Chapter 32

Walking out of the office, the air outside felt a bit fresher today, with the warm sun shining just right on her shoulders. Summer had officially arrived—colorful little flowers bloomed along the street, the grass was a fresh green, the sky was a proper blue, and tall buildings stood row after row. Folks in light outfits hurried past, and the pleasant scene somehow soothed Maria’s mood a bit. Since moving back, her weekdays were all about work from dawn till late, and weekends were spent hanging with her kids. It had been a while since she had any time to herself. Now that she’d left work early, she wasn’t quite ready to head home yet. She pulled out her phone, thinking of checking if there were any interesting spots nearby. That was when her phone buzzed—it was David inviting her to dinner. Since she was already off early with no set plans, she said yes. Back when David offered to pick her up from work, James straight-up shut it down. Still, David had reached out a few more times afte