Renewal Of Love

They came to a high-end French restaurant. The lights were low and strategically placed. The floor incorporated a white and black checkered design; the walls were dark gray, covered in vintage art, and the tables were small and white. The chairs were made of wood and wicker, alternating between plain and black. The tables were made for couples to be closer to each other.

While looking at the loving couples in the restaurant, Anne felt that this was the most unlikely spot for her and Kevin to eat.

People who came here were usually the closest lovers, and the two of them did not fit that description at all.

"I think we'd better find another restaurant," Anne said. "This really isn't us." She looked at Kevin to gauge his reaction.

He frowned and looked at her unhappily, inexplicable anger shone in his black eyes.

"Why not? What's wrong with this place?"

Kevin knew what she was thinking, and that was why he was even less happy.

"Take a look around. See that couple? And that one? Everyone here is very much in love. Don't you think it's kind of ironic for us to grab a meal here?"

Anne couldn't accept the fact that she was having lunch with Kevin in a warm and romantic setting like this one.

"Not really. A man and his wife should be fine eating here." The more this woman wanted to escape, the more he wanted to stay here for lunch.

"You know our marriage is a sham, right? It's a contractual agreement. You're the one that keeps reminding me."

Her words were still calm. She felt a sense of relief when she thought of it. Their relationship would be over the moment the baby was born.

"Even if it is a contract, you're still my wife. I don't want to hear you bring that up again!"

Kevin reminded Anne coldly as he dragged her to a seat.

The two of them sat face to face, and their expressions were passionless. Anne looked away.

"Mr. Kevin, we haven't seen you in forever!" The manager of the restaurant came to greet Kevin as soon as he found his VIP.

Kevin's face softened. He looked at the restaurant manager and replied indifferently,

"I've been busy. And that gives me a healthy appetite."

"Right. You must be very busy since you have such a big company to manage. Who is your guest? You usually come here with Miss Cherry."

Although Kevin looked indifferent, the restaurant manager was quite enthusiastic.

When she heard Cherry's name, Anne frowned. A flash of disgust flashed through her beautiful eyes, and she felt a little bitter in her heart. So he'd been to this restaurant before-and he'd brought Cherry along.

At the same time, Kevin's eyes turned cold when he heard the restaurant manager's words.

"Two filet Mignons, medium well. Open a bottle of Bordeaux red wine. I need some juice, too; my wife is pregnant and can't drink wine." The manager was taken aback. He hadn't expected that this was Kevin's wife. He knew he said something wrong and felt a little flustered.

"Yes, Mr. Kevin. It'll be just a moment." The manager tried cover up his embarrassment, but it was too awkward. He left a little hastily. There were only two people left at the table, but the atmosphere was oppressive in the extreme. Anne's face was even colder than before. And Kevin was even more annoyed by her reaction.

Soon, the waiter served the food Kevin had ordered. Anne ate in silence. She didn't feel like talking.

"All out of words? That's not like you." Kevin frowned and looked at Anne unhappily, with flames shining in his black eyes.

"We have nothing to talk about." Anne cut the steak calmly without raising her eyes to look at him.

"But I think we have a lot to talk about! Anne, do you really hate me, or are you deliberately playing hard to get?"

Kevin didn't believe any woman would change her attitude towards him so soon. She was unmoved by his grand gestures. Maybe she was trying to attract his attention.

Hard to get? He was too narcissistic. The reason why she was so cold to him then was that she had given up.

"Does it matter? You're not going to listen to a word I say."

No matter what she said, Kevin would not believe her.

"Anne, I hate when you get like this, when you're so damn apathetic."

Damn it! He used to hope that she'd keep her distance. And then when that happened, he felt as if he'd lost something.

"Isn't that what you want? Please don't bother me again, Kevin. After I give birth to the baby, we'll have nothing to do with each other."

Anne couldn't stand this man. He hated her, but always found time to bother her. It had taken some doing, but she pushed him out of her heart. And here he was worming his way back in. It wasn't fair. Kevin looked at Anne sullenly. His anger was building, and he had no outlet.

This woman wanted to distance herself from him?

