"Do you need help?"
As Giselle glanced over her shoulder, she could see Anthony was leaning against the door frame and staring at her with a concerned look in his eyes.
She acted as though she did not hear him and did not give any response.
Anthony did not seem flustered at all as he went on talking.
"The last time we experienced such heavy rain was about a year ago. We were both resting at home that day. You said that you were going to bake a cake from scratch…"
His voice and the pitter-patter of the rain filled Giselle's ears. Slowly, Anthony recounted some forgotten incidents from their past.
Since she had nowhere else to go to, Giselle was forced to listen to him recollect his memories.
As she listened, some images of those memories would come to her mind. Gradually, there were slight changes to her initially calm emotions.
From the rain to their first date and from when they just got married to their college days. It sounded like Anthony was completely immersed in those memories as he reminisced about those times.
Those memories sounded fun and delightful the way Anthony described it. However, Giselle could only get a sense of emptiness and misery from those stories.
Giselle finally decided to cut him off at some point.
"Since you're so free, you can bring your car here and make some quick money."
With his objective achieved, Anthony immediately led Giselle to his car.
Once she got into the car, Giselle closed her eyes and pretended to be resting so that Anthony would not talk to her.
Anthony did not try to say anything else.
He could feel a sense of calmness and reassurance just by having Giselle by his side.
After reaching her destination, Giselle took a hundred dollars from her purse and held it out in Anthony's direction.
"Thanks for your hard work. You can keep the change."
Anthony did not refuse the money. Instead, he smiled broadly and took it.
The message was so simple even though the sender took so long to type it. Yet, Giselle was not sure how to reply.
Giselle had always had mixed feelings when it came to matters relating to Melanie.
Before she got a divorce, Giselle considered Melanie a love rival. At the same time, she understood how there was no competition between them. The problem actually stemmed from Anthony instead.
Back then, Giselle was envious and a bit resentful toward Melanie. She was also consumed by a sense of helplessness caused by an unrequited love.
She did not want to grow too close to Melanie. Simultaneously, Giselle did not want to have any conflicts with her.
Now that she was divorced, Giselle and Melanie were simply acquaintances who had met each other a few times before.
Logically speaking, Giselle should just politely turn down the request since the only connection they had no longer existed.
Yet, for some reason, Giselle found herself wanting to attend the meeting. She wanted to find out what Melanie had to say.
Giselle's curiosity got the better of her and she agreed to meet Melanie eventually. They decided on the time and venue for the meeting soon afterward.
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