Avery slept so well and only woke up when it was past seven in the morning.
Unlike Ackleton, Livingsfill was pretty noisy in the morning, as the houses were only a few meters away from the street. It was already bustling in the early morning.
Avery woke up after hearing the noise.
Glancing around the empty room, she realized she was alone on the tiny bed. The window was open, and the air conditioner was switched off.
Despite feeling unwell from her period, she had the best sleep last night over the past few days.
Avery scrambled off the bed and took her phone. The time was past seven o'clock in the morning.
Where could Cayden be?
When she went to the restroom to change her sanitary pad, the owner's wife happened to walk past her and greeted her. “You're up early. Your husband is smoking outside.”
Avery nodded in a daze.
Her “husband” was obviously referring to Cayden.
After washing up, Avery planned to have breakfast with him before departing to Ackleton.
Blake wasn't in Livingsfill. There was no way he'd come back here.
After calming down, she could ponder over Blake's disappearance in a rational manner. Something told her Blake didn't run away from home.
If Grandpa ran away from home, then he must be doing this to relieve my burden. But why does he want to relieve my burden? I guess he feels bad for me when he sees me working hard to make ends meet. However, a loving grandpa like him wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, for he knows I'll worry about him.
By now, Avery was certain that Blake didn't run away from home.
Did he lose his way and couldn't find his way home? Or did something else happen...
She dared not imagine the answer.
Cayden was right, for no news is good news.
After finishing his cigarette, Cayden came into the inn.
Avery stood beside him as they checked out of their room. They then went to a nearby breakfast stall.
Avery took a seat while he went to order some coffee and donuts. “One black coffee, and one coffee with two sugars.”
“Got it!” the owner of the stall answered cheerfully and began preparing their orders.
Cayden sat down across from Avery.
In the morning, there were some adults who had nothing to do and some elderly people around. Most customers were students attending the nearby elementary school, middle school, and high school.
Cayden's car and his presence attracted plenty of attention.
Livingsfill was a poor town, so the people there had only seen handsome and well-dressed men in the papers or gossip magazines bought from the city. Most of the time, the handsome and well-dressed men were male celebrities who looked elegant and manly.
Thus, everyone got curious as to why a handsome and well-dressed man was having breakfast at a breakfast stall. They wondered who he was and why he was at Livingsfill.
Ignoring the looks, Avery drank her coffee silently.
She often came to this breakfast stall with Blake when she was young to have coffee and donuts together. Back then, the owner and his wife were the current owner's parents.
The taste was still the same.
She had a habit of drinking coffee with two sugars.
Cayden ordered a coffee with two sugars for her without asking for her preference. Avery couldn't help but wonder if that was a coincidence.
“Can you finish them?” Cayden asked. He was referring to the donut in front of her.
Avery looked up and shook her head.
Cayden picked up the donut and finished it for her.
As Avery sipped on her coffee, she thought, What if I grow up with Cayden under the same roof? It doesn't matter where we grow up—the poor Rumpley family, the rich Moore family, or in an orphanage. What would our fates be if we were to grow up together as siblings? He's handsome, so there must be a lot of women who want to be my sister-in-law. If someone pursues me, will he act as a gatekeeper and help me choose a boyfriend?
“What are you thinking?” Cayden was having breakfast, but his gaze was fixed on her.
“I'm thinking what would happen if you were my brother,” Avery said with a serious expression. She started to imagine all the possibilities as she stared at him.
Before she could say anything else, Cayden frowned and interjected, “Do you want to force me to commit incest?”
Avery dared not to say another word.
Sorrow crept onto Cayden's brows. He had no idea why she kept wanting to be his sister. Why does she have that strange thought in mind? Or does she have a fetish that no one knows about...
Right then, a couple with a kid came to their neighboring table.
The woman sat down while the man went to get some mashed potatoes and donuts.
“Hurry, I can't hold him for much longer,” his wife urged, for their baby was bouncing about in a lively manner.
When the man got himself a plate to pick some donuts, he kept stealing glances at Cayden and Avery. His action soon caught his wife's attention.
His wife thought he was peeking at ladies and turned to look in the direction he was staring. Just like her husband, her eyes went wide.
Her baby was about to struggle free from her arms. She quickly snapped out of her reverie and gasped. “Be good, will you? Are you a fish? Why are you struggling about?”
Her husband came back with the food but still couldn't keep his gaze away from their neighboring table.
Despite finding them familiar, the couple dared not approach them.
A middle-aged lady showed up a while later. That lady was the one Avery had met when she came here to pick Blake up.
“Oh? Isn't this Ery from the Rumpley family? Why are you back?” the lady asked.
Both husband and wife exchanged glances. Initially, the husband suspected that the man at the neighboring table was his ex-classmate, Cayden Moore. However, it had been years since they last met. Cayden was now tall and imposing. No one dared to approach him.
However, if the young woman was Avery Rumpley, then the man sitting across from her should be Cayden Moore.
“Do you still remember me? Back in high school, you gave me a basketball,” the man greeted Cayden after taking his child from his wife.
Both Cayden and Avery turned to look at him in unison.
Twenty minutes later, Avery stood in the middle of the high school's field and stared at the wall separating the middle school and high school. Memories flooded her mind. She used to stand on the other side of the wall to peek at the field.
She still remembered how Cayden jumped and made dunk shots clearly.
“Initially, I dared not approach you even though you look familiar. Later, I heard my aunt calling her Ery from the Rumpley family. That was how I knew you were my classmate back in high school. Are you two married?” the man asked cheerfully. He was both excited and embarrassed to reunite with his rich ex-classmate.
“Right? Are you two married?” his wife chimed in. Obviously, they knew how Cayden had fallen in love with a junior but disappeared before she could grow up.
Cayden nodded. “Yes, we're married. Avery gave birth to twins.”
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