Ellinor chuckled lightly. âWhat brings you here so early, Bryan?â
Bryan shrugged. âNothing major. Didnât we agree yesterday that I would come to the Blanchet familyâs house to see you and the kids? Iâm still jet-lagged and couldnât sleep at all last night. Iâm tired this morning, but if I sleep now, Iâll never adjust to the local time. So, I figured Iâd come over early, wait for you to finish work, and then we could go pick up the kids together. I havenât seen my niece and nephews for three years.â
Ellinor glanced at him. âArenât you supposed to start working at the Howard Group? Mr. Howard did assign you there, didnât he?â
Bryan frowned. âMy brother did plan to position me in the company, but I just got back to the country.
Shouldnât I have some time to adjust?â
Ellinor thought about it and agreed. She sat down and took a sip of her coffee. âSpeaking of which, I havenât asked you yet. What was up with you yesterday? Are you running after Ida again?â
At the mention of Ida, Bryanâs face showed a complex expression. He leaned back, looking nonchalant.
âI didnât go after her. I just happened to bump into her at a business event, so we had a chat.â
Ellinor squinted. âWhen you say âchat, do you mean what think you mean?â
Bryan dismissed it. âWeâre both adults. What else could a chat be? Ellinor, donât meddle in my affairs with her. Weâre all grown-ups, and weâre capable of taking responsibility for our actions.â
Ellinor observed Bryan, noting he had changed a lot.
She sipped her coffee and hummed. âCanât any of you take relationships seriously?â
âDoes being serious guarantee a positive outcome? You were serious about Theo, but youâre still raising your children alone.â
Ellinorâs hand, which was holding the coffee cup, froze, and her face darkened.
Realizing his blunder, Bryan straightened up. âEllinor, I didnât mean that Theo abandoned you.â
Ellinor still looked a bit angry..
Bryan felt like his attempts to explain himself were just making things worse. He scratched his head.
âMaybe I should just stop talking.â
Ellinor found her smile again. âMaybe youâre right. Perhaps itâs because I took things too seriously and wanted things to work out so badly that I missed out on many opportunities to get along well with him.
People should live in the moment. If youâre happy, then thatâs enough. I should learn from you guys.â
Bryan was at a loss for words.
Ellinorâs smile made Bryan feel even more uncomfortable. He sensed she was putting on a brave face, but he couldnât pinpoint anything specific.
âEllinor, I really didnât mean any of that.â
Ellinorâs laughter and reflections came from deep within. She didnât think Theo had abandoned her.
She just regretted that she had always avoided him during tough times.
If she hadnât been so serious, perhaps today she would have more memories to look back on.
Now, every dark night, she would replay every moment between her and Theo, from their first meeting to their separation. The replay would end quickly, leaving her with long, dark nights and endless searching and waiting.
If she had more memories, her nights might be a little more filled.
Ellinor came back to reality. âAlright, I have a meeting soon. If you have nothing else to do, why not take a stroll in the nearby mall?â