Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 18

Silvia forced a bitter smile, biting back the pain, and said nothing more.

Maybe the man on the other end of the line sensed her silence, because he spoke again, his tone unusually gentle, “Sweet Silvia, I’m out with Vianne to meet a client. Please, can you be reasonable this time...”

His voice was soft, but his words cut straight to the bone.

“I have to get back to work now. I’ll be home later.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The call ended, leaving Silvia staring blankly at her phone for a moment.

How ridiculous, she thought.

All she wanted was to borrow a little money, but she hadn’t even managed to get the words out before he’d labeled her as just “causing trouble.”

“Ma’am, you’re the only one left. All the other customers have already checked out—are you going to pay or not?”

She was still staring at her phone when the cashier’s impatient voice broke through her thoughts.

“I’ll cover it.”

Just as Silvia opened her mouth to reply, a deep voice sounded at her side.

She turned and found herself face to face with a man whose handsome features were as cold as ever.

She hadn’t expected to run into him again.

Kent.

After settling the bill, Kent held the receipt and glanced down at her. “Are you here alone?”

“Yes.” Silvia reached out, trying to take the bill from him. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back next time.”

But Kent moved the receipt just out of reach and, instead, took her gently by the arm, steering her toward the treatment room. “Come with me.”

Before Silvia could react, Kent was already leading her inside.

While she received her IV, Kent stood silently at her side, his gaze fixed on her.

“What could be more important than your girlfriend’s health?” Kent’s lips curled into a cool, sardonic smile. “So, not here, and not giving you money either?”

Silvia didn’t want to talk about Shipley anymore. She quickly changed the subject. “Thank you, really. I’m getting paid tomorrow—I can transfer the money to you if you give me your account number.”

“Hand me your phone.”

Kent set down her paperwork and held out his hand.

Silvia unlocked her phone and passed it to him without a second thought.

He opened her payment app, scanned his own code, and handed the phone back.

When she looked, she saw a new contact at the top of her messenger list—a name she didn’t recognize.

“Don’t forget to add a note,” Kent said quietly.

“Okay.” Silvia’s grip on her phone tightened, almost unconsciously. “I’m feeling much better now. You don’t need to stay with me. Really, thank you for today.”