Chapter 3

"Why are you upset with her? She's just a young, naive girl," Charlie had remarked. But he'd forgotten that before Miranda came along, those moments belonged to us alone, just him and me.

Following that outing, I gave him the silent treatment for a day. Unlike before, he made no effort to reconcile. Instead, he left me by myself in the flat.

And here we were now. I struggled to comprehend how someone could transform so rapidly.

As for Miranda, I had been her homeroom teacher before my time off. Back then, Charlie would frequently visit my classroom to wait for me so we could dine or head home together. The girls in my class enjoyed teasing me about our relationship, and Miranda stood out among them.

She was particularly fond of bombarding me with questions. Her eyes would light up with inquisitiveness when she asked, "Miss, is Mr. Peterson very patient?" or, "Teacher, has Mr. Peterson mentioned when he'll propose to you?"

Now, it dawned on me. Had Miranda been pursuing Charlie all along?

I blinked, trying to alleviate the dryness in my eyes.

What about Charlie? When had he decided to let her into his life?

Charlie's stern voice interrupted my thoughts as he placed the dishes on the table.

"Food's ready," he said, looking at Miranda.

When he noticed the bag of chips in her hands, he chuckled softly and approached her. He gently tapped her head and chided, "It's almost mealtime and you're still snacking? You're behaving like a child."

Miranda responded with a pout, "Well, I'm seven years your junior, so naturally I'm childlike."

They continued their flirtatious banter as if they were alone. They didn't notice my face turning pale as a sheet.

When he straightened up and glanced at me, he simply said indifferently, "Let's eat."

Despite his words, there were only two bowls on the table, one for him and one for Miranda.

Pressing my lips together, I quietly made my way to the kitchen. As I opened the rice cooker, my hand froze. There was barely any rice left. He had only prepared enough for two.

When I returned to the dining area empty-handed, Miranda cocked her head curiously and inquired, "Miss Jennings, aren't you joining us?"

I just shook my head without uttering a word.

Meanwhile, Charlie peeled a shrimp, brought it to Miranda's lips, and said, "Don't concern yourself with her. Just eat. Who knows why she's always in such a foul mood?"

I inhaled sharply, unable to contain my tears. My voice quivered as I choked out, "There's no rice left. That's why I didn't bring any out. Stop attributing everything to my supposed bad temper!"

My voice was harsher than intended, cracking under the weight of my emotions.

Startled, Miranda shrank into Charlie's arms. He shot me a cold glare and snapped, "That's enough! You're frightening her!"

Then he added, "Rose Jennings, you're twenty-eight years old and a teacher. How can you be so emotionally volatile?"

After comforting the scared girl in his arms, he got up and went to the kitchen. When he returned, he placed a bowl of rice on the table. However, it was just the burnt scraps that he had scraped from the bottom of the rice cooker.

A flicker of unease crossed his face as he muttered, "Uh, it's not much, but it'll have to do for now. I must've underestimated the amount needed."

I forced a bitter smile, too exhausted to argue.

There was no point mentioning the rice, nor the fact that all the dishes on the table were too spicy for me to eat.

"It's fine. You two enjoy your meal," I said, then turned to leave.

Before I could go, Charlie grabbed my arm, his brows furrowed with annoyance.

"What are you making a fuss about now? There's half a bowl of rice right there!"

I laughed bitterly, my voice trembling as I pointed to the dishes on the table.