He'd switched to a T-shirt and cargo pants. It seemed he dug this look, rocking it like a secret agent, looking handsome. Besides his built physique, I guessed his regular workouts played a part. I remembered catching him doing push-ups in the wee hours last night. I must admit his form was impeccable.,

"What are you staring at? Let's eat.

" Ernest caught my gaze, nudging me back to the present., I sipped the beef stew Ernest cooked and couldn't resist probing,

"Hit the gym much?

", He served me the side dish.

"Nah, I train solo.

",

"No wonder your push-ups are so on point,

" I blurted out before I could catch myself., Ernest paused, then looked down. I figured he'd be embarrassed about getting caught, but instead he just casually asked,

"You saw that?

", It was my turn to clam up, so I focused on my stew., Ernest's cooking skills were top-notch. I wasn't usually a stew person. But the beef stew had me reevaluating my life choices.,

"Ernest, if engineering doesn't work out, you've got a future as a chef,

" I praised him. After saying that, I chuckled and added,

"Either way, you're master-level.

", Ernest nodded.

"Deal.

", I laughed.

"Ernest, you're okay with anything I say, huh?

",

"A man should always listen to his girl,

" Ernest's response caught me off guard, my cheeks flushing., Ernest chuckled softly, and I playfully punched him, only to hear him whisper,

"Licia, you look cute when you blush.

",

"Oh, please stop it,

" I reached to cover his mouth., But Ernest dodged, teasing me further,

"But it's true.

",

"Come on, cut me some slack...

" I protested in mock annoyance., Right in the middle of our playful banter, my phone rang. I had realized phones were a blessing and a curse when they interrupt moments like these., I pulled my phone from Ernest's embrace, seeing the name Conrad flash on the screen., Thank goodness I had changed Conrad's contact name from

"Honey

" to his name. Otherwise, Ernest might get the wrong idea seeing it.,

"Go ahead. Take the call,

" Ernest let me go and started clearing the table., Watching Ernest bustling around, I answered the call,

"Hello.

", The cold word seemed to stun Conrad on the other end., I knew he had heard me, probably taken aback by my frosty greeting.,

"Mr. Wagner, if you need anything, just say it,

" I prompted again.,

"Did we ever buy an insurance policy together?

" Conrad finally spoke up., His question reminded me of an event four years ago, a promotional stunt by an insurance company offering

"love insurance

" for couples. If the couple got married, the payout doubled. If they broke up, the policy was void., Now that Conrad and I were divorced, the policy was as good as dead. I wasn't sure why he was bringing it up., I didn't question him but just stated the facts.

"We did, but it's void now.

",

"Void?

" Conrad sounded genuinely surprised., I was about to explain why when Ernest called out,

"Licia, I got some milk for you. Wanna take it for the road or have it now?

", I wasn't sure if Ernest did that on purpose, but Conrad must have overheard because he asked,

"You're living with Ernest?

", His tone was a mix of shock and anger, to which I retorted,

"You can keep your mistresses, and why can't I live with my boyfriend?

" Conrad fell silent and hung up., I stood there, dazed, before heading outside, where Ernest was holding the milk, suggesting,

"Maybe you can have it on the way.

" Considering how his earlier comment must have hit Conrad, I called out to him,

"Ernest.

",

"Yeah?

" He looked at me., I stepped closer, right in front of him., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.