Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 421

When Rebecca and Stephen showed up at Dr. Palmer’s place with gifts in hand, only Liana was home.

It was graduation day for a bunch of departments, and Dr. Palmer was out giving a commencement speech. He hadn’t made it back yet.

Liana grinned and ushered them inside. “Welcome. We’ve been missing you.”

She poured them each a glass of water, then immediately called Dr. Palmer. Her voice rang out clear and loud. “Hey, hurry back. Rebecca and Stephen are here to see you.”

Rebecca and Stephen glanced at each other, a little amused as they sat on the sofa.

Hanging up, Liana gave them another bright smile. “Just make yourselves comfortable. I’m heading out for some groceries. If there’s anything you want to eat, tell me now and I’ll grab it.”

Rebecca felt a bit awkward. “Liana, really, you don’t have to do anything special. We’re not picky. Anything is fine.”

Liana looked at Rebecca and then at Stephen. “I know you aren’t, Rebecca, but Stephen here is a different story. If he doesn’t like the food, he’d rather go hungry than force himself.”

Rebecca stared at Stephen in disbelief.

She thought back to their dates. She always picked the restaurant and the dishes, and he’d never complained once.

Stephen rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed. “Do you have to call me out like that?”

Liana just laughed, grabbed her shopping bag and wallet, and headed out, leaving the two of them alone in the living room.

Rebecca turned to Stephen, her tone serious. “Did you really like everything I ordered when we went out?”

Stephen nodded. “I honestly did.”

Rebecca propped her chin on her hand. “You’re not just saying that?”

He smiled, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “I mean it.”

Stephen hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder to look at the picture with her. “Yeah, that’s my uncle, my mom, and my grandparents.”

Now that she looked, Dr. Palmer and Mrs. Duncan did look alike. But then, something struck her.

Rebecca frowned a little. “How come your mom and Dr. Palmer have different last names?”

It was sort of a private family thing, but Stephen didn’t hesitate.

“My mom was adopted. She was the only child of one of my grandfather’s friends, and after her parents passed, my grandparents took her in. My grandfather didn’t want his friend’s family name to disappear, so he kept her original last name. Even with different names, she was always close with my grandparents and my uncle. People who didn’t know would never guess they weren’t related by blood.”

“When my uncle was younger, he was a bit of a rebel. He didn’t follow the path my grandfather set for him, so things were tense between them for a long time. My mom was the peacemaker. She kept the family from falling apart.”

Rebecca let the surprise settle, then nodded. “I get it now.”

She put the photo back and was about to look around some more, but Stephen just hugged her tighter from behind, refusing to let go, holding onto her like he never wanted to be anywhere else.