Chapter 58 Rejected

Ava's Pov

The drive home was quiet, but not in the usual, comfortable way. Richard was oddly silent, but there was a certain energy about him that made me curious.

Every so often, I caught him glancing at me with a smile that made me wonder what was going on in his head.

“What’s with that smile?” I asked, trying to make sense of his behavior.

Richard chuckled softly, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “Nothing, just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” I pressed, hoping for some sort of hint.

“You’ll see,” was all he said, that mysterious smile still playing on his lips.

I gave up on trying to figure it out. Whatever it was, he was clearly enjoying keeping me in the dark. I leaned back in my seat, staring out the window, my mind wandering as I tried to guess what surprise he had in store this time.

When we finally pulled into the driveway, I noticed something was different. The house was dimly lit, with soft, warm lights flickering through the windows. As we stepped out of