He Never Noticed Me Until I Loved Someone Else novel Chapter 85

Stella walked aimlessly down the street, eventually finding herself at the entrance of the old alleyway she and Logan used to visit all the time.

The Hearth Dessert Cafe, which had been open for over a decade, was still running. Warm, yellow light spilled through the glass windows, carrying the sweet scent of slow-cooked red beans. She walked in slowly.

The owner, the same cheerful lady who had managed the place for years, looked up and greeted her warmly. "Well, if it isn't the girl who loves red bean dessert but can't have dairy or eggs! Why are you here alone? Where's that handsome young man who always used to come with you?"

A lump formed in Stella's throat. She quickly made up an excuse to brush the question off.

She ordered a bowl of red bean dessert and found a quiet booth by the window.

Then, she opened the photo gallery on her phone. Hidden inside a password-protected folder were countless photos of her and Logan.

She honestly didn't hold out much hope for their meeting on Saturday. Once it was over, she planned to delete every single photo, along with all her memories.

"Hey, it's you. Are you okay?"

A clear, masculine voice suddenly broke her train of thought.

Stella looked up. Standing before her was a stylish young man dressed in an asymmetrical hoodie and casual pants. He exuded an effortless, attractive charm.

But Stella didn't recognize him at all and had no idea why he was talking to her.

She even glanced around to make sure he wasn't speaking to someone else.

"Pfft." The man suddenly let out a soft laugh.

That specific laugh jogged Stella's memory in an instant.

Outside the jewelry store last time, when she had broken down crying while feeding the stray cats, he was the guy who had laughed at her!

"Remember me now?"

The man's voice carried a hint of playful teasing. "Who bullied you into crying this time?"

Stella finally realized that fresh tears had silently tracked down her cheeks.

Just as Stella set her phone down, the man handed her a napkin and gestured to the corner of her eye. "You're crying again."

Stella had no idea why she had so many tears left to shed today. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she took the napkin.

"Thank you."

As she wiped her eyes, Stella brushed a loose strand of hair away from her forehead. The man stared at her face, slightly taken aback.

George had hit her hard, and Stella's skin bruised easily. She had purposely let her hair fall forward to hide the mark earlier, but she had accidentally exposed it. The man had definitely seen the handprint.

Stella quickly adjusted her hair to cover it up again.

"Are you a victim of domestic violence?" Sebastian asked point-blank.

In Sebastian's eyes, a woman sitting alone at a cafe at night, emotionally devastated, unable to stop crying, and terrified of making conversation with a strange man, was almost certainly dealing with severe relationship trauma.