43. Confirmation Needed

"Arleena, is it true that you had a child with another man?" The question from one of Arleena's coworkers somewhat surprised Arleena. For some reason, the question sounded piercing to her heart. Although Arleena could have denied it, she remembered Justin's actions that came suddenly just to spread bad rumors. Arleena gave a small smile to the coworker who asked her a question. But that smile looked a bit awkward. "I wouldn't do something like that," Arleena replied, trying to remain calm. Katerine was already wearing a wary expression for fear of a tense conversation between them. She did not speak anything. Just paying attention to the surroundings. "Right. You can't be like that, right?" Arleena's coworker smiled with relief as she said her question. "I'm sure that ex-boyfriend of yours only regrets cheating on you behind your back. He can't get you back." "Yes, I agree. He actually regrets failing to marry you, Arleena. But he also doesn't want to take the blame even though he did the wrong thing," another coworker of Arleena's said. Hearing those words made Arleena grimace faintly. Arleena tried to cover her anxiety by continuing to eat the food that was served in front of her eyes. Arleena really didn't want to talk too much about Justin. She just wanted things with Justin to be over after their relationship ended. Unfortunately, Justin's arrival a few moments ago raised concerns in Arleena's heart. What if in the future Justin does something more dangerous than this? "I don't know what he's thinking. So, I can't guess," Arleena said, answering all the questions. "But, Arleena... why would Justin cheat on you?" Arleena's other coworkers didn't respond to her request. Katerine immediately looked askance at the person who had just spoken. She didn't say anything. But from the look in her eyes, she gave an implicit warning. Arleena let out a long sigh. She had deliberately shown herself unwilling to say anything from the expression on her face. Unfortunately, Arleeena heard the question about Justin again. "I don't understand. If you want to know, you can ask him," replied Arleena who gave her coworker a disgusted look. Arleena's coworker immediately smiled awkwardly. "Aish, you know me and her don't know each other. How could I suddenly ask such a private matter?" Arleena snapped her fingers while nodding briefly. "That's right, it's a private matter. You already know that." Instantly the expression on Arleena's coworker's face turned sour. Her smile faded in an instant. Arleena's coworker then turned her gaze to the food served before her. "Actually, Hanni wasn't wrong to ask that. I'm also curious, even though you two seem to be in love," said Arleena's male coworker. Arleena didn't know why the people at this table wouldn't stop asking about her relationship. Finally, Arleena chose to remain silent for a while. "Yes, but it's possible that your ex-lover doesn't really love you." "Or, you did things that he didn't like repeatedly, so he fell out of love and sought comfort in another woman." "Ah! I've heard the theory that men will seek comfort from other women if their lover can't provide it at all." Arleena felt even less appetite when she heard those words. Her chewing movements slowed down as long as her ears still picked up the sounds of conversation. In Arleena's heart, she was already secretly feeling resentful. Arleena still tried to restrain herself from venting her frustration. "Arleena, we know how you act at work. We think maybe that's why Justin seeks comfort in other women," one of Arleena's coworkers expressed her opinion. Arleena laughed sarcastically at the remark. She put down the spoon with such force that the slamming sound caught the attention of everyone at the table. "Oh my...," Arleena closed her eyes as she looked up and took a deep breath. "I can't help myself anymore. Why are you guys saying nonsense?" Arleena's words made everyone at the long table fall silent. One of them, Katerine, secretly let out an exasperated sigh. Katerine had guessed that Arleena would not be able to hold back any longer. "You should just enjoy the food in front of your eyes. You're ridiculous," said Katerine, expressing her frustration. While Arleena was still looking exasperatedly at everyone at the table, some of her coworkers were laughing awkwardly. They looked at each other awkwardly and surprised. "Arleena, we were just chatting casually, you shouldn't be angry," replied one of Arleena's coworkers. Arleena was still staring at the coworker who had just spoken. She deliberately let it be known through that look that what she had just said was ridiculous. "That's right. After all, we were just expressing our own estimates. If it wasn't the truth, you should have denied it." "Are you going to listen?" asked Arleena in a fierce tone. Arleena's coworkers were silent, made even more awkward by the question. Somehow they couldn't speak because Arleena's intimidating aura was so strong. After looking at the people around her one by one, Arleena grinned. "I already told you that I don't understand what my ex-boyfriend is thinking. But you guys keep talking and asking questions like useless gossipers," Arleena retorted. "What?" Arleena's coworker replied, her voice sounding offended. "Useless gossipers, you say?" Arleena nodded her head with a look that belittled them all. "Of course. What do you all deserve to be called? You keep talking without stopping and your assumptions are getting more and more wild." Arleena's other coworkers laughed sarcastically as they looked away. "Hey, Arleena, we told you we were just discussing. We care about you, if that guy comes again, we can stop him." "No need," Arleena argued with an annoyed laugh. "Don't you have anything else interesting to talk about?