Embraced by My Ex's Uncle

Chapter 8 No Regrets

“No, I don’t regret it.”

Elizabeth’s reply was uncommonly firm.

She didn’t regret it.

Even if the job was tiring at times, at least she now knew exactly what she was doing every day.

How to grind coffee beans properly, how to create beautiful latte art for a cappuccino, what syrup flavors customers liked, and how to communicate with them.

These were all small things.

So small that many people would overlook them. But...

Elizabeth’s life no longer revolved around Bradley.

And that was enough.

Bradley looked at her increasingly determined eyes, and a trace of panic flashed in his heart.

Before he could figure out the source of his unease, a surge of overwhelming anger consumed him.

Bradley slammed his cup down furiously. “Fine, very fine. Let’s see just how pathetic you can make yourself!”

With that, he stormed out, dragging Bethany along with him.

Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief and began apologizing to the other customers.

After handling everything, she stared blankly at the sky, only to feel a gentle hand pat her shoulder from behind.

“Elizabeth, you’ve done very well,” a familiar voice said.

Elizabeth turned around.

It was the store manager.

Seeing him, Elizabeth instinctively wanted to apologize, feeling responsible for the trouble she had caused.

If it weren’t for her, none of this would have happened in the coffee shop today.

Just as she was about to speak, the manager shook his head slightly.

“If it were me, I would’ve thrown the coffee right at him,” he said with a small smile.

Elizabeth shook her head. “They’re wealthy. I can’t be sure they wouldn’t retaliate against the shop. You’ve helped me a lot already; I couldn’t do that.”

The manager sighed lightly. “You’re too considerate and grateful.”

“I heard you’re looking for an apartment recently. A friend of mine has a vacant one, and the rent is affordable. With your current salary, you can definitely manage it.”

“Manager, don’t tell me you have a crush on me?” Elizabeth hesitated.

The manager laughed. “What are you thinking? You’re an excellent employee, and I want to keep you on the team.”

Elizabeth decided to check out the apartment with him.

It turned out to be perfect—by far the best she could find at that price range.

Without hesitation, she paid the deposit and arranged a time to move out of the storage room.

It felt like her life was finally settling into a rhythm.

At last, she had a place she could temporarily call her own.

Elizabeth looked around the small apartment, feeling genuinely happy.

The place wasn’t large, and the decor was plain, but it was leagues better than any other apartment she had seen in her budget.

She felt content.

Elizabeth didn’t have much luggage—most of her belongings had been left behind in the marital home.

Those things weren’t really hers anyway, and she didn’t like them.

She had never understood why Bradley was so fond of buying her those pure white clothes.

Initially, Elizabeth thought it was because he thought she looked good in them.

So even though she didn’t like those outfits, she wore them for the sake of seeing the affectionate look in Bradley’s eyes.

In the end, she realized they weren’t for her—they were what Bethany liked.

Bradley had only ever seen her as a stand-in for Bethany.

Even those supposedly affectionate gazes were meant for Bethany.

Elizabeth lay on the hard bed, staring at the worn-out ceiling and thinking.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have harbored any expectations from the start.

A plain, unremarkable girl like her, with nothing to her name, was meant to live an ordinary life, to go through life quietly and without fanfare.

Fairy tales about Cinderella meeting her prince don’t happen in real life.

But what could she do?

She just couldn’t believe that she was destined to be mediocre forever—or that her simplicity meant she deserved to be mistreated.

Does she really not have a single good quality?

Elizabeth didn’t dare dwell on it. No matter how resolute she tried to appear, the constant suppression had eroded her once-strong heart.

She forced herself to focus entirely on her work.

She had to keep working hard—maybe someday, she could open her own coffee shop.

The cold winter seemed to have slowly passed.

The temperature was rising, the snow had completely melted, and more customers were coming to the shop for coffee.

But it was still early today, and the shop was relatively empty.

Elizabeth leaned lazily against the counter when suddenly, the sound of wind chimes rang out.

The crisp, melodious sound was like a springtime stream, soothing and bringing an unexpected touch of joy.

Elizabeth instinctively stood up and gently greeted, “Welcome,” then froze for a moment.

The scene from that fateful meeting flashed vividly in her mind.

Every detail was crystal clear.

Was it him?

She smiled and spoke again, “Mr. Barton.”

The smile on Brett’s gentle face deepened. “Elizabeth, I’ve recovered. I’d like to finally try the coffee I missed last time.”