minutes and you already snagged a big shot.”
Dawn shook her head, sipping her juice. “It wasn’t flirting. More like damage control.”
If he really was important, she figured he just didn’t want any rumors about tonight. ying it safe made sense.
She nodded once, then looked at the card again. “If you like it so much, keep it.”
“I don’t want <i>it</i>!”
Linda wrinkled her nose and tossed it back.
But then she froze, thought it through, and shoved the card right into Dawn’s hand. “No way. He’s the most famous pigment artist in the country. Hold on to it–you might need him one day.”
By the time they left, Dawn had drunk more than usual. Heat lingered in her cheeks, and her head felt light. Thankfully, Linda had ordered a driver. The car moved smooth as water, and Dawn’s stomach stayed calm.
Linda passed out almost as <i>soon </i>as she sat down. The only sound left was the GPS voice cutting through the quiet.
Dawn leaned against the window, her eyes drifting over the city.
Northville stretched wide and endless, humming with life.
The streets brimmed with people running toward their dreams. Some sprinted like the future was waiting just ahead. Others stumbled, dragging heavy shadows behind them.
Her mind wandered with the skyline.
<b>17:26 </b><b>Thu</b>, <b>Sep </b>18 <b>N </b>
Chapter 110 Strange Man
Then her phone rang, cutting through the silence.
<b>56 </b>
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She answered, pressing the cool ss against her forehead. “Hello.”
A deep voice, steady and warm, came through. “It’s me.”
Her lips curved without thinking. “I know.”
“You heading home?”
“Still in the car.”
At that moment, Ethan sat alone in his car outside a downtown club, the neon lights bleeding across his windshield. The glow painted his face, and in the reflection of the ss, his dark eyes looked endless.
For a moment, he let himself imagine her sitting next to him, smiling in that quiet way only she could.
“What about Linda?” he asked.
“Out cold. She drank a ton. I had no idea this job came with so much drinking.”
She had a drawl, most likely from drinking more than usual, and her voice was lower than usual.
“And you?”
“I wasn’t going to be a party pooper, so I had a few drinks,” she said, puffing her cheeks.
“Not as much as her though.”
Her voice, light with the haze of alcohol, softened something in him. The weight he carried all day eased. “When you get home, have Hannah make you a hangover drink. Leave a ss of water by your bed. You’ll wake up thirsty.” <fn8135> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? find{n}ovel</fn8135>
She didn’t answer right away. A softugh slipped through instead.
“Dawn?”
“Yeah?<b>” </b>
She licked her lips, knowing what he was wondering. “I just realized how nice you’ve been to me all this time.”
17:26 <b>Thu</b>, <b>Sep </b>18 N
Chapter 110 Strange Man
Silence filled the line.
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Dawn leaned her forehead against the window. Her breath fogged a small circle on the ss, and she lifted a finger to trace a heart inside it.
Her voice came quiet, almost like she was talking to the one person she trusted most.
“You know, when I was little, my parents loved me so much. I think life thought I was too lucky, so it took everything away. It all ended when I was eight.”