Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 179

She said softly, "I just never told him that part."

Hazel was taken aback for a moment. This was exactly the kind of calculating move Mrs. Garrison would pull. To protect Gideon, that woman was capable of any manipulation, including hiring a desperate girl to act as his personal blood bank.

She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Thank you, then."

"Don't mention it." Dawn shoved her hands back into the pockets of her denim jacket and shrugged. "I'm just doing the job I'm paid for."

She turned to leave but paused, looking back at Hazel over her shoulder.

"I'm just a little curious though. You clearly care about him a lot, so why do you pretend to be so cold?"

Hazel didn't answer. Her expression remained impassive. "That's none of your business."

Dawn shrugged again and faced forward. "Alright. I wasn't really planning on caring anyway. Just curious."

She took a few steps toward Gideon, and as she reached him, she got up on her tiptoes and smacked him playfully on the shoulder. Her voice bounced back to its usual cheerful volume.

"Let's go! You haven't finished shopping with me yet. I still want to check out that section over there. You can see your sister anytime, but who knows, I might not have much longer to live!"

Gideon's brows snapped together. He turned to her, sounding genuinely agitated. "What kind of nonsense is that? You're just a kid. Why do you always have to say such depressing things?"

Dawn just smiled, offering no explanation. Her eyes caught the glare of the mall's bright lights, making them look almost impossibly luminous.

In truth, her name wasn't actually Dawn. It was a name she had given herself.

She couldn't even remember her original name.

She had lost all her memories from before the orphanage. She didn't know how she ended up there or who she used to be. So she abandoned her past entirely and chose the name 'Dawn' for herself, hoping her own life would eventually see the break of day.

Chloe and Evelyn hurried out of the store to meet him. Chloe's face was still stained with poorly wiped tears. The second she saw Julian, she threw herself at him and clung to his arm.

"Julian, what took you so long? Evelyn and I were being bullied so badly!"

Julian frowned deeply. "Who's bullying you?"

Chloe's gaze cut through the crowd and locked directly onto Hazel's.

A flash of smug triumph crossed her eyes. She yanked Julian's arm and dragged him in their direction.

Julian let himself be pulled along. Evelyn trailed closely behind, her steps as poised and elegant as always. Chloe stopped right in front of Hazel, jutting her chin out aggressively.

"It's her. Hazel is the one bullying us." She pouted pitifully, turning her head to display the lingering red mark on her cheek. "Julian, look at my face. It's still swollen. Hazel slapped me."