Independence

Chapter 0285

It was midnight when heavy rain started to fall. Hansel drove back to the mansion and parked the car, but

he didn’t want to get out.

Staring at the house right in front of him, he realized the place was no longer a “home” without Miranda He now felt nothing but an emptiness

He then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

In the confined space of the car, the smoke lingered, trapped with nowhere to escape. The crimson glow of the cigarette burned at his fingertips, releasing wisps of smoke that quickly blurred his features.

Hansel sank into the darkness, almost merging with the night itself.

The time it took to smoke a cigarette was neither too long nor too short. As the cigarette burned to its end, the previously dazed look in Hansel’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

He thought that giving up on Miranda was simply not lost her didn’t mean he couldn’t have her again in the future

tion. Just because he once had her and now

If he could win her back, everything could return to how it used to be..

Hansel stepped out of the car, flicked the cigarette butt away, and walked toward the mansion.

At that moment, Ingrid was standing at the door, her face beaming with a smile. Hansel glanced at his watch and saw that it was 1.00 am.

“Heh_”

“Hans, I” Ingrid began, but before she could finish her sentence, Hansel walked past her without a second glance. It was as if she was nothing more than air.

Her smile faltered for a moment but quickly reappeared. She kept her composure and said, “Hans, I cooked a few dishes myself tonight. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer, and I couldn’t message you because you blocked me…”

Hansel paused and turned to look at her. “What, are you complaining now?”

“No, no… I just wanted to say, can you unblock me? I get worried when I can’t reach you,” Ingrid said cautiously.

Hansel remained silent, too indifferent even to reject her outright.

Seemingly oblivious, she walked over to the dining table and continued, “I didn’t know when you’d be back, so I just kept waiting…. I’ve reheated these dishes four or five times, they’re probably not edible

anymore.

Hansel glanced at the table and immediately laughed. There were shrimp scampi, pork tenderloin, sautéed celery, and chicken tortilla soup.

“What’s wrong, Hans?”

“You did well. Just don’t do it again.”

He was allergic to shrimp and didn’t eat pork or celery. The soup might have been passable, but large

+25 BONUS

Chapter D

slices of tortilla strips on top ruined his appetite instantly. She really knew how to miss the mark

Ingrid watched him walk upstairs, resisting the urge to flip the dishes over. She took a deep breath and shouted.

“Marthal”

There was no response.

“Sarah!”

Ms. York, what’s the matter?”

Sarah Lund didn’t dare to play dumb like Martha, knowing she wasn’t the one who had watched Hansel

grow up.

Ingrid gave her a cold command, “Clear the table.”

“What about the dishes?”

“Throw them out.”

“Oh, alright.”

In the master bedroom, Hansel lay on the bed, his mind wandering back to Miranda as he thought of the dishes Ingrid had made. From someone who didn’t even touch kitchen work, Miranda had learned to cook for him. No one did it better.

No matter how late he came home, the food on the table was always warm.

She knew what he was allergic to, and those things never appeared on their dining table. With a balanced mix of meats and vegetables, the meals were always nutritionally complete, crafted carefully as she studied cookbooks and nutrition guides.

The better he had eaten then, the greater the contrast now.

The next day, Hansel got up to go to work.

Apparently not getting the message, Ingrid had prepared breakfast for him again. Hansel walked past without glancing at the table.

Ingrid didn’t seem upset, still smiling as she brought over a tie..

“What are you doing?” Hansel grabbed her wrist firmly