I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 121

As they walked into the parking garage, Felix Ford smiled. "Do me a favor, Nora."

Nora Newman looked at him in confusion. "What kind of favor?"

Felix walked around to the back of the car and stopped, jutting his chin toward the trunk. "Open it and see for yourself."

He couldn't quite hide the excitement in his expression. Nora couldn't help but laugh at his mysterious demeanor. "What are you up to, Felix?"

"You'll know when you open it." Felix pressed the car keys into her hand.

Nora took the keys and pressed the trunk release button. The lid slowly rose, and when the contents were fully revealed, she froze, the smile stiffening on her lips.

The trunk was completely packed with red roses. Tiny droplets of water clung to the petals, burning as intensely as a raging fire under the glaring fluorescent lights of the parking garage.

Her first reaction wasn't surprise. After the initial visual shock passed, an indescribable sense of tension washed over her.

She turned to look at Felix, her gaze carrying a hint of unease and probing. "Felix, what is the meaning of this?"

Felix easily caught the rapid shift of emotions on her face. His eyes darkened for a split second before he shoved his hands into his pockets and offered a careless shrug, his tone deliberately breezy.

"What could it mean? It's a celebration. Today is the incredibly important ten-year anniversary of your career. What's so weird about giving you a bouquet of roses?"

He tilted his head to look at her, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. "You didn't think I had feelings for you, did you, Nora? We've known each other for over a decade. If I liked you, I would have pursued you ages ago. I wouldn't have waited until now."

He spoke lightly and candidly, as if it really were nothing.

The taut string in Nora's heart finally relaxed. She let out a breath, lifted the massive bouquet from the trunk, and lowered her head to take a sniff before looking up with a smile. "Then thank you, Felix."

Felix had already taken two steps back, pulling out his phone and pointing the camera at her. "Turn around. Let me get a picture."

Nora turned back around, cradling the roses. The light from the car's headlights hit the side of her face, softening her features.

Standing outside the car, the smile slowly slipped from Felix's face. His eyes dimmed, a heavy weight pressing down on his chest.

Then he opened the driver's side door and slid in, pinning that carefree smile back in place. He immediately opened the app and was the first to like her new post.

"It's rare enough for you to actually post something. I definitely had to be the first one to hit like."

Nora just smiled, slipping her phone back into her purse without saying another word.

The car drove out of the underground parking garage. Felix dropped her off outside her apartment building, watching as she carried the massive bouquet of roses through the front doors before finally looking away and turning the steering wheel to leave.

His car had barely exited the community gates when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and answered via the Bluetooth speaker.

Xavier Thorne's voice boomed through the speakers, backed by the chaotic, thumping noise typical of a bar. "You finally picked up! Ever since Nora got back these past few days, I couldn't drag you out no matter how hard I tried. What made you change your mind today? Did she dump you?"

Felix's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Without saying a word, he signaled and turned the car toward the bar.