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As soon as Shawn said it, I felt a knot in my stomach. I turned sharply to face him. “I’m here on vacation, Shawn. To rx. Not to sit through a lunch with you.”
He looked annoyed. “Tiffany, it’s just lunch. Do you really have to make a big deal out of it?”
I let out a small, bitterugh. “Exactly—it’s just a lunch. Something trivial in the grand scheme of things. But when there are too many of these trivial things taking ce, it will wear a person out.”
Shawn’s brow furrowed tighter, but instead of trying tofort me, he simply said in a t voice, “If you don’t want to eat here, then do whatever you want.”
“Fine.” That’s all I said before opening the car door, stepping out, and gging down another cab without looking back.
Through the rearview mirror of the taxi, I saw him suddenly bolt from the other side of the Bentley, racing to the sidewalk. He stood there, watching me as my cab pulled away.
I folded my arms across my chest. I was finally free from his control.
If he could quietly invite Queena to Sylvania behind my back, then fine. They could stay locked together for all I cared.
Traveling alone meant freedom. I wandered wherever I pleased, taking my time, not even bothering with photos. I let the views sink into my memory instead of my phone.
I ate, drank, and wandered through boutiques and street corners. By <i>5 </i>p.m., I was worn out and checked into the best hotel I could find.
Yuna had called me twice earlier. I had ignored both. Now, back at the hotel, she was calling again.
I slumped into the sofa and picked up the phone. Yuna’s tiny voice came through, and she already threw a tantrum. “Mom! Are you deaf or something? I called you
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Chapter 85 Cherry Blossom
twice! Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was busy. What’s going on?” I asked calmly.
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“I fell down. Scraped my knee, and it hurts really bad.” Her voice cracked, and she suddenly started crying–loud and hard.
“Don’t cry, sweetie. Just be more careful next time,” I said gently.
“Mom, where are you? I want you toe home and take care of me,” she sobbed.
“I’m in Sylvania,” I answered. There was no need to lie.
“You’re in Sylvania for work?” she asked, sniffling.
I wanted to say, “No–I’m just here to unwind.“–but hearing her hurt made me hesitate. So I just murmured a quiet “yeah.”
She kept talking for a little while, sounding pitiful and pouty. Then her phone buzzed again, indicating another call. “Mom, I gotta go! Talkter!” she said quickly before hanging up.
I tossed my phone onto the bed and wandered over to the floor–to–ceiling window. The sun was setting, casting soft golden light over the city.
My phone buzzed again. It was Shawn.
I ignored it.
Then a text popped up. “Where are you?”
I replied, “Need something?”
He messaged back instantly. “I’ming for you.”
“You should take care of your work. I’m fine on my own.” I am no longer begging or trying to win his attention, as I did in my previous life. My tone was t, calm, and distant.
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:
Then he called again. I had no choice but to pick it up.
His voice had that low, worn–out tone. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Nothing in particr,” I replied.
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“I know you didn’t like the local cuisine at lunch. Let’s get something you actually enjoy tonight,” he said, like he was trying to be considerate.
And that was when it hit me–this food? Sylvania–style? That was Queena’s favorite. Her mother’s family was from this city, while her dad was from Hanzora.
So, Shawn had driven over three hours to Sylvania just to take Queena out for lunch with the food she liked. He was crazy about her.
“No, thanks. I’m perfectly fine by myself. Go handle your business,” I said, trying to sound more understanding than he ever had.
“Where are you?” he asked again, this time more impatient. “Are you really alone?”
Those sharp, jealous words of his made me realize he was suspicious of me.
He had spent the afternoon sweet–talking his mistress, and now he remembered his wife, whom he had neglected, and wondered if she might betray him too.
“Shawn,” I said, anger bubbling up, “Is there really no trust left between us? If you’re always going to assume I’m cheating on you, then maybe we should stop pretending this marriage works.”
“I’m not using you,” he said, his voice deeper now. “I’ve wrapped up everything on my end.”
But I didn’t want him near me. I couldn’t stop imagining the afternoon he spent with Queena. And now he wanted to crawl back into my bed like nothing happened? I’m not some garbage can, here to swallow every leftover mess he brings home.
“No, you don’t have to worry about me. I just need some time alone,” I rejected him firmly.
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I never told him which hotel I was staying at. But Shawn wasn’t exactly helpless; he was an influential man. That evening, he showed up at my door anyway. That was when I remembered–I had used my ID to check in.
When he knocked, I opened the door and found him standing there, calm and collected, like none of this bothered him. He stepped right in. “I was worried you’d picked some random cheap ce,” he said casually.
And the moment he walked past me, I caught a faint scent. Cherry blossoms. It was Queena’s perfume.
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