Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 162

After hanging up the phone, Stephanie felt dazed for a long while.

Suddenly, she found herself thinking about Susan's fiftieth birthday.

That was the last birthday the whole family had celebrated with her. Not long after, her father and two brothers had their accident...

Stephanie closed her eyes, the image of their family blowing out the candles together still vivid in her mind.

But now, it was the Yates family throwing Susan's birthday party.

Stephanie stood alone on the balcony, her gaze drifting toward the horizon.

The winter wind was sharp, and the cold air on her cheeks brought a biting clarity.

The Obsidian Circle was situated on high ground, with the entire city sprawling beneath it. A carpet of lights, like scattered stars, stretched out before her.

Her eyes sought out the direction of the Jackson family estate.

After being adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez, she had never gone back.

That house held so many of their family's joyful memories. It was where she and her two brothers had grown up.

Gabriel was always so serious, constantly scolding her and Owen for making a mess in the garden.

Owen was studying medicine and loved planting all sorts of strange and exotic things in the garden, and she was always his happy accomplice.

Their mother would watch them from the side, smiling at their antics.

And in the yard, their father had built her a swing with his own hands.

But after all these years, the swing must have fallen into disrepair.

And the magnolia tree they had planted together by the gate—it must be quite tall by now.

A film of moisture began to cloud Stephanie's eyes.

The house was still there, but she could never go back.

Among the countless lights before her, not a single one shone for her.

A profound sense of loneliness washed over her, pressing in from all sides, wrapping her in its cold embrace.

If she were to vanish from the world, would anyone even notice she was gone...

Stephanie blinked, but soon, a new light sparked in her eyes.

She had to live on, carrying the hopes of her father and brothers.

Jonathan blinked at the large, yellow object that had suddenly appeared beside him.

He abruptly swiped a hand out, pushing the pillow down and flipping it over, pressing its smiling face into the sheets.

From the bathroom, the sound of the shower started. Jonathan's dark, narrow eyes half-closed as he was lost in thought.

Stephanie was halfway through her shower when she remembered she didn't have her towel or pajamas with her.

Standing under the running water, she puffed out her cheeks for a few seconds in thought, then wrapped herself in a bath towel.

Pushing open the bathroom door, she crept out, thinking that since Jonathan was asleep, he wouldn't see her anyway.

But just as she took a single step out, her eyes met his.

Jonathan was sitting up in bed, apparently scrolling through his phone. Hearing the door open, he'd looked up at her.

His gaze swept from her collarbone down to her delicate, pale ankles. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, as if shocked to see her wearing nothing but a towel.

Stephanie froze, her toes curling in embarrassment.

Wasn't he supposed to be asleep? When did he wake up?