“Alright, then. Can you go to a movie with me after your dinner?” Ryan gazed at Freya with an expression filled with anticipation. “A thriller started screening last night, and I really want to watch it.”Freya had heard of the thriller Ryan mentioned as well. It seemed to have received many praises and was a box-office hit.However, leaving after having dinner with Jack on a festive day like that was not very polite. What if he had arranged other activities?“You don’t want to? It’s okay then.” Ryan sighed disappointedly and turned to leave after seeing that Freya did not say a word.“No… It’s not that I don’t want to. You can book the tickets. I should be done with dinner by 8:00 p.m.,” Freya could not help but say. “Alright. I’ll book the tickets for the 8:30 p.m. movie. Tell me where you’re having dinner afterward, and I’ll drive over to pick you up.” Upon hearing Freya’s words, Ryan turned his head and smiled with his eyes.“Okay.”Freya nodded, and only after Ryan did she
A man who looked 30 years old or so was standing at the entrance. Standing roughly 1.75 meters tall, he wore a formal navy-colored jacket with brown casual pants and black leather shoes. He had a pair of glasses on, and his features were well-defined. He exuded a refined, intellectual aura.Freya knew at first glance that he was Jack. She had seen him in pictures before, but his temperament was much better in person than in the photos. Jack spotted Freya too. She was wearing a wine-colored coat, with her black curls resting on her shoulders. Her charming features were more three-dimensional and deep-set than an average person’s. Even her forehead, which was revealed by the blowing wind, was naturally beautiful. When Freya came closer, he noticed that her makeup was very light. Her eyelashes were long and well-defined, and her eyes were bright and pretty. She did not look like someone who had been married and pregnant before at all. Although Jack had seen many pretty, young girls
When Sarah saw Rodney looking at Freya absent-mindedly, she felt a sting in her heart. She knew she was ugly and that she looked worse compared with Freya. She clenched her fists and said aggrievedly, “Freya, did you bump into me on purpose? Look at the state I’m in. Why can’t you just let me go?”Freya was utterly stupefied. She felt like it was her unlucky day. “Is there something wrong with you? I didn’t even see you.”Sarah’s body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. “There is something wrong with me. Thanks to you, there are problems all over my body.”“Whatever.”Seeing that passers-by were looking over at them, Freya wanted to walk past and leave.“Stop right there.” Rodney grabbed hold of her with such force that he yanked Freya to his side.When Freya’s familiar scent greeted him, Rodney stared at her in a daze for a few seconds. He even forgot what he wanted to say.It was not until Freya pushed him away and glared at him with contempt that he felt a sting in his
“Rodney, are you still not over Freya?” Sarah wanted to pretend to be open-minded, but she could not tolerate Rodney’s jealous gaze. “I know I look bad and hideous now. I can’t compare to her at all…”“Sarah, stop saying those things. I’ve lost all feelings for her ever since she hurt you,” Rodney said as he quickly held her hands and lowered his head.“Don’t lie to me. You don’t like me. That is why you still refuse to touch me even though we’re married.” Sarah sobbed.“No, that’s not it. I’m just afraid of hurting you because your body is weak.”Rodney could not tell her what he was going through. Sarah’s health was not the only reason why he had not had sex with Sarah at all. The other reason was that he could not bring himself to touch her because he did not like her anymore. He was only marrying her to take responsibility for what he had done to her.Sarah used to be a goddess in his heart and the dream girl he longed for when he was younger. Yet, Sarah was now too thin, and
Freya was taken aback. Then, she realized something. “How did you know that my dinner has ended?”She looked around instinctively.Ryan explained, “I’m parked near the restaurant where you were having dinner, and I saw you coming out. Get down. I’ll come over to pick you up…”“I’ve already got out of the car. I’m ahead, where the cars are turning.”“Wait for me.”Freya waited there for less than five minutes when Ryan drove his Audi in front of her. The passenger seat’s window was open, revealing a handsome face. “Get in.”After Freya got on, she glanced at the half-finished McDonald’s on the dashboard and the laptop at the backseat. She was astonished. “This is your dinner…?”“Mm. I worked extra hours until 7:00 p.m., so I just drove here.”Ryan smiled nonchalantly. “What’s wrong with burgers? I ate them a lot when I was studying abroad. They’re convenient and quick. Besides, today’s a festive holiday. There are couples everywhere on the streets. Am I not making myself suffer
While Freya was overthinking, she did not notice that Ryan’s gaze had darkened.“I see…”Ryan scooped some mac and cheese with his spoon. “I have a friend who returned after studying abroad and is working at the University of Canberra as well. However, he’s slightly younger, so he’s a lecturer. I asked him to find out about Jack Morgan. There’s nothing to pick about Jack’s knowledge, but it seems like he has had two relationships after his divorce and he came back to Australia. Not only that, but one of his partners was a student at the University of Canberra. She was only 23 years old. In fact, many young girls in the university have a crush on him because of his gentle personality. The girlfriends he had dated before were all young and pretty. You’re considered beautiful too, so he should like you quite a lot.”“...”Freya instantly felt uncomfortable.She was not against professors dating students.However, it meant that Jack might like younger and pretty women. Moreover, many
Freya’s mind went blank for a few seconds before she stammered, “A good personality and temper, loyal to relationships, patient toward children, able to tolerate me, and will treat me well when I’m young or even when I’m old in the future. Of course, he has to look decent. He doesn’t have to be super handsome, but he can’t look crooked too. His financial situation shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t dislike guys who don’t have a wealthy family background, but there will be more common topics between us if we’re of equal status.”Ryan gave a profound response. “Mm.”Freya was embarrassed. “Are my standards too high?”“They are not high,” Ryan said as he smiled. “Aside from looks which are inherited from parents and uncontrollable, there is no need for a man to marry a wife if he can’t be gentle, caring, and loyal to his significant other. He can just get a sitter.”“You think I’m right too, right?” Freya was delighted. “I don’t want to be choosy either, but I have no choice. It’s precisel
Therefore, Ryan whispered in her ear again, “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”“...”Freya avoided him. She really did not want to keep whispering with him in the ear like that. It was too intimate, so much that she felt like half of her brain had gone numb.As for Ryan grazing her ear just now, he might have done it accidentally.However, her reaction was a little too big. Was it because she had gotten older and that she was feeling lonely?It… could not be, right?Freya’s face flushed red, and she started spacing out. She did not pay attention to what was going on in the middle of the movie.When they came out of the cinema after the movie, it was already past 11:00 p.m.The mall was closed, so the audience who were leaving could only take the elevator downstairs. As there were many people, the small elevator was packed.Freya was in the corner but not squeezed because Ryan was standing before her. He put his hands against the elevator walls and maintained a distance from her.Then