The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 658

"Yeah, our grandparents haven't been in the best of health, so she stayed in Cabinda a bit longer."

He answered calmly, his expression unchanged.

"So, you and Adel—"

"Eat." Catherine grabbed a cherry tomato and shoved it directly into her friend's mouth.

Lorinda let out a muffled sound as she was effectively silenced.

"Right, let's eat."

Harrell quickly picked up his fork. "Try this fish fillet. Freshly caught and sliced, it's amazing."

Reluctantly, Lorinda finally started eating.

"How's the new job?" Catching an opening, she shifted her concern back to Catherine.

"It's going well. Half days, so it's not too grueling."

Catherine smiled at her. "Don't worry about me, and definitely don't worry about Lanny. Alexa and Susan take great care of him while I'm at work."

She paused, glancing over at Lance before adding, "And he has been a huge help too."

What she didn't know was that while she was at work, Lanny was barely touched by the nannies.

Lance had been looking after the baby the entire time.

"You really ought to thank him then."

Harrell casually threw out the suggestion.

Catherine had lost count of how many times she’d verbally thanked him.

Pouring herself a glass of juice, she gently clinked it against his glass.

"I definitely should. Please accept this in lieu of wine, I hope you don't mind."

Setting his silverware down, his long, elegant fingers wrapped around his glass. "You can make it up to me with actual wine later."

She coughed violently, choking on her juice at his words.

The glass stalled halfway to his lips. Setting it down, he reached over and gently patted her back.

"It was just a joke, no need to get so worked up."

With his free hand, he grabbed a napkin and offered it to her.

The mood kept shifting—awkward one minute, delicate the next—a far cry from the lively dinner they had planned.

Luckily, Harrell and Lance finished quickly and retreated to the living room with Lanny and Jasper.

After a few drinks, a tipsy Lorinda clung to Catherine's hand, getting emotional.

"Remember back in college? We dreamed of buying a place in Cabinda and living together. Who would've thought we'd end up in Eldervale instead?"

She wrapped her arms around Catherine, resting her heavy head on her friend's shoulder.

Catherine absorbed the weight of her leaning body.

"Well, that dream somewhat came true, didn't it? You bought a house. Things change, there are always variables, but we made it to Eldervale, and we're still together."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sudden, damp warmth seeping through her shirt.

Huge tears soaked the fabric, sliding down her arm.

"I always thought we'd both find our real families, that we'd have wonderful parents. And if we didn't, we could just be each other's family. So why did things turn out like this?"

If she had known it would be this painful, she never would have come to Eldervale.