Revenge Against My Ex-husband
Chapter 54 First Meeting

Edric was upset when he learned that Nathan was back.

He couldn't focus on work all day. "She must be with Nathan at this moment, right?"

"What are they doing now? Watching a movie, eating, or having sex like any ordinary couple?"

He couldn't stand those thoughts and grabbed his coat and rushed out of the company. He drove aimlessly and somehow got to Irene's old neighborhood.

There was a car accident ahead, and the road was jammed. Edric sat in the car, waiting for the road to be cleared, irritated and impatient.

"I wouldn't take you here if I knew this. So many cars and people..."

Edric heard a familiar voice. He looked over and saw Irene. She was not alone. Nathan, all dashing and handsome, was standing beside her.

Nathan was holding a child in his arms. Edric couldn't see the kid's face since he was facing him with his back. Irene kissed the boy on his cheek.

He knew very well how much she wanted a child. His heart suddenly tightened and he stared blankly in the direction of Irene and Nathan.

He came out of the daze when the car behind him honked angrily. The police had dealt with the accident, and the blocked road started to clear. Irene and Nathan passed by his car while holding the kid. He could see the happy smile on her face, yet she didn't notice him at all.

They were strangers now! Edric was troubled by an indescribable feeling. His chest felt congested.

Nathan and Irene had disappeared after Edric found a spot to park the car and turned around. He didn't know why he was so distressed to see Irene and Nathan here together.

This place bears Irene's happy memory. She said that she would only share her happiness with Edric. But now she took Nathan here as well. What did that mean?

She wanted to share her happiness with Nathan. What a hateful woman! Edric would like to see how Irene could enjoy her time with another man when her ex-husband was around. Edric parked the car and looked for them around the alley Irene used to live in, but he didn't replace them. Edric clearly saw them walking with a child. How could they disappear so quickly?

All of a sudden, Edric remembered that Irene liked to go to the brook behind the alley, so he hurried to the riverside.

Irene took Nathan and Eden to the river bank. Although San Fetillo had been developing rapidly, the neighborhood Irene lived in remained the same as it was more than a decade ago. Poverty protected the neighborhood from pollution. The brook was clear, and the grass was green. They could see tadpoles and fish swimming in the water when standing on the river bank.

"I used to catch fish here when I was a child." Irene gazed at the river, feeling emotional. "My family was very poor at that time and couldn't afford good food. So I came here to catch fish to have a square meal. Once, I was caught in the rain and swept away by the water. Fortunately, I caught the big tree over there and didn't get carried away. My uncle never allowed me to catch fish again ever since that."

Nathan could feel the danger from her recount. He gazed at Irene with a sad look, said, "You must have a bitter childhood."

"Yes, very bitter, but I was very happy!" Irene replied, "I often dreamed of catching fish since my uncle kept me from doing so. I still dream about it now."

Eden, who was standing aside, was very excited. "Mom, I want to catch fish."

Irene and Nathan looked at each other and smiled. "Alright!"

She took off her shoes and rolled up her pants to jump into the river without a shred of embarrassment. The water was chill and the sand was soft. She finally experienced it again more than ten years later. Irene sighed, "This may be the last time for me to catch fish here!"

Eden did not know what Irene was lamenting about. He also took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and went into the water. Holding a plastic bottle, he asked Irene to help him catch the fish. Although Irene hadn't done this for years, she was still quite skillful. She caught a few small ones and put them in Eden's plastic bottle.

Eden was over the moon. He raised the bottle and said to Nathan, "Uncle Nathan, come here too!"

Nathan was tempted when he saw how much fun Irene and Eden were having and joined them in the water. He grew up in a wealthy family and had no idea how to catch fish. All he could do was poking around along with Eden when he saw the fish swimming over.

Not only didn't they catch the slippery fish, they got themselves soaked.

Irene burst out laughing when she saw Nathan and Eden. The mud in the river reminded her of the time when she played in the mud with her childhood playmates. Irene suddenly grabbed a piece of mud and smeared it on Nathan's face. Nathan was staring at the fish and didn't expect Irene to sneak up on him. Eden laughed loudly when he saw the mud on Nathan's face. Irene didn't spare Eden either. She smeared Eden's face with mud as well.

"Bad mom!" Eden grabbed some mud to wipe Irene's face too. With Nathan's help, Irene was attacked from both sides and was covered in mud as expected.

The three muddy faces looked ridiculous. "Mom, are we having a face mask now?" Eden asked innocently.

"Yes, we are having a facial mask, a natural clay mask!" Irene and Nathan exchanged a look and laughed.

Edric was flustered at the sight of such a happy scene when he rushed to the river. He strode over to them. Irene was shocked when she noticed Edric. "Why did he come?"

