Chapter 1548:

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So Barry had been seeing another woman, and every word he’d told Novalee was a lie.

Instead of confronting him or demanding answers, Novalee ended the call without emotion. She gave her queue number to a nearby couple who had waited without any luck, and then walked away.

After she left that street, her phone refused to stop buzzing.

Five calls from Barry came one after another, but Novalee ignored them all.

After turning the phone face down, she pushed it into her pocket. She walked along the sidewalk without any direction for nearly ten minutes before another call came through.

R𝗲𝖺𝘥 𝘧𝘳ee 𝗇𝘰𝘷𝗲𝘭𝘀 o𝘯 𝘨𝘢l𝗇о𝘃е𝗅𝘀.𝖼o𝗆

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen, though its area code belonged to Barry’s hometown. Before Novalee answered, she already had a strong idea who the caller was.

“Am I speaking with Novalee?” The caller no longer sounded as warm or polite as he had during their last meeting. Instead, his voice was cold and firm. “Alan Branson here. I’m Barry’s father.”

At once, Novalee stopped walking. “Mr. Branson.”

“Let me get straight to the point,” Alan said in a calm but firm voice. “You seem like a good person, Novalee, but our son doesn’t understand enough about life yet. Considering everything in your past, the two of you aren’t right for each other. We’ve chosen someone who suits him better. She comes from a respected family, has a steady career, and doesn’t have such a complicated history. We want you to end this relationship and leave him alone. Don’t keep holding on because we won’t accept it.”

Cold air rushed from a nearby alley and swept loose strands of hair across Novalee’s forehead as she stood motionless on the sidewalk.

For a moment, her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles lost their color. Then she slowly relaxed her hand. “So you’ve secretly been arranging dates for him with other women?”

“Everything we’re doing is for Barry’s future. He’s still young and can’t decide what’s truly right for him. Try to see this from our side, Novalee. You should let him go and find someone who belongs in the same world as you.”

Several seconds passed before Novalee gave a clear answer. “All right.”

Such quick agreement caught Alan off guard, and he hesitated. “Then—”

“I’ll speak with Barry myself,” she said. “You don’t need to be concerned, Mr. Branson.”

After ending the call, Novalee put her phone away and continued wandering with nowhere in mind. Darkness had completely covered the sky by the time she entered a bar filled with warm, hazy yellow light.

In a corner of the bar, Novalee drank from her third glass.

Without any food in her stomach, every drink made the ache worse. Still, she continued drinking.

“A complicated history.” Alan’s words returned to her mind as she emptied her glass. Then she motioned for the bartender to bring her another.

Eventually, Novalee stopped knowing how much time had passed.

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