Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 325

Chloe Reynolds spotted Russel Dawson, and her face instantly turned as pale as a ghost.

Russel sure as hell wasn't going to be thrilled about her looking for me.

"Ms. Reynolds, I got stuff to do. You guys carry on." I dodged Chloe and left with a poker face.

I was so over dealing with these two. Both of them had previously plotted against me.

My feelings for Russel were all over the place now, from trust to regret, to the current state of estrangement and suspicion. It seemed like we were drifting further apart.

"I get it," Chloe responded in a whisper, not daring to face Russel. She left even faster than me, heading for the exit.

When she passed by Russel, she paused slightly. But Russel didn't even glance at her; his eyes were on me the whole time.

I felt uneasy, and his gaze was suffocating.

"Sorry." He suddenly spoke as I passed by him, "She shouldn't have come to see you and caused you trouble; it won't happen again."

"Russel, you gotta take your life decisions more seriously; don't be so casual about it." I stopped, thought for a moment, then decided to give him a piece of advice.

I was unsure if Chloe heard, but it didn't matter. My advice to Russel wasn't about Chloe; I just wanted them to stop bothering me.

I didn't want Russel's past actions to affect me again; he was already showing signs of regression. I just wanted to distance myself from him.

Russel stared at me intensely. I avoided his gaze and quickly left.

Just as I got in my car, I received a text from Russel saying, “Neil Whitmore can help you, and so can I. Whether it's dealing with Ethan Foster or Bonnie Tueley, just give me a chance.”

The message freaked me out. Did Russel know about my plans with Neil?

His relationship with Bonnie was a complicated mix of friend and foe. If I pissed him off, would he tip off Bonnie and Ethan Foster?

There was this extremely important document, and the only way to get it was to get close to Ethan Foster. It contained a lot of evidence of his illegal activities, including stuff about my father and Oscar Morse.

I didn't reply. Instead, I blocked Russel. Any explanation would make me seem guilty.

...

I got home to find my mom sitting in the living room, looking a bit thinner than before but otherwise fine, just like always. She smiled at me and asked, "Surprised to see me downstairs today?"

"Mom, you're amazing!" I ran over to her excitedly, hugging her arm, "You'll be back to your old self in no time!"

"Yeah, but where's your dad? I had Hannah call him, but he didn't pick up."

Every time I thought about this, it gave me a headache. My mom's recovery was going well. I couldn't tell her the sad truth; it might upset her, which wouldn't be good for her health.