“Maybe? Why don’t you try to think about it?” Marcus kept his eyes on the road as he drove.
“You mean you don’t know him?” I was startled by his answer as I had come to the conclusion that Marcus and Alexander had not been on good terms ever since a long time ago.
“That was my first time encountering him. Therefore, I can’t be sure if he was telling the truth. After all, we were separated for a long time. We only have a few friends in mutual.”
I thought we used to have a superficial relationship where we would pretend to be lovely in front of one another’s friends and families. To my surprise, it was the exact opposite.
On top of that, I was surprised by how Marcus seemed to be aware of the things I had in mind. “C-Can you tell?”
“Currently, you’re not much different from an elementary school student. It’s not tough to read you—all it takes is a little effort and some time.”
It was an answer to my question, yet he stared dead ahead of him instead of looking at me in the eyes.
I could see his side profile from my point of view. He was relatively unfazed.
All of a sudden, he turned around and looked at me in the eyes. “You need to tell me if you’re touched. Miscommunication was the reason we were apart from one another for so long.”
My lips curved upwards when I heard his reply. Placing my hands in front of my chest, I announced, “It feels not half bad.”
He narrowed his eyes to a slit and smiled in return.
…
When I got downstairs for breakfast the next day, I noticed that Marcus had long departed.
I spent my time in the courtyard reading and enjoying the sun. When it was around ten o’clock, he showed up with his bag and took a seat next to me, carrying on with his work.
Just as the maid served us a plate of fruits, Marcus received a call. He headed over to the nearby corridor to answer the call. Occasionally, he would turn around to check on me.
Suddenly, the maid pointed at the milk in front of me and suggested, “Ms. Stovall, you should hurry up and finish the milk when it’s still warm.”
Since the maids had been pretty friendly, I picked up the glass of milk and gulped it down without a second thought.
The person hadn’t bothered to include a message to earn my trust, but the neat and tidy handwriting made me feel somewhat at ease to follow the instruction.
On top of that, The Jade seemed to ring a bell as well.
After muttering to myself, I tore the note into countless pieces and flushed them down the toilet.
When I walked out of the washroom, I encountered Marcus, who happened to be walking into the room. He looked at me with a straight face, but I started breathing heavily, guilt washing over me.
“I respect your privacy. Therefore, you don’t need to lock the door when you’re merely going to use the washroom.” He must have heard the clicking sound of the door being unlocked.
“I guess it has always been a habit of mine.”
His eyes flickered as though he recalled something, but he didn’t seem to doubt my words. “Maybe you’re right. You’re free to do anything that makes you happy, but I hope you open up and make yourself at home.”
I shrugged my shoulders and forced a calm front, replying nonchalantly, “I’ll be fine. After all, you have been taking great care of me.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: When There Is Nothing Left But Love