Chapter 8
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I stared at my phone screen, Joseph’s message stood out in the chat box.
I remembered how he used to complain about me asking too many questions about his whereabouts.
The words “Don’t bother me with these small things” still echoed in my mind, yet now, for the first time, he had taken the initiative to update
- me.
It turns out that when a person’s heart becomes numb, even arguing feels pointless.
My fingers lingered over the keyboard for a moment before I finally replied with a simple “hmm.”
Another message soon appeared, “She was crying and causing a scene. I was really worried, so I stayed to take care of her. Don’t overthink it.” I replied, almost automatically, “Got it.”
And then the conversation fell silent.
It was three in the morning, and I was curled up on the cold bathroom. tiles.
Hailey wasn’t the only one who had thrown up.
I had, too.
I clearly couldn’t handle much alcohol, but when the glasses were raised, I somehow managed to down it all in one go.
In the end, I was left vomiting until I had no strength left.
When I looked up, the reflection in the mirror was ghostly pale, and cold sweat clung to the ends of my hair.
“Emerson, you’re truly unfortunate.”
I gazed at the woman in the mirror, her eyes filled with tears, and smiled.
The sunlight at noon angled into the room as Joseph finally opened the door and entered.
I wasn’t hungry, so I decided to get a burger delivered to eat at home.
Usually, he would scrunch his face and grumble, “Don’t bring this junk food into the house again.”
But today, he sat beside me, his focus entirely on the food, “How does it taste?”
I looked up to meet his averted gaze, gave a silent nod, and said nothing.
He ran his hand through his hair and muttered quietly, “Taking care of a drunk woman is not a simple task. She threw up seven or eight times. last night. I just made her some soup and rushed back.”
“You’ve had it tough.”
I picked up the burger and took a bite, watching him awkwardly adjust his collar.
He probably didn’t expect me to stay so composed. His throat moved as he swallowed, and he managed to force a stiff smile.
“Could you come with me to Diana’s celebration banquet next week?
She specifically asked me to bring my family.”
