The conversation ended on a stiff note. Fortunately, Laurence said nothing more. He chose to keep his mouth shut. Zoey enjoyed a brief moment of silence. There weren't many people by the lake. The lake was a translucent deep blue. At a closer look, fish were visible underwater. Zoey sat by the lake, letting her mind go blank. It was pleasant to enjoy the gentle breeze.Claire led a few college students to snap photos by the lake. The young people were full of life and vigor. Their energy was as bright as the sun.Zoey watched them without feeling envy. She felt they were living life to the fullest. Unbeknownst to her, Laurence stood in a corner under the sun and took candid photos of her. He didn't take photos often, so there wasn't much to say about his photography skills. The photos he took were unsaturated and blurry. One photo captured half of Zoey's profile, looking serene and beautiful. The radiant sunlight glowed on the tip of her rosy nose, and her skin appeared trans
It was the weekend, so the kindergarten was closed when Zoey got home. She put her suitcase down as Teddy ran toward her. The child often got shy quickly in front of his mother. He hardly ever said he missed her over the phone because he was too embarrassed to say sweet words. In truth, Teddy missed Zoey a lot. Teddy clung to his mother's leg and looked up at her. "Mom." His purrs melted her heart. Zoey stroked his head and bent over to pick him up. The boy wrapped his arms around his mother's neck. He was aloof in public, but he always clung close to his mother to feel safe. She smiled. "Did you miss me?" Teddy buried his head. "A little." The boy's blushing ears betrayed his innermost thoughts. He felt the two weeks were too long. Even though her grandmother was good to him and the teachers in school loved him, his mother was his favorite person in the world. Teddy couldn't trust his mother to take care of herself. She wasn't foolish, but she was naive. People with kind
Zoey believed she might hurt Laurence's pride, but she wasn't intentionally insulting him with money. It was simply a way to keep their relationship transactional."If you find the hourly rate too low, I can add another twenty. I can't go any higher, though." Zoey thought Laurence would walk away, but the man remained unfazed. A moment later, he replied, "I don't need money." She kept things professional. "That won't do." Laurence looked at her with a pretentious smile. His eyes were deep and unreadable. He kept his cool better than she thought he would. He said unconcernedly, "I'll do it for free. I insist." "Oh," Zoey responded. She was surprised that he was swallowing his pride. Laurence went into the kitchen. The part-time helper had replenished the fridge with groceries. He hadn't lost his touch in the kitchen. His skills were sharp, and it didn't seem like he hadn't been in the kitchen for a while. Zoey still had to unpack her suitcase, so she left him to it. Not
Laurence felt a stinging pain. The five long years of pleading had ground away his bitter resentment. The once faithless man was now on his knees, praying for the safety of his beloved. The days were unbearable when his desperate pleas went unanswered. Sometimes, Laurence felt like his soul had been stripped away, and he was left staring at his empty vessel. He fell silent for a moment. He didn't want to argue and fight with Zoey during times like these. The sarcasm and backtalk couldn't make things better. In fact, they only fueled his jealousy. Slipping his hands into his pockets, Laurence seemed unbothered. "I forgot." Zoey had no words. Laurence loved playing innocent as if he wasn't lying. He acted like he had been through some sort of trauma and had selective amnesia. He was unfazed when he met her gaze. "I really don't remember." Zoey nearly rolled her eyes. She held herself together and stayed on topic. "Take the money and leave now." Laurence was reluctant to a
The news went viral online. The photo was shared widely and quickly. Most of the public had a hazy memory of the feud years ago, but now that Laurence and Zoey were mentioned together, they recalled the key details. Their bitter love story had caused quite a stir back then. Laurence had practically vanished over the past two years, and now he was on the news, possibly getting back together with his ex. It was living proof that anything could happen. "They've been divorced for many years. I remember many nosy people spreading rumors about the divorce being ugly.""Oh, I remember that too. I think the wife cheated. She was caught on camera." "Uh, Mr. Scott isn't exactly a saint either. Didn't he marry her to appease his family?" "I don't believe it. It can't be true! Ah!" "Isn't she the girl boss from that recent hit variety show? I still remember her. An anonymous source said she was well-connected." "I'm impressed. Are they getting back together? Now, I've seen everythi
"I didn't travel with him. He said he was on a business trip, and we ran into each other there," Zoey murmured. Truth be told, she was in a daze. The word "forgiveness" stung her heart. She wanted to tell her uncle that Laurence didn't need her forgiveness, but she knew it was an excuse to avoid the question. Laurence wouldn't have patience for someone for no reason. He did everything to make amends and compensate for the guilt. He expected something in return for his time and effort. Zoey was in a difficult position. She didn't want to accept the overdue compensation. Her past wound had seemingly healed, but it had festered inside, and she was still bleeding. The hurt was still too much to bear."Do you believe him?" Jason asked indifferently. Zoey felt suffocated by the downplayed interrogation. She was at a loss, but everyone was pushing her. She was wrong to forgive him, but she was also wrong not to.She pursed her lips. "I have to pretend that I do." It was clear that
Zoey had never posted anything on her social media before, and her account used to be private. Hardly anybody knew much about her private life, including the fact that she had married someone else. In her post, she disassociated herself from Laurence.As nothing stopped the photo and comments from going viral, Zoey's statement was a slap in the face for the Scotts. The Scott Group did not release a response to Zoey's post, and they offered no explanation.The press was relentless as they called the PR department of the group. The PR manager remained vague, replying that it was a private matter of the CEO and they had no comment. Their reluctance to deny any involvement suggested there was more to the story.Zoey didn't regret posting the update. She didn't want her personal life in the spotlight for all to see and comment, but she knew it would be difficult to escape the media's attention now. Instead of letting them speculate about her relationship with Laurence, she decided to cle
When Zoey read the text message, she lifted her head and looked around, but she did not see Laurence. She wondered if he was scaring her or if he had seen her at the restaurant. His string of messages left her speechless. He was either dripping with sarcasm or making outrageous claims. His words often cut her to the core.Zoey looked at messages, setting with anger. Nevertheless, she didn't let the rage get to her. It wasn't the first time Laurence had gotten on her nerves. She didn't have time for his unnecessary drama again. Besides, Zoey regretted her reply to him that evening. She had dismissed him, saying she was getting off work and going home to rest. She hoped he wouldn't disturb her evening. It never occurred to Zoey that he would be at the restaurant, too. It was likely Laurence wasn't lying to her. He had a lot of business engagements, so it was possible he was in the same place tonight. Zoey sobered up with the nice breeze before heading back to the private dining