Chapter 27

Ezra was somewhat surprised by Raphael's question but not entirely caught off guard. He had expected this sooner or later. While there was no need to lie to Raphael, he couldn't be completely truthful, either. "Me and Cathy, huh? We've been together for about a year now. I'm pretty active and talkative, so I was the one who did most of the talking at first," Ezra said with a casual smile. "Cathy, though, she's not really one to speak up. I'm not sure why, but I've always respected her boundaries. Last time, I didn't get a chance to ask about her childhood. Would you be willing to tell me a bit about it now, Mr. Lindberg?" Raphael stared at Ezra for a moment and lowered his eyes. Before meeting Catherine, Raphael himself had never really known how to take care of anyone. He wasn't exactly the nurturing type. When he first met Catherine, she was only nine years old, and he was 21. It was an early evening when the sky slowly darkened as the sunset dipped below the horizon, casting a