I exited the car without waiting for him, holding Ava’s hand as we headed inside. Meanwhile, Matthew followed us with a smile. Usually, he would have let me go in alone, especially in times like these.

I knew he wanted to see if I was lying.

I glanced at the shoes on display when we entered the shop. Matthew was watching me closely, waiting for me to embarrass myself. Surprisingly, the sales associate recognized me, saying, “Mrs. Hartz, are you here to pick up the shoes?”

I smiled. "Yes."

"All right, let me get them for you!" She hurried into the storeroom and soon handed me a shoebox. "Size 8, brown!"

I took the box, opened it to look inside, and handed it to Matthew. I thanked the sales associate as well.

Matthew blinked in slight surprise as he took the box. He hugged me and thanked the sales associate.

On the way back, he seemed unusually energetic, chatting nonstop. I simply responded with a few words.

I barely ate during the meal. Firstly, the afternoon's gallstone pain h