My Secret Lover of 10 Years Had a Heart Rate of 70 for Me—But It Hit 175 for His Ex Chapter 06

My Secret Lover of 10 Years Had a Heart Rate of 70 for Me—But It Hit 175 for His Ex Chapter 06

I had been staying in this little southern city for almost a month now.

A desperate escape with no destination had led me here-to a town by the sea.

The sea breeze in early spring still carried a chill.

As it drifted in through the window and brushed against my face, it left my mind strangely clear.

Someone knocked on the door.

Still half asleep, I slipped into my slippers and went to answer it.

Mrs. Patterson stood outside holding a thermal lunch container.

“Sweetheart, I made you some roast chicken.”

Ever since she found out I wasn’t a local, she had shown up at my door every day with homemade dishes.

Mrs. Patterson was naturally friendly and outgoing.

She loved dropping in on people, and I loved the company and the noise, so I was happy to let her come by

whenever she liked.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Mrs. Patterson sat across from me, her face full of warmth.

I took a bite of the chicken and shook my head.

“I did. We were together ten years. Broke up not long ago.”

“Oh, sweetheart…” The old woman looked even more heartbroken than I did. “Ten years. That kind of love

runs deep.”

I stayed quiet.

When I first got here, I could barely sleep. I kept dreaming about Gabriel-waking up in tears every time.

But little by little, I had gotten used to it. Life went on without him.

Mrs. Patterson patted the back of my hand gently.

“If it’s over, it’s over. Out with the old, in with the new.”

I smiled faintly and nodded.

Through Mrs. Patterson, I ended up joining her daughter’s studio.

The company was small. Including me, there were only six employees, all of them young.

After work every day, everyone gathered around gossiping.

Mrs Patterson’s daughter was named Sarah.

She was in her early thirties-sharp and decisive at work, but hilarious and easygoing once you got to know

her.

“Clean this mess up already!” Sarah smacked Jessie Hart lightly on the head with a folder.

“You ate the most and talked the loudest.”

“If clients walk in and see this, they’re gonna think we’re some sketchy little startup.”

Jessie immediately jumped up to find a broom.

“I’m sweeping! I’m sweeping! Quit hitting me!”

“I’m already dumb enough. You hit me any harder, our whole company’s going under!”

The whole office burst into playful chaos like a bunch of overgrown kids.

I held my stomach from laughing so hard at my desk.

“Alright, everybody clean up. We’re going out for seafood boil later to celebrate the new hire,” Sarah

announced.

The place was at the far end of the pedestrian street. A long established local spot.

The waiter led us into a private room, then immediately carried in four huge cases of beer.

I stared at them in shock.

Jessie winked at me and said, “Totally normal.”

“It’s tradition around here. New person joins, we test their liver. Nobody leaves sober!”

I wasn’t the shy type either.

I grabbed a bottle, popped it open and downed half of it in one go.

“Damn! The newbie’s got game!”

“Come on, bottoms up, everybody!”

Several rounds later, my face burned hot and my thoughts had slowed to a crawl.

I slumped against my chair, staring blankly at the bubbling water in the pot.

“Just drinking is boring. Let’s play Truth or Dare!”

Jessie placed an empty beer bottle on the table and spun it.

After three turns, the bottle slowly stopped in front of me.

“Truth! How many boyfriends have you had? And how long was the longest?”

I mumbled, slow and slurred. “One. We were together for… ten years.”

The entire room erupted.

“We broke up,” I said, laughing. “It’s just… he didn’t love me that much, you know? So I left. Not much to tell,

really.”

“Again, again!”

The bottle spun once more. And once again, it pointed directly at me.

“Now it’s Dare!” Jessie jumped to her feet. “Call your ex and curse him out!”

“Do it! Do it!”

“We fully support dragging that asshole!”

I pulled out my phone. It took me a while before my blurry eyes could focus on the screen.

I’d blocked Gabriel everywhere the day I left.

“Call him. We’ll all yell at him together!” Jessie declared passionately.

“Okay,” I said.