Nathan also saw Edric. He reached out to hold Irene's hand and told her not to panic. Edric's eyes darkened when he saw Nathan holding Irene's hand. "Does he think I'm a dead man?" Anger rose in Edric's chest. He was eager to beat Nathan up until he was humiliated and begged for mercy in front of Irene.

But he could only fantasize about it in his mind. He had no reason to beat Nathan right now. Edric walked over and stood by the river. Looking at them in the water, he said, "Mr. White, you're in a good mood!" He stared at them maliciously even though he greeted them first.

Nathan turned a blind eye to his hostility. "Are you here for inspection, Mr. Myers?"

Why would he come to the riverside for inspection? Edric certainly understood Nathan's sarcasm. "This river has beautiful scenery and is a good place to live, especially for retirement. I'm going to build a house on the bank. So I'm here to check the surroundings."

While speaking, he stared at Irene with his blazing eyes. Irene used to snuggle up in his arms and tell him about her childhood. She mentioned this brook many times and said that they could build a house by the river after they retired. She would catch fish for him every day.

Irene recovered from her momentary panic. Eden's face was covered in mud, so Edric wouldn't recognize him. Why should she be afraid? A hint of derision flashed in her eyes. "I used to think of building a house by the river to live out my life as well. But now I realized that it's such a foolish idea."

"You!" Edric never thought that she could move on from their past so easily. He was tongue-tied with anger.

Nathan followed Irene's words, "You've always been silly, but I like it."

Edric was beside himself upon watching their duet. "I wonder what your grandma would think if she knew you're playing with mud here in San Fetillo."

"Mr. Myers, you worry too much. My grandmother is old and she has been concentrating on enjoying her life without meddling in our affairs. However, Mr. Myers, I heard that Madam Myers is eager to have some grandchildren and handpicked a fiancee for you. She has been accompanying her future daughter-in-law to prepare for your engagement. You're so lucky to have such a mother!"

Edric didn't expect that Nathan would bring this up. He didn't want to get engaged to Lily, but it was not the time to explain right now. Nathan was obviously slapping him in the face with this. Edric sneered, "Mr. White is really sharp-tongued!"

"Mr. Myers, you're quite good at complimenting others. However, my sharp tongue is nothing compared with your callousness and cruelty!" Nathan taunted him back.

Edric certainly understood that Nathan insulted him to take revenge for Irene. He snickered and said, "It's a pity that you used your compassion in the wrong place. How could a gentleman like you hanker after a married woman?"

"A gentleman has his code of conduct. I have been an honest man and am not afraid of being judged. On the other hand, there are some people who pretend to be sanctimonious while having no trouble committing adultery themselves. I'm sure you have plenty of men like this around, right?"

"You!" Edric was furious. Nathan was well-known for his eloquence and had never lost a debate.

Edric was not a match for him. Eden had no idea what was going on. He saw a beautiful butterfly flying over the grass and went ashore to chase after it.

Edric had been focusing on Nathan and Irene and didn't pay attention to Eden at all. Irene was relieved to see Eden went ashore to chase the butterfly. She reminded Nathan, "You're soaked. Let's get up."

Nathan nodded and pulled Irene up to the bank. While putting on his shoes, he looked at Edric provocatively and said, "Don't forget to send the wedding invitation after you're engaged. I will definitely come to have a toast."

Irene was delighted to see Edric speechless. "Didn't think you would suffer like this, did you?" She put on her shoes and saw Eden had run away, so she reminded Nathan, "It's almost noon. Let's go for lunch." Nathan agreed and made more derisive remarks when he passed Edric, "Mr. Myers, take your time to study the terrain. We won't disturb you anymore."

Edric watched them swaggering past him and only came to his senses when he saw them catching up with Eden to help him put on his shoes. Edric didn't notice the kid at all before. Seeing how close the child seemed to be with Nathan, Edric wondered if this was the child who suddenly appeared beside Nathan.

He had been keeping an eye on Nathan because of Irene. He didn't see anything about Irene on the news. Instead, he heard that Nathan suddenly had a child around him. Everyone felt strange since Nathan was not married. The press had been trying to dig out the background of the child but didn't succeed. The kid showed up out of nowhere. Later, some people speculated that he might be Nathan's illegitimate child. Nathan did not deny it, and no one from White Family came out to clarify it.

Edric scoffed when he saw the news at that time. Didn't Irene always think that Nathan was a gentleman? He wondered what Irene would think if she knew Nathan had an illegitimate child.

But now he realized that he was wrong. Irene seemed to be very fond of Nathan's kid. It appeared that she had known this for a long time and had a good relationship with the child.

Sure enough, Edric was no match for Nathan in Irene's heart. She could accept Nathan's illegitimate child but not Edric's. Edric suddenly became angry when he thought that she condemned him to death without giving him a chance to explain.