Nadine believed Brad must have been disgusted by the fact that she treated him as a substitute, which was why he kept badgering her.
If an apology could buy her some peace and quiet, she was willing to offer it. She just wanted him to stay the hell away from her.
After all, she wasn't an important person, and apologizing for something like this didn't mean she was entirely in the wrong. So, she apologized to Brad, "I'm genuinely sorry for treating you as a substitute, Mr. Hamilton. I promise it will never happen again."
As soon as her words sank in, Brad stood in stunned silence, staring at Nadine, whose expression was completely sincere. For a moment, he thought he might have misheard.
But no, she was genuinely apologizing. Her tone was earnest, her expression sincere. There wasn't a hint of pretense in her words, and her dark almond-shaped eyes glimmered under the streetlights.
After hearing that, he felt an inexplicable sense of joy. If she had said just a bit more, he might have told her that there was no need to apologize since the substitute issue was all in the past—there was no point in rehashing it.
Consequently, he responded merrily, "There better not be a next time!"
That was all he wanted—a simple apology. He hadn't expected it to come so easily, and for a brief moment, he started to doubt his own ears.
As he mulled over the odd simplicity of it all, Nadine added, "I've apologized, Mr. Hamilton. So, could you please stay away from Sean and me now? Since you've gotten what you wanted, there's no need to keep harassing us, right?
"When we divorced, we agreed to go our separate ways and not interfere with each other. Surely you haven't forgotten about that, Mr. Hamilton? It's fine if you have—I can remind you a few more times to help jog your memory."
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