Said I didn’t Love Him But I Lied

The August weather in Ocpeace City was unpredictable. Dark clouds finally covered the scorching sun, but it felt hotter instead.

Adrienne insisted on having Theodore in the car with her, leaving Everleigh with no choice but to bring him along.

“Daddy, let’s take the same car. Mommy’s car is very nice.” Adrienne held Theodore’s hand, acting like a spoilt child at the entrance of the restaurant. No one would be able to resist her when she was behaving like that.

Theodore was helpless so he ordered Moses to drive his car home.

Everleigh smiled hesitantly and asked, “Um, do you want to think about it again? Are you sure you want to take my car?”

Theodore sensed the underlying meaning in Everleigh’s question, but he willingly ignored it. His face darkened as he asked in return, “Why the worry? How expensive is your car? Do you think I can’t afford a ride in it?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Everleigh did not know how to explain it. “Forget it, do as you like. Don’t blame me later on. I’ve reminded you already.”

Everleigh’s car was still at Ocpeace Medical University. Everleigh and Theodore each held one child as they went looking for the car on the campus. When they finally found it, Theodore understood why Everleigh was so awkward just a moment ago.

The small Mini Cooper car had two doors and for Theodore whose height was 185 cm, it was going to take some effort for him to even get inside.

“Why don’t you drive your own car?” Everleigh asked in embarrassment.

The two children had already climbed into the back seat with ease. Adrienne was waving at Theodore in the car and said, “Daddy, get in the car. It’s so hot outside.”

Theodore glanced at Everleigh, unbuttoned his suit, and then got into the car.

Everleigh did not say anything much as Theodore had gotten into her car without making any remarks. She hopped in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition.

The tiny white car drove out of Ocpeace Medical University and entered Rocham Street as soon as it left the entrance. The corners of Everleigh’s eyes peered at Theodore as she said, “Is it too narrow for you? Feel free to adjust the seat.”

“No need.” Theodore’s brows furrowed. He remained silent for a few seconds before he asked, “Why did you buy this car?”

“I bought it from my friend since it was cheaper that way.’

The truth about the car was not as simple as Everleigh had said, but she was too lazy to explain it. The real reason she had bought the car was that she was cheated by Christopher. She would not have bought it if only he did not claim it was a used car.

Theodore’s brows seemed to have furrowed even further. “Are you short on cash?”

“No, I’m doing fine. It’s just that I need to pay for my children’s education, so I have to save wherever I can.”

At the mention of the children, a hint of concern flashed across Theodore’s eyes.

It was not easy to raise a child for a normal family. Things only got more complicated if the parent was a single mother taking care of two children all by herself.

Nonetheless, Theodore did not probe further.

The car reached the zoo after a half-hour journey. The skies were darker now, but there was still no rain.

A long queue had formed just outside of the ticketing booth. It was Saturday and many parents took the opportunity to bring their children out for a breather.

Everleigh rushed towards the booth and said, “Hi, please give me two adult tickets and two children tickets.”

The employee at the booth eyed her and asked, “Why don’t you just get a family pass instead?”

“Excuse me? Family pass?” Everleigh was shaken.

“The family pass allows access to the zoo and also a 30-minute boat ride. It’s only 299 dollars. Don’t you think it’s more worth it than buying the tickets separately?”

Theodore stood next to her, with Adrienne sitting in the crook of his arms. Everleigh wanted to buy the family pass, but she was too awkward to say it out loud. People queued behind were starting to grow impatient.

“What’s taking you so long?”

“Yeah, let us go first if you aren’t buying. We’ve been queueing for so long.”

Other visitors also started to make a fuss.

Everleigh finally said, “I’ll take the family pass. Thanks!”

Everleigh took the pass after making her payment. She held Alastair in one hand and the pass in the other. She held the pass tightly and her fingers were blocking the words “Family Pass” for fear of being seen by Theodore.

There was a place to check the tickets so that visitors could enter the zoo. An employee took Everleigh’s pass and scanned it on a machine. The machine confirmed the authenticity of the pass by announcing “Family Pass, Four Person Package 01” from its speaker.

Everleigh’s expression froze. When she raised her head, she met Theodore’s gaze. She hurriedly avoided him, not knowing what to say.

Theodore took the lead by leading the children into the zoo while Everleigh was the last one to enter.

It became even more awkward when the machine announced the same thing for each of the following members of the family pass. Everleigh thought her ear would go deaf after listening to it for a total of four times.

When the machine finally announced “Family Pass, Four Person Package 04”, Everleigh quickly grabbed the pass from the employee. She soon discovered that she was so stiff that, for a moment, she could not walk smoothly.

In the distance, Theodore was holding Adrienne’s hand as he stared at her. Seeing that she didn’t even dare to raise her head, a mischievous smile appeared on his usually blank face.

Everleigh touched her neck as her head remained lowered. She uttered in a very soft voice, “The employee over at the ticketing booth said a family pass is cheaper and we get to ride the boat. I don’t mean anything else.”

“So, you’re saying that you want to row the boat with me?” Theodore’s voice came from the top of Everleigh’s head.

“What?” Everleigh suddenly raised her head, stunned.

That was not what she had meant, was it?

The ticketing booth employee had not given her other options.

Before she could find the right answer to explain, Adrienne was already growing impatient. She grabbed Theodore’s arm and urged, “Let’s go! Daddy, let’s go see the panda!”

Theodore was dragged along by the little girl as she turned around and left. Alastair followed closely behind, leaving Everleigh standing at the same spot for a while before she summoned up the courage to follow them.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

Just what on earth was going on?

The Panda World was always the most bustling place in the zoo. When the four of them arrived, the venue was already packed with people. Before entering the venue, a staff member wearing a panda hat handed a pass card to each of them.

“It’s for the lucky draw. The lucky winner and his or her group get to take a photo with the pandas.”

“Really?” Adrienne clutched her badge tightly with excitement. “Yay! I can take a photo with the panda!”

When they entered the stadium, Everleigh felt that she was thinking too much. The whole stadium was crowded with people. If she was not tall enough, she could not see the panda at all.

“I can’t even see it.” Adrienne pouted and kept jumping on the ground, feeling extremely aggrieved.

Theodore rubbed her forehead and asked gently, “Do you want to see the panda?”

“Of course!”

Then, Theodore picked her up and let her sit on his shoulder just a moment after she had given her answer.

Theodore was almost 190 centimeters tall and he would usually be the towering figure in a crowd. With Adrienne sitting on his shoulder, he had now become the center of attention at the venue.

“Wow! I can see it now!” Adrienne pointed at the direction of the panda. A smile appeared on her face almost instantly.

Other children who could not see the panda grew jealous of Adrienne. They requested to sit on their parents’ shoulders as well. The venue soon became quite a spectacle with most of the parents placing their children on their shoulders.

Looking at the smiling Adrienne on Theodore’s shoulder, Everleigh’s gaze was also filled with a rare sense of warmth.

It would be nice if he could stay a little longer, at least for the moment.