Secondly, I believed I'd never cross paths with Nicole's father again. So, it just didn't feel necessary to tell Megan about him. As such, I just gave a vague explanation by saying that I failed to get in touch with Nicole's father after getting pregnant.

However, Megan probably misunderstood the situation. She probably assumed that Nicole's father was a scumbag who just hit it and quit it. Out of consideration for my feelings, she never probed into the specifics either.

In the end, that brought us to this awkward moment.

Even though it wasn't nice to deceive my best friend, I didn't have the guts to reveal Nicole's true identity to Megan or Frederick out of the blue.

After all, I did not know Frederick well. If we couldn't get along, Megan and I might even end up having a falling out.

As Megan and I had a few drinks in the evening, Frederick offered to chauffeur us. As he drove northward, Megan pressed her cheek against the car window and exclaimed, "You're going the wrong way. This isn't the way to Jenna's place!"

"I'm giving you a ride back home first. I will be heading out later, so I won't be going home."

That upset Megan. She grumbled, "We wouldn't have gotten you to give us a ride if I had known you weren't going home. Jenna and I could've found somewhere else to hang out at."

Frederick shot her a look but did not reply. He pulled the car to a stop steadily at the front gate of their residence, and Megan exited the car unwillingly.

Since it felt awkward for me to be with Frederick alone, I, too, shifted to get out of the car. "My place isn't too far from here, so I can just get a cab from here. Wouldn't want to trouble you if you have someth—"

"It's no trouble. It's on the way."

Megan nodded. "He's right. Just let him give you a ride. It's not like he has any actual business to attend to in the middle of the night anyway."

I had no choice but to accept the offer. Otherwise, it would just seem forced if I kept refusing.

"Where to?"

"The residential area on Joy Street."

Frederick took a glance at me through the rearview mirror. His eyes were twinkling with glee. "Didn't you say you didn't want to call it a night yet? I'll take you where you want to go now."

"Oh, no need for that. Megan was just kidding earlier. Thank you very much to you and Megan for today," I said politely.

"Don't be a stranger. Don't you know who I am?"

I never expected him to ask me about it so straightforwardly. Instantly, my breathing quickened. Before I could even answer him, he uttered a confirmation, "So you do remember."

"I-I don't understand what you're going on about."

"Liar." Frederick lowered his voice and continued, "Didn't Megan tell you what I used to do for work? I'm an expert at reading people's emotions just by listening to their breathing."

Upon hearing that, I held my breath instinctively. Nevertheless, he then burst out in laughter. "Now, that was a lie."

"Frederick!"

"There, this is more like you. You've been acting way too tense since you saw me today."

Worried about giving anything else away, I resorted to keeping my mouth shut this time. Thankfully, Frederick did not tease me further along the way.

After arriving back home, I played a game with Megan. It was only after the game that I finally dragged myself into the shower. When I hung my clothes out to dry, I happened to notice the SUV downstairs. It had not moved an inch since Frederick pulled over to drop me off.

After hesitating for a while, I put a jacket over my shoulders and headed downstairs. The car engine was still running when I knocked on the car window.

"Frederick?"

The car window rolled down, revealing the steely expression on Frederick's face.

"Is there something wrong with your car?" I asked.

"No," he answered.

"Why are you still here, then? Didn't you say you were meeting with some friends?"

"I'm not meeting with any friends. It was just an excuse I came up with so that I could give you a ride home, just the two of us."

The air came to a standstill. I pressed my lips together. For some reason, the anger and frustration that I had kept hidden for far too long flared up. "Do you just love making up excuses?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

After saying that, I turned around to leave. However, he furrowed his brows and grabbed my hand. "Make yourself clear."

"That urgent task."

It was only at this moment that he recalled the words he had said to me all those years ago. In a hoarse voice, he explained, "I didn't lie to you about that. I really was notified of it at the last minute. I had only just returned home on leave when the emergency crisis struck.

"I was out there doing rescue work the entire time."

"What about your number, then? No one picked up when I called that number at all!"

"When we're out on duty, we have to hand our phones i—"

Before he finished his sentence, realization hit him. "You tried to reach me?"