Chapter 331: The Truth
The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of the city streets as Remo and Abby strolled down the sidewalk hand in hand. They had just left a cozy little ice cream shop, a spontaneous decision after their conversation about the future. Abby was still buzzing with warmth from Remo’s reassurances, and she felt lighter than she had in a long time. The therapy sessions had been tough, but slowly, she was finding her way back to herself, to them.
They each had a cone of ice cream—Abby’s was vanilla with sprinkles, while Remo had chosen chocolate fudge—and they were laughing as they walked, playful in their mood. Remo, ever the tease, swiped his cone lightly against Abby’s cheek, smearing a bit of chocolate on her skin.
"Remo!" she shrieked, giggling as she tried to dodge his antics.
"Oops," he said, smirking, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Looks like I missed."
Abby retaliated, dabbing her own cone against his nose, and they both burst out laughing. It was a rare, carefree moment, one that reminded Abby of what it felt like to simply enjoy life.
"Payback," she said triumphantly, licking her ice cream and grinning up at him.
Remo chuckled, wiping the vanilla off his nose with a playful shake of his head. "You’re lucky you’re cute," he muttered, pulling her closer by the waist as they continued walking.
They were almost back at the car when Abby’s body suddenly stiffened. She felt the color drain from her face as they approached a woman standing by the curb, seemingly waiting for someone. Her hair was a familiar shade of dark brown, her posture tense, but it was the woman’s face that made Abby’s stomach drop.
She recognized her immediately. The woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Abby, and she smiled brightly, her surprise evident.