Chapter 1620
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
The womanâs rhetorical question left me completely stunned. Who the heck is this woman? Not only did
she seem to know Ashton, but she also sounded like she knew me well. Besides the face, thereâs
nothing about her that looked familiar to me. No matter how hard I try, I just canât figure out who she is.
âWho the heck are you?â There was no way I could keep my cool any longer at that moment, so Ashton
patted me on the shoulder to assure me that he had got the situation under control before chiming in,
âYouâll have to excuse my wife; Letty has always been a hothead. Please forgive her
straightforwardness.â
âYou saw how rude she was, so how can you simply ask me to forgive her? Does that sound
reasonable to you?â Obviously, the woman got a little upset because of what we said, but Nathaniel
quickly pinched her back to remind her to watch her manners.
âIâm going to have to ask you to do the same for Noraâs bluntness. Sheâs been abroad for quite a while,
so I guess thatâs where she picked up the character. She doesnât mean to offend you, of course.
Actually, I planned to introduce her to you the next time I visit, so imagine my surprise when I bumped
into you here,â explained Nathaniel disingenuously.
There was only one person that I knew named Nora, and that was Nora Oberick. I thought she was
killed in the explosion, wasnât she?
Even though I was looking straight at the womanâs face, I could not confirm if she was the Nora I knew.
Suddenly, the storekeeper brought a well-designed box over to Nathaniel. âHereâs your order, Mr. Hall.â
Instead of taking the box, Nathaniel turned to smile at us. âYou should take the cake. My treat.â
Because of the manâs offer, the storekeeper, too, turned to us with the box. âHereâs your cake, sir.â
âYou donât have to do that. I did nothing to deserve this.â With that, Ashton unceremoniously turned
down Nathanielâs generosity.
Still stuck with the box, the storekeeper found herself in an awkward position.
âYou worry too much. Itâs just a cake,â reminded Nathaniel nonchalantly.
Ashton remained silent for what felt like forever before finally breaking the ice. âThis is just the way I
am. You donât know Letty, just like you donât know me.â
The man then turned to me and put his arm around me. âNow that I think about it, the desserts made in
a bakery have way too much sugar in them anyway. Come on, letâs go home. Iâll make some for you
and Audrey myself.â
Since we drove all the way there only to end up not buying anything, I suspected that the cakes in the
bakery were never the reason why Ashton wanted to be there. With a look, the man gestured for me to
leave empty-handed with him.
However, as if he could not understand what Ashton was insinuating, Nathaniel continued to pretend
that he was a close friend. âI know how much you love your kids, so Iâm not going to take up more of
your time. Since Audrey likes desserts so much, Iâll be sure to remember to bring some over when I
visit.â
Ashton only gave the man a half-smile in response before walking out of the bakery with me.
âYou knew Nathaniel was going to be there, didnât you? Is that why you brought me there?â I
questioned Ashton as soon as we stepped into the car.
âNot exactly,â replied Ashton as he fired up the car with one hand and placed the other on the steering
wheel. âI knew he was going to be there today but not the exact time. We just got lucky.â
âWe shouldâve tried to find out who that woman is. We left too soon,â I stated while fiddling with my
fingers anxiously.
Even though bumping into my doppelganger saved me a lot of trouble, it also meant that I would face
plenty more in the future, so I had to be vigilant.
âYou already know who she is. Sheâs exactly who you think she is,â informed Ashton confidently.
Shocked, I stared at Ashton for a few seconds before finally breaking the silence. âNora Oberick?
Could it really be her?â
âYouâd rather she be someone else?â asked Ashton rhetorically.
âNo, of course not. But you and I both know that she was at the center of the explosion that day. There
was no way she couldâve survived.â