Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 265

When the knock came, Karen Hayes wiped her hands and hurried out of the kitchen.

She turned the handle and opened the door to see Emma, and behind her, a man.

Karen Hayes paused for a second, then a perfect smile spread across her face. "Hello, you must be Emma's friend?"

"Yes, hello, ma'am. I'm Nathan."

Nathan presented the gift he had brought with him.

"Oh, my, you shouldn't have! You're too kind. Just coming over is enough, you didn't need to bring anything!"

Karen Hayes insisted, quickly ushering Nathan inside. She opened the shoe cabinet but, after rummaging through it, couldn't find a single pair of men's slippers.

"Oh... the slippers, where are the slippers?"

Seeing her mom struggle to find a pair for Nathan, Emma remembered she hadn't bought any men's slippers when she moved. It had never occurred to her that she'd be having a male guest.

"I'll go buy some! I'll run down to the store! Nath—Nathan, wait here!"

Emma rushed back toward the elevator. By the time she returned, out of breath with a new pair of slippers, Nathan was sitting on the sofa chatting with her mother, who was smiling with satisfaction.

Emma was speechless.

She couldn't help but feel that this scene was a little strange.

"Slippers. Here, put them on."

Emma walked over to Nathan, carrying the newly bought slippers, and placed them at his feet.

Maybe it was her imagination, but Emma felt that away from the hospital, Nathan seemed much more approachable and friendly. Even his expression seemed gentler and more cheerful than it did at work.

She thought this but didn't dare say it out loud. Instead, she tried to make small talk. "Thank you for coming all this way to see my mom. You really didn't have to, this was—"

"I want to apologize for this afternoon," Nathan suddenly interrupted. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood the situation."

At the mention of that afternoon, Emma pursed her lips and gave a nonchalant shrug, trying to sound breezy. "It's fine. It was my fault for leaving so suddenly without letting you know. I'm sorry I made you worry."

With that, Emma stood up. Before Nathan could say anything else, she pointed toward the kitchen. "I'm going to go check on my mom. You can just hang out here for a bit."

As if afraid Nathan would say something else, Emma quickly escaped into the kitchen.

Karen Hayes was in the middle of making a bone broth. When she saw her daughter come in, she looked surprised. "What are you doing in here? Nathan is sitting out there by himself. Go keep him company!"