"I had a hunch it was him. Mitch wouldn't admit it to me, but given their relationship, it was no surprise," I replied in a somber tone. "Now the issue is what to do next. Mitch will definitely come looking for me again."
Russel mulled over it for a moment before suggesting, "Tell Stella. It’s her child, after all. She should be the one to decide."
I shared the same sentiment, but I was afraid that telling her would only stress her out and potentially hinder her proceedings in Rosemont.
While I was caught in this indecision, a call from Neil came in. Seeing the caller ID, my mood instantly dropped. I was incredibly annoyed.
Why was he calling? To see if Mitch had successfully taken the child away?
I immediately hung up on Neil, but he quickly sent a text message. As expected, it was about Mitch.
[Has Mitch been to your place?]
I didn't respond, but Russel noticed the subtle change in my expression and accurately guessed who had called. "Was that Neil?"
"Yeah, he was asking about Mitch," I didn't deny.
"Why didn't you pick up?" Russel asked.
"No point. I've already guessed the likely result. Confronting him won't do any good," I shook my head. Neil and I had nothing to do with each other now. I had no right to question his actions.
But he insisted on calling. Seeing the screen light up again, I was speechless.
Russel took the phone from my hand, and before I could react, he had answered the call.
"What do you want?" Russel coldly questioned as soon as he picked up.
He didn't use speakerphone, so I couldn't hear what Neil had to say. I could only hear Russel's side of the conversation.
"She's not going to trust you again. Goodbye."
With that, the call ended.
Russel handed me back the phone. "Some things don't need to be dragged out. Since you know it was him, tell him you know."
I did suspect Neil, but I had no concrete evidence since Mitch hadn't explicitly admitted to anything.
Russel's words now, however, were undoubtedly telling Neil that we had already determined he was the one who had spilled the beans.
"But I don't have any concrete evidence," I reminded Russel.
"Even if it wasn't him, don't you want to take this chance to cut ties with him once and for all?" Russel looked at me intensely, making me feel pressured.
I was taken aback. "Cut ties? Haven't I already done that?"
Russel's gaze turned colder, and there seemed to be a chill at the corner of his lips. "When I say 'cut ties', I mean completely severing all contact and connection. You seem to have been frequently in contact with him recently, haven't you?"
His words made me realize something wasn't right. For various reasons, my interactions with Neil had increased recently.
And every time, Neil had helped me out, putting me in his debt.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled