Chapter 26
“I won’t, because…”
“I find you disgusting.”
Devlin woke with a start, panicking as he rushed into the bathroom, scrubbing his body over and over.
It was as though he wanted to scrape off a layer of skin.
His bloodshot eyes stared blankly as he mumbled to himself.
“Honey, I’ve washed myself clean. I’m not dirty. I’m clean now.”
“I’ve even vomited out the food I ate. Please don’t despise me, okay? I’ll tell them not to send anyone over anymore.”
It was a full half–hour before Devlin came out of the bathroom.
Seeing his state, Devlin’s mother wanted to step inside, but he stopped her.
“Don’t come in. She doesn’t like you. I have to take care of her things properly. I can’t let her be unhappy again.”
Devlin’s mother felt a wave of despair and, instead of going in, sat down outside the door.
“I can’t stop you, so I’ll just stay here with you. Watching you like this makes me miserable
too.”
“Devlin, this hurts me more than anything else. What will it take for you to let go?”
Devlin stayed silent for a long time.
“Mom, I want to see her.”
“Even if she really doesn’t want me anymore, I need to hear her say it to my face. Otherwise, I can’t let go.”
Devlin’s mother’s throat felt dry.
But even if he did see her, would he truly be able to let go?
་་
…I’ll help you. But you can’t see her like this. Let me go downstairs and make you something to eat, okay?”
At the mention of Jennifer, Devlin finally gave a faint nod.
“…Okay.”
Across the ocean.
Chapter 26
“This way,” Byron said.
The narrow path was uneven, so Byron extended his hand to her. “Careful.”
Jennifer hesitated for two seconds before taking his hand.
She had been traveling with Byron for some time now. At first, she followed her carefully planned itinerary, but eventually, she started following Byron instead.
Every place on her list seemed to be somewhere Byron had already visited.
If a location was worth seeing, Byron would take her there.
If it wasn’t, Byron always had alternative suggestions.
And those alternatives always happened to align with Jennifer’s tastes.
When they reached a small fruit wine shop tucked into an alley, Byron let go of her hand.
“You’ll love the fruit wine here. Give it a try.”
Jennifer picked three different kinds. The sweet and tangy flavors instantly won her over.
The alcohol content was low, but Jennifer felt slightly tipsy.
As they left, Byron held her hand again.
“Watch your step. Follow my footprints.”
Once they exited the alley, Byron let go of her hand once more.
The sky had grown dark. As they walked side by side back to the hotel, Jennifer spoke.
“Byron, I’m not young anymore.”
“Funny, neither am I.”
“What I mean is, you have plenty of other choices. Younger, prettier women.”
“But those choices aren’t you.”
Jennifer stopped in her tracks. “You know, I’ve lost a child. Before that, I had to terminate a pregnancy because the baby stopped developing. The doctor said my chances of having children in the future are slim. You…”
Before she could finish, she was pulled into a warm embrace.
Byron’s voice was gentle but firm. “It’s all in the past. Don’t be sad.‘
The softest part of her heart was lightly touched, and Jennifer felt her nose sting with emotion.
“Let’s go back to the room,” he said.
Jennifer nodded and followed him into the elevator.
Chapter 26
Her phone buzzed a few times. It was a message from Devlin’s mother.
[Jennifer, can you meet with Devlin just once? He’s in a bad state and is driving himself insane.
]
[I know I don’t have the right to ask you for this, but please, have pity on me.]
[See him one last time. After this, I promise I won’t let him look for you again.]
Chapter 27
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Chapter 27