"Don't worry. After you give birth, you'll get your wish!" After saying that, Kevin lost his appetite and left.

Watching him leave, Anne breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed.

She ate the steak in her plate quietly and then walked out of the restaurant.

Looking at the sun high above her, she sighed helplessly. It was so hot and she had to walk back to the office in the sun.

After she had taken two steps, Kevin's car stopped in front of her.

"You haven't left yet?" Anne looked at him in surprise. She thought he had left a long time ago, but she didn't expect him to be waiting around.

She had been alone in the restaurant for at least ten minutes, which meant he had been waiting here all the time?

As she thought of that, some part of her heart started to soften.

"Get in the car now. Do you want a tan?" Kevin said in a cold tone, sounding very unhappy, as if he were still angry about what she said.

Anne really didn't want to get in the car, but she had little choice if she wanted shade. Plus she was pregnant. Even if she didn't care about herself, she had to think about the baby.

Kevin had been waiting until then, probably because he was worried about the baby. If she weren't pregnant, he would have left long ago.

She got into the car and Kevin started the engine after giving her an uncaring look.

He didn't say a word the whole way back, as if she had completely irritated him. The situation was depressing but Anne was much relieved.

When they arrived at the office, Kevin parked his car and walked into the company without sparing a glance at her.

Anne got used to it, so she didn't know there was anything wrong. She watched him enter the office building, then she walked toward the company, too.

As soon as she entered the office, Emily quickly followed behind her. She looked at her curiously, excitement in her lovely eyes.

"So, how'd it go? Are you closer with the president?" She was more curious about the relationship between Anne and Kevin than anyone else. Anne glared at her.

"You've got some explaining to do. Why did you lie to Kevin about our lunch plans?" Emily had pushed them together. Anne was not happy. With a guilty smile, Emily started speaking a mile a minute.

"Look, I did it for you. I thought if you guys could get some alone time, maybe things would improve. They could only get better, right?"

"You know what he's like," Anne said with a smile of self-mockery.

"How can anything get better?"

Of course, she knew Kevin was kind to her at times, but his disgust for her was deeply rooted in his bones. Their relationship would probably be like that for the rest of their lives.

Emily felt sorry, sorry for Anne, sorry she set things up. She knew how Kevin treated her, and that they never seemed to get along.

"Anne, don't say that. I think he loves you. He just can't always show it. I see him doing little things that make me think he cares." Through careful observation, Emily discovered when Kevin looked at Anne, his eyes were no longer reflected the disgust they used to. "That's just because of the baby. Without this little guy..."- she patted her belly-"...his attitude wouldn't have changed at all."

What Emily said didn't work on Anne, because she knew that Kevin hated her. She'd known it for a long time.

Emily sighed helplessly. Anne had been hurt too many times, so she couldn't believe it. For a moment, Emily couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend.

"All right, Anne. Let's not dwell on this. It's bad for the baby. Hey, I'm thirsty. How does a glass of milk sound?" Putting her arm around Anne's shoulder, Emily comforted her and tried to lighten the mood.

Cherry waited impatiently in the president's office, Kevin and Anne had been out to lunch for a long time, but they hadn't come back yet. She felt uneasy.

His attitude towards Anne had changed. She could see it in his eyes. He didn't hate Anne as much as before. That was not what she wanted to see.

Finally, when she was about to lose her patience, someone opened the door. Kevin's slender figure appeared in the doorway.

He didn't look good, frowning.

"Hi Kevin. Did you miss me?" Cherry stood up and walked towards him with a gentle smile on her face.

A trace of surprise flashed through Kevin' black eyes when he saw her, but soon it was replaced by tenderness. "Cherry, why are you here?" There was no emotion in his voice.

"I missed you so much. I wanted to have lunch with you, but you and Anne had left by the time I got here."

Cherry said Anne's name on purpose. She wanted to take a close look, find out how he reacted. She took everything into account, even actions Kevin did unconsciously.

He frowned slightly and his eyes became deeper.

"Why didn't you call me before you got here? If I knew you were coming, I would have waited for you."