Laurence recalled bits and pieces of what had happened. He pulled a long face, confused by his erratic behavior. Like a trapped beast, he could not seem to break free from the invisible chains. This was not the first time Laurence had pulled such an act. The chauffeur bore witness to his behavior in the last two weeks. Mr. Scott would not engage in such disgrace when he was in a lucid state of mind. Nevertheless, under the influence of alcohol in social engagements, Laurence became obsessed with returning to the former villa or driving to Miss Jenner's new residence. The chauffeur was reluctant to speak, and pin-drop silence filled the vehicle. It was as if someone was strangling Laurence, sucking the air out of him. He ordered, "Head home. Don't listen to me whenever I have too much to drink." "Of course." Laurence believed he capped his alcohol during the dinner party. How did the alcohol get to his head? They had broken up. He could not embarrass himself in her presence.
Laurence found himself coming to see Zoey time and time again. It was a hard habit to break, and he needed time to adjust to the new routine. That was the scary part about habits. Often enough, it took a long time before a person could grasp the magnitude of pain after losing someone or something. The realization always came from the tiniest details. Laurence would reach out while he was half-asleep to feel the person who no longer slept next to him. He always set a course to Birch Residences after work, and poured a glass of milk before bed. The pain was a long time coming, forcing him to cope with the new circumstances. Laurence stared at the receding figures as he sat in the car with a cigarette between his teeth. The thin smoke clouded his vision, hiding his bloodshot eyes from the lack of sleep. His eyes felt sore, so sore his tears threatened to fall. Laurence calmly finished his cigarette. Since the divorce, he no longer saw the point of quitting. It was not as though she
Fed up, Zoey kicked Laurence. Laurence maintained a straight face as if he knew no pain despite her loafer coming into contact with his shin in full force.Laurence would rather that she was angry than give him the cold shoulder. "Do you want to kick me a couple more times?" Zoey could not understand what had gotten into Laurence. "What is wrong with you?" she asked, exasperated.Sensing that she was about to make her escape, Laurence tightened his grip on her wrist and trapped her in place. Zoey scowled in pain. "Let go of me." Paying no heed to her words, Laurence uttered offhandedly, "We can do this all day if that's what you want." The stalemate was going nowhere, so Zoey begrudgingly pulled out her phone to remove Laurence's number from her blocked contacts. Laurence seemed pleased now. Still, something was nagging at him. "Don't block my number again," he warned. "I wouldn't have in the first place if you hadn’t pestered me repeatedly." "I had to call you since
The noise at the door startled Janet, who was in the living room. She went to the entryway for a look. What's the matter, Zoey?" Before Zoey could reply, the sick person outside the door brazenly said hello to Zoey's mom through the open crack. "It's me, Mrs. Fulton. Sorry to bother you,” he greeted weakly.Janet recognized Shawn's voice from the last time they met when Janet woke up in the hospital. Shawn was a stranger to her back then. "Come on in. We don't keep our guests at the door." "Thank you, Mrs. Fulton." Zoey had no choice but to open the door completely to let him in. It did not seem like Shawn was putting on an act, as he did look sickly. He pressed his lips against his knuckles to shield his coughing. Janet listened to his cough and asked, concerned, "Are you sick?" Shawn put on a brave face and replied, "I caught a little cold. That's all." Zoey was rendered speechless. Why did he come here for medicine if it was just a little cold? He could have toughe
A photo was attached to the news article. Katie had met Laurence several times at the workplace, so she recognized him. She was also in the know about Zoey's relationship with Laurence. Zoey found it amusing. "You won’t see him. He doesn't concern himself with these things." Katie gave it some thought and believed it to be the case too. Laurence's signature was not needed on a small contract, so he was unlikely to be there for the signing. While the pair chatted, the familiar clicking of heels echoed along the corridor outside the office. Diana was back, yet again. There had been a steep increase in her visits lately, and she went to the trouble of visiting their workplace. Her villa was near completion. If she was bored, she could monitor the work there instead. "Ms. Cole, what can we do for you today?" "Nothing." Diana was stubborn and acted high and mighty all the same. Katie thought to herself, 'Why are you frequenting our place then? Don’t you have anything better t
Zoey didn't expect Henry to be the first to discover her. She wanted to resolve this matter quietly, but everything was ruined now.Henry returned the medical records to her and pursed his lips. "What do you plan to do?"His question didn't make her feel pressured, but his tone was gentle and soft.Zoey didn't go into details. She lowered her head and looked at her toes as she replied, "The doctor said I'm not fit for another surgery." As she said these words, she had already made up her mind.She was worried about being condemned for keeping her ex-husband's child after their divorce. What would others think of her? Others might think she was desperately trying to maintain a connection with her prestigious ex-husband.Henry fell silent momentarily before saying slowly, "Then don't do it. Listen to the doctor."Zoey felt her nose twitch. Considering her age, she was still young. She was still in her early twenties, the prime of her life, yet she had experienced so much.Bustling
Zoey grew more distressed as she mulled it over. She contemplated for so long but couldn’t think of a perfect solution.After a simple breakfast, Zoey returned to the hospital to pick up her medication. Henry offered to drive her there. There was a queue at the pharmacy, and after a few minutes, it was her turn. The doctor checked the prescription and handed her two boxes in a plastic bag. Zoey expressed her gratitude and turned around, only to come face to face with a man she hadn't seen in a long time.Laurence's insomnia hadn't improved. Melatonin had no effect on him, and he still couldn't sleep through the night. Even when he did fall asleep, he was often startled awake by nightmares. Recently, he couldn't even get five hours of sleep a day. The quality of his sleep was also poor. He would occasionally wake up during the night. The bedroom was pitch black as he no longer need to leave the light on for Zoey. The black curtains almost completely shut out the moonlight from outsi
Laurence remained calm. He said dismissively, "The paparazzi are making things up. I didn’t know they would write something like that."He rarely explained anything, but this time he felt the need to clarify, obviously not wanting Zoey to misunderstand.Zoey smiled lightly and countered sarcastically, "I don't think any media would dare report false news about you."Laurence was no pushover. He had always protected his private life, and the media rarely touched or spread false news about him. Almost eighty percent of his news was real.Laurence answered modestly, "I'm not that capable."Zoey didn't have time to chat with Laurence. Henry was waiting for her in the underground parking lot.However, Laurence didn't intend to let her leave just like that. He stared straight at her and asked, "Where is that friend you mentioned?"Zoey paused briefly, then picked up her phone and called Henry. She spoke into the phone, "I'm done. Come to the entrance and pick me up. I'm being bothered