Miranda felt completely calm now. Unlike the early days after their breakup, she no longer thought about him constantly or allowed him to easily affect her emotions. Time had become a healing remedy. No matter how deep the wound, she knew now it could be mended. Miranda had long since moved on. The pain that this man once caused her had gradually faded with time, until it was eventually forgotten.
“Is there something you need from me?” Miranda asked.
“Can we talk somewhere else?”
“I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about,” she replied.
“Mimi…”
“You can call me by my name, Mr. Johnson. We’re not close enough for nicknames.”
Hansel felt a wave of frustration. He glanced at Paul, hoping for some understanding. Any perceptive person would know it was time to step aside, but Paul didn’t budge. His indifferent gaze showed no intention of backing down.
Hansel’s face tightened in response. Given Hansel’s history of unpredictable behavior, Miranda didn’t feel safe being alone with him.
“If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now,” she said, turning to Paul.
Paul gave a slight nod.
“You and him are a ‘we’ now? Then what am I?” Hansel’s jaw clenched, and his eyes began to turn red with anger. The rage was building, but he managed to suppress it, softening his tone as he looked into Miranda’s eyes. “I came here to tell you that I don’t accept your ‘congratulations’ from the other day,” he said.
She had once said, “I heard you’re going to be a father. Congratulations.”
Miranda frowned, unsure of what he meant. “Mm…”
“If you don’t forgive me, then I’ll never be a father. You’re the only one who can bear my children.”
Miranda and Paul were silent. Both of them were at a loss for words. What kind of bizarre statement was that? Could he not dirty her ears with this nonsense?
“You should go to the hospital,” Miranda said.
Hansel blinked. “What?”
“If you’re sick, get treated early.”
With that, she signaled to Paul, urging him to walk faster. She couldn’t stand to stay there another second.
As soon as she entered the apartment building, Miranda let out a long breath. “I’m sorry, Dr. Jefferson, for letting you witness that embarrassment again.” It was the first time she felt ashamed of having such an erratic ex. How could he have said something like that?
Paul remained silent for a couple of seconds before softly saying, “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
Miranda stayed silent.
When she got home, she took a shower and changed into clean clothes. Standing on the balcony, she looked down to confirm that Hansel had finally left. With relief, she grabbed her shopping bags and headed out to the market. She had invited Paul for lunch, but there wasn’t enough food at home, so a trip to the market was necessary to get fresh ingredients.
“Dr. Jefferson?” Miranda exclaimed as she approached the corner and saw a familiar figure. She was surprised, “What are you doing here?”
Paul seemed to have just showered too, as he had changed into fresh clothes, though his hair was still damp and slightly tousled.
“Weren’t you going to buy groceries? I thought we’d go together.”
Miranda froze for a moment, then realized that he must have been worried Hansel would come back to bother her, so he’d waited.
“Thank you.”
Paul didn’t respond. He only smiled and said, “Shall we?”
“Yes.”
By 10:00 am, they returned home with their groceries. The fishmonger had already prepped the sea bass, but Miranda, ever the perfectionist, thoroughly washed it again. She made sure every part was clean. She even used a small knife to carefully remove any remaining blood clots from the fish bones. Then, she soaked it in a mixture of scallion, lemon, and white vinegar to eliminate any fishy odor. For the shrimp, she planned to make a salt and pepper dish. Once cleaned, she set them aside.
With the two main dishes ready, all that was left were a few side dishes and soup. With practiced ease, Paul rolled up his sleeves and helped with washing, chopping, rinsing, and drying the vegetables. He was impressively efficient.