"Who was knocking at the door just now?

" Fanny probably sensed my mood wasn't great and decided to change the subject.,

"Haley, the one who stopped me last time wanting to collaborate. She wanted to talk again, but I didn't entertain it,

" I said as I pulled back the curtains, only to see it had started to rain outside.,

"That woman, her child will be discharged from the hospital in a month. The kid is doing well, but she hasn't visited even once,

" Fanny mentioned the prematurely born child., I remembered the last time I saw the kid,

"That woman only cares about money. If Conrad decides to take the child now, she'd definitely cling to him.

",

"What does she want to collaborate with you for?

" Fanny suddenly asked.,

"I don't know, but it's definitely nothing good. That kind of woman brings trouble, and I'm clear-headed about that,

" I said firmly., Fanny got out of bed,

"Right, best to avoid trouble. But knowing her, she won't give up just because you've turned her down once or twice.

", Laughing it off, she went to the bathroom, and I decided to order breakfast online., After Fanny left, I headed over to the Wagner's., Conrad, Dustin, and Jacqueline were there., When Jacqueline saw me, she rushed over and examined my face.

"You look as pale as a ghost. You must be running on empty, haven't bounced back yet.

", Her eyes teared up as she spoke,

"Felicia, why don't you come stay with us? At least until you're feeling stronger, what do you say?

", That was the last thing I wanted!, How could I move back in?, Herschel noticed my discomfort and quickly came to my aid, saying,

"Let Felicia sit down first, standing around won't help her.

",

"Look at me, all worried,

" Jacqueline said as she led me to the couch and then went to the kitchen to get me some chicken soup. Herschel looked at me and sighed,

"You've lost a lot of weight. Is it health issues or something else?

", He understood me, but I wasn't planning on telling the whole truth. Mentioning health issues would make them feel guilty, and bringing up problems with Ernest would only lead to more questions., I offered a weak smile,

"Work's been crazy. Got this field project and I've been running around non-stop.

",

"We'll have to talk to Rad about, getting your boss to cut you somet, slack, came,

"Jacqueline said as sentent, back with the chicken soup. , Conrad chimed in right on cue,

"Her big boss is the Collins family.

", The room fell silent., It was Herschel who broke the ice,

"You and Ernest hit a rough patch?

", Last time, I could deceive them because I still believed Ernest and I could work things out. But now, that was off the table.,

"We broke up,

" I finally admitted.,

"Seriously?

" Jacqueline was surprised., I nodded slightly, and Conrad asked,

"Because of that Houston mess?

",

"Yeah,

" I said firmly., I wanted him to understand that it was his actions that drove Ernest and me apart, making it clear I bad no intentions of giving him another chance, even if he wanted one. ,

"Didn't you explain to him?

" Conrad pressed.,

"I did,

" I paused,

"I even begged him.

", The room fell into a deeper silence after my confession., I knew how shocking my words were to them, but I did it on purpose., They needed to understand how deeply I felt for Ernest, that my feelings were not easily replaced.,

"Come with me. I need to talk to you,

" Conrad said, standing up and walking out., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.