Goodbye My Arrogant Ex (Marguerite and Leonard) novel Chapter 82

Ms. Taylor greeted Leonard with warmth and enthusiasm.

Leonard nodded politely.

The family stepped inside together. Marguerite glanced around, taking in the familiar sights. After all these years, nothing about the house had changed.

Her mother still kept everything spotless and neatly organized, just as she always had.

“Marguerite, go take a look at your room,” her mother urged, smiling. “You may not have stayed here much all these years, but I’ve always kept your room tidy. Everything’s just as you left it!”

“I always hoped that one day, my daughter would come home and know she could settle right in, whenever she wanted.”

In truth, Mrs. Taylor had spent years quietly hoping her daughter might turn up at the door, homesick and needing comfort. She believed she could forgive anything if that happened.

But Marguerite had never come home.

Though that hurt, they never stopped loving her. The past, whatever it held, was over now that their daughter was finally back.

Marguerite couldn’t wait any longer—she hurried up the stairs to see her old room.

Leonard followed. His gaze swept the hallway and the remnants of Marguerite’s childhood, and for a moment, a gentle warmth softened his usual reserve.

“This is the room Marguerite grew up in, Leonard,” Mrs. Taylor explained fondly. “Those are the certificates she won as a little girl. And in that cabinet—her favorite dolls. I remember she named every single one!”

“Here are the princess dresses she wore, and all the clothes she loved best. I never threw anything away, not a single toy. I wanted her to have these memories when she grew up and came back.”

He’d been carefully listening to every story about Marguerite, eager to learn more about her past.

“Marguerite, why don’t you and Leonard relax up here for a bit?” Mrs. Taylor suggested kindly. “Your father and I will get dinner started. We’re cooking everything ourselves tonight—when it’s ready, I’ll call you down!”

Their families had been close for generations. Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Murphy were practically best friends, always playing cards together and chatting like old college roommates.

Calling Leonard by his first name was a sign of affection. The Taylors knew him well and were more than pleased with the idea of the two families becoming even closer.

Once her parents had gone downstairs, Marguerite quickly pulled up a chair for Leonard. “Here, have a seat,” she said, a little shy.

Suddenly, it was just the two of them, and Marguerite felt awkward, unsure what to do with herself. She sat down too, nervously fidgeting with her hands in her lap.