hapter 4
had been five days since Terence had stopped going home. Hailey finally realized he’d run away from ome. She picked up her phone and called him for the first time.
he stood on the balcony, watching as the sun slowly set and the sky darkened. Her heart sank like the un did, and impatience surged in her.
arence didn’t answer any of her calls. She took a deep breath and decided to call his family. Then, she membered he was an orphan–his only relative had been his grandmother, and she’d passed away due an illness a few years ago.
3 she scrolled through her contacts, she realized she didn’t even know who his friends were. She went
his room, hoping to find some clues. But as soon as she opened the door, she was taken aback.
ie rarely entered Terence’s room but vaguely remembered how it was decorated. He had a gentle and mure personality, so his room only had the necessary furniture.
ow, however, there were various decorative pieces around. There were also flashy clothes and :cessories. She couldn’t see any sign of what the room had originally looked like.
ie was about to ask a maid who had changed the room when she saw Matthew come upstairs with a assive bouquet of roses.
ook at how beautiful these roses are, Hailey. I-” He abruptly stopped talking when he saw the slightly im look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
There are the things that were originally in this room, Matthew? Hailey asked.
efly taken aback. Then, he said, “I asked the maids to clear them out when I saw how outdated
ey were. Are you mad at me? I suppose that makes sense,
his is the home you share with Mr. Stone, so you guys are the ones who should decide what goes here. I’m just an outsider, after all. I should leave…”
: became choked up toward the end of his sentence, and his eyes reddened. For some reason, Hailey uldn’t help feeling a little irritated at the sound of his weeping.
rence had never cried around her. Even when she’d spent three months abroad to help Matthew vorce his psychotte wife, Terence had merely spoken to her over the phone and told her to stay safe.
atthew looked up at Hailey, perhaps wondering why she’d yet to console him. He found her staring at rence’s room, her gaze dazed. He bit his lip, feeling resentful.
!was back in the country and standing before her. He wasn’t going anywhere. Why was she still thinking out Terence?
is made him feel even more wronged. He wept and said, “It’s all my fault. I should never have returned, alone taken over his room. I should get going.”
threw the bouquet aside and turned to run off.
latthew!* Only then did Halley snap to her senses and run after him.
et me go! Let me leave this place!” Matthew’s eyes were filled with pain and torment. “If not for me juming to the country and troubling you with my problems, he wouldn’t have done this…”
e more he struggled to break free, the tighter Hailey gripped him. “What does this have to do with you? ‘s the one who’s causing a scene
r nothing.”
“He’s only acting like this because you’ve allowed it, Halley. Matthew smiled bitterly. “Whenever I couldn’t fall asleep because of how much I missed you, I would ask the people in our circle about you. But all i would hear was that you were with him…”
His eyes reddened again. Hailey couldn’t stop herself from blurting. “Others might not know why I married him, but don’t you?”
Matthew tearfully looked at her. “Was it really because of me?”
Hailey didn’t say anything, but her silence was the best answer. Matthew finally stopped crying
That night, they had a candlelight dinner. Halley rarely drank alcohol, but she downed glass after glass of wine during dinner. She drank until her eyes turned red.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Matthew dug out the divorce agreement Terence had given him. “Do you remember the villa you bought me, Hailey? You need to sign an additional agreement for it.”
She took it from him. She was cautious when it came to signing agreements and was about to flip through it when he stopped her, immediately flipping to the last page.
Then, he pressed a hand to his head. “I’m not feeling too well, Hailey. Let’s head home once you’ve signed this.”
Hailey immediately put down her pen and felt his forehead. “Where does it hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital.”
She was about to put the document away and pull Matthew out of the restaurant, but he stopped her and shook his head, a hint of panic in his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be okay once we head home. Just sign the document.”
Hailey was worried about him, so she signed the divorce agreement without trying to read it again.
