My son sent a chill to my heart.
But I couldn't bear to chide Nicholas, so I could only vent my anger on Elias, "Please stay away from me and don't ruin the relationship between Nicholas and me."
Elias was not annoyed about my snide remarks at all and even calmly served me a soft-boiled egg, "Your favorite."
I pushed the egg aside with my fork, "I don't like it anymore."
He froze.
"Do you think my tastes and interests wouldn't have changed in the past five years? My favorite food now is sunny-side-up, which Ian makes for me."
I deliberately emphasized "Ian".
Sure enough, when he heard Ian's name, his calm face became sullen.
He got angry.
I continued, "I've realized Ian is the right one for me in the past five years. After all, he was my first love in college and he knows me the best."
"That's enough." Elias interrupted me, "I have some work to do. When you're done eating, I'll come back and clean up."
After that, he left without waiting for Nicholas to ask him to stay.