Bye, My Ex-husband

When Janessa came downstairs from the top floor, she noticed Shelby was still there.It was already their lunch break.
What was Shelby doing here? Janessa walked over to Shelby and watched as she bent over the table.
"Did you have lunch yet?"Janessa asked.
Shelby squealed in surprise when she heard Janessa's voice.Raising her head from the seat, she said, "I thought you would've
left to have lunch by now."
"I came from upstairs.I was about to go out and have something to eat, but then I noticed you there.What's the matter? You're
not in the mood to eat?"
The two of them used to always have lunch together.Recently Janessa had to meet with Rayan, she often had to work late, so
the two of them couldn't eat together.
"I'm alright.My stomach is just a bit sore,"Shelby explained.
Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she revealed this information to Janessa.
When Shelby turned around, Janessa had a hot compress in her hand and pressed it against her stomach.
Janessa figured Shelby was having menstrual cramps.
No wonder Shelby had looked drained of energy all morning.
"I know you might not be in the mood to eat, but you have to eat something.It would be too late to order takeout now.There's a
great restaurant nearby.The food there is delicious! Some warm soup would be good for you right now.You'll feel much better
after you have some."
Shelby didn't want to, but when she saw the concerned look on Janessa’s face, she couldn't possibly refuse.
The restaurant was only a block away from the office.
The place was on the smaller side, but it was neat and tidy.
The shop was far away from the main street.
Because of this, there weren't many people having lunch at the restaurant.

There were two private rooms inside the restaurant available to customers.
Janessa called the place before they walked there so she could reserve one of the rooMs.The two of them made their way into
the private room the moment they arrived.
It was a well-decorated space, which made them feel like they were at home.
There was a warm and cozy atmosphere in the restaurant.
"This place is great! How did you find out about this?"Shelby had been working at the company for over two years now.
When it was time for lunch, she often ordered takeout or ordered from a mall nearby.She didn't know that there was a nice place
like this so close to the office.
"I discovered it while I was out shopping with a friend.You should try and have lunch here more often.The food here is pretty
affordable.More importantly, they're delicious!"
Before Janessa could finish her words, the owner came in with a dish in her hands.
She gave the two women a warm smile as she said, "Welcome to our humble store! It might be small, but I hope you find
meaning in your meal."
At first, Shelby couldn't understand the owner's cryptic words.
She looked at Janessa and then the owner in confusion.
Janessa merely smiled in reply.
The owner took the lid off the dish and placed the food on the table for them to enjoy.
The dish was prepared similarly to those they found in three-star hotels.
It was the kind of dish that they served at room temperature, so it could be eaten immediately.
Shelby couldn't resist and moved to take a spoonful of the mouth-watering dish.
The food was tender and tasted delicious.
This restaurant served Michelin star- worthy food.

"Why would they sell this dish at such a low price? I can't believe it!"
Shelby had been lucky enough to taste the cooking of a famous chef the company often hired for their annual meetings.
This food was of the same quality.
The owner burst out in laughter.
"I don't open this shop for money.Consider it as a small hobby of mine to run my own restaurant.Take your time and enjoy the
meal.I'll bring over the other dishes soon."
Shelby took a closer look at the owner.
Although she moved like most chefs she saw, there was something different about the way she smelled.
Her skin looked firm.
She must have taken great care of herself in her youth.
Cooking was probably just a great passion and hobby for her like she said.
"Don't think about it too much.Enjoy the food.I ordered this dish especially for you."
Janessa urged Shelby to eat more food.
Shelby felt as if she was back to life when she tasted the food.
As they enjoyed their meal together, they began to gossip.
"You know what? When you went upstairs one day, a woman dropped by our office and was looking for you,"Shelby reported.
"Someone was looking for me? Why didn't you tell me about this?"
For a few moments, Janessa tried to figure out who Shelby was talking about.
No one had mentioned this to her.
"I didn't think to mention it to you because the woman looked like she would cause trouble for you.When she couldn't find you
anywhere, she just left.She didn't say anything to us."

Shelby wiped her mouth, satisfied after their meal, then drank some water.
At that point, Janessa was also full.
When she heard what Shelby said, she couldn't get it out of her mind.
Who else would be interested in messing with her aside from Sally? Janessa thought of the people who might hold a grudge
against her, but she couldn't think of any.
Who could her enemy be? Could it be Gracie? However, Shelby would have recognized Gracie.So it wasn't her.
"I think it was Courtney Leng.The eldest daughter of the Leng family,"Shelby said.
Janessa was even more confused by her words.
She didn't know Courtney that well.
Why would she come to her office all of a sudden? Shelby also mentioned that Courtney looked like she wanted to cause
trouble.
There must be something she didn't know.
"I wonder what's wrong with her.Why did she want to pick on me when I don't even know her?"
Shelby stared at Janessa in disbelief.It should be obvious to her.How can she not know by now?
"Courtney and Mr.Rayan attended school together.People in their circle all went to the same school.When they went off to
college, Mr.Rayan decided to study abroad.Courtney followed him there.However, Mr.Rayan couldn't accept her affections
because he was already in love with someone else."
Shelby continued with her story, and Janessa didn't dare to interrupt her.
Janessa looked like she had never heard about this before.
In the past, her parents had shielded her from things like this.
Later on, when she married Rayan, she never took the time to learn about him.

She had no idea about his past.
Janessa didn't even know about his relationship with Gracie until only recently.
As she thought of the time she spent as Rayan’'s wife, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself.
"Later on, I heard that Mr.Rayan had a devastating fight with his family.Not too long after that, news spread that the two of you
had gotten married.Courtney decided only then to give him up.She thought that you were the woman he loved.As the eldest
daughter of the Leng family, it would be disgraceful for her to become a mistress.She couldn't get herself involved in your
marriage.It's strange, right? After all these years, she still hasn't gotten married.I wonder if she's still waiting for Mr.Rayan,"
Shelby said.
"How did you find out about all of this? You know a lot of gossip."
If Shelby hadn't told her, Janessa would've never found out about Rayan and Courtney.
However, that.still didn't answer why Courtney suddenly came to visit Janessa.
Was Courtney going after her because she was afraid that Janessa would rekindle her relationship with Rayan?
"If there's anything else you need to know, feel free to ask me.Office workers always like to talk and I actually know a lot."