After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 53

Lawrence’s hands slowed as he chopped vegetables, his gaze drifting to Catherine. She was sitting on the swing, eyes closed, letting herself sink into the gentle rise and fall. Watching her like that, he couldn’t help but smile.

At dinner, Catherine’s eyes sparkled as she looked over the dishes on the table. “These are all my favorites!”

“If you like them, have as much as you want.”

She grinned at him. “Lawrence, when did you learn to cook?”

“In the army,” he replied.

She leaned in, teasing, “Have you ever cooked for another girl?”

He shook his head, then smiled softly. “Just my mom.”

Catherine burst out laughing, her eyes turning into little crescent moons. She looked so pleased with his answer.

Lawrence ladled soup into a bowl and set it in front of her. “Besides dropping off the wedding gift, did you talk to your dad about anything else today?” His tone was gentle, careful.

Her hand paused on her spoon. After a heartbeat, she looked down and took a sip of soup, trying to sound casual. “Not really. I just handed him the card and left.”

Lawrence watched her for a moment, then decided not to push. He remembered the night she came home in tears. He already understood.

He picked up a piece of sweet and sour rib and placed it in her bowl. “Eat more.”

Catherine relaxed, quietly letting out the breath she’d been holding. She couldn’t let him know she’d walked away from almost two billion dollars just to be with him. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel like a burden.

When dinner ended, Catherine insisted on doing the dishes, but Lawrence joined her anyway. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her in an apron, struggling a little with the plates.

He asked, “There’s a tech summit next week. Want to go with me?”

She’d heard about the event and nodded right away. “Yeah! Let’s go together.”

Waldo dropped into a chair, looking defeated. He didn’t even touch the food. Instead, he twisted open a beer and took a long drink.

Shirley watched him, concern in her eyes. “Is something bothering you?” She’d seen Catherine’s resume too, but decided to play dumb. No matter how incredible Catherine was, she didn’t belong to Waldo anymore. Now it was Lawrence who’d managed to win her over.

Waldo stared at his beer, pain flickering in his eyes. “Shirley, did you know? Catherine… she lied to us.”

Shirley widened her eyes, pretending to be shocked. “Really? What did she lie about?”

He took another swig of beer, his voice rough. “Back when she went abroad, she didn’t study art. She went to Veridian and majored in AI. She got a PhD. She published three major papers in international journals… We had no idea. She hid everything from us.”

Shirley set her chopsticks down, staring at him as if she couldn’t believe it. “What? Catherine’s that talented? Why would she keep it a secret?”

Waldo slammed his beer on the table, rubbing at his temples in frustration. “Because she never cared about me.”