Chapter 628

Julien ended the call, and the urge to smoke hit him hard. He licked his back teeth, tempted to light a cigarette, but thoughts of Helen held him back. He didn't know how long he sat in his car, but by 5:00 pm, he finally saw Helen walking out of her neighborhood with Amelia. Helen was wearing a white down jacket and a pair of faded jeans, her long hair tied back. She seemed to be in a good mood, a slight smile playing on her lips. She noticed Julien's car too. Her smile froze for a few seconds before she acted like she hadn't seen him and continued walking with Amelia toward the mall. Today, Amelia had suddenly decided she wanted to cook and insisted that Helen accompany her to buy groceries. Helen, in a rare moment of cheer, happily agreed. At the mall, Helen pushed the cart while following Amelia around to pick out ingredients. Amelia rarely cooked; whenever James was home, he took on that responsibility. Curious, Helen asked, "Mom, what's the occasion? Is someone coming over f