Oh dear, I shouldn’t have mentioned his name. It looks like John hasn’t visited her in a while.
Without asking any further, I reminded her to take care of herself before hanging up.
Ashton held my hand and reassured me, “Don’t brood over it. Have a good rest when we get home, alright?”
I nodded. Then, I looked at him and commented, “In books, it often portrays that a man would do anything for the woman he loves. Why don’t I see that happening in real life?”
John liked Hannah. After so many years with her by his side, he was already used to her company. Yet, why did he have to leave her to fend for herself when she was in her most vulnerable state?
Did he not know that an emotional wound hurt more than a physical one?
With one hand on the steering wheel, Ashton gave me a side glance. He challenged, “Hmm, although there are ghosts and gods in books, do we see them in reality?”
I shook my head.
Chuckling softly, Ashton emphasized his point. “Well, it shows that we can’t trust everything in books.”
Feeling resigned, I kept quiet.
It was late in the night by the time we returned to the villa.
The sky in K City started to turn darker. Earlier, Sally mentioned that it was likely to snow again. After all, the city would experience a few heavy snowfalls every year.
Sure enough, it snowed heavily on New Year’s day.
The white snowflakes reflected light, and it brightened the rooms.
I woke up early the next morning, but to be precise, I could not get much sleep. “Do you feel unwell?” Ashton sleepily mumbled.
“No, I’m okay. Hey, it’s snowing outside. Be careful when you go out, okay?” I reminded.
Nodding, he looked at the time before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
In the meantime, I headed to the balcony. As it was snowing heavily, there was a thick blanket of snow covering the plants in the yard.
It did not seem like a good idea to go out today.
At that moment, someone enveloped me in a warm hug. I took a whiff of the familiar scent and knew that it was Ashton. Turning to look at him, I asked, “Ashton, is Jared going to pick up Summer in the next few days?”
He nodded while gently rested his chin on my shoulder. “Summer is having her school holidays. Since we are too busy to spend time with her while she’s at home, we might as well let her have fun with Jared.”
Although I knew that he was right, I still felt uneasy at the thought of being apart from a child who had been under my watch all this time.
Abruptly, the thought of how Summer and I would be spending more time apart in the future popped into my mind. Feeling worse than before, I peaked at Ashton and muttered, “Ashton, let’s have another child. Can we do that?”
He froze for a second before he looked me in the eye and smirked. “Sure! We shall create one tonight.”
Instantly, my face grew hot, and I tried to avoid his eyes in embarrassment. Nudging him, I tried to change the topic. “You should get changed. Otherwise, you will be late.”
“Which boss out there is afraid of turning up late for work?” Hugging me tighter, he planted a kiss on my cheek and mocked.
After squirming in his arms for a while, he finally got changed while I went to wash up. Even after I was done, he was still in the bedroom.
“Your annual break is coming up soon. Shouldn’t you try to finish your work as soon as possible? Didn’t you say that you were going to bring me out? If you keep doing this, when will we be able to have a date?” I whined.
He laughed, “I can go out with you any time.”
Ignoring him, I headed downstairs. Flora had already prepared breakfast, and Summer was already awake because of the body clock she had adopted in R Province.
Noticing that Ashton and I were there, the child turned towards us and exclaimed, “Mommy, my school holidays has started! When will we be going back to R Province? I really miss Michael.”
I was taken aback by her request. In a half-squat position, I replied, “Summer, I don’t think I can bring you back to R Province this time. I already promised Mr. Crest for him to bring you to W City.”
My reply clearly made Summer upset. In a dejected voice, she muttered, “But before we came over, I promised Michael that I would return to visit him.”
Speechless, I turned back to Ashton for help.
He walked to Summer and suggested, “Summer, how about this? Mr. Crest can follow you to R Province for a few days so you can meet with Michael. Afterward, you shall follow Mr. Crest to W City. This way, neither Mommy nor you will have to break your promises.”
The little girl lowered her head as though she was in deep thought. Moments later, she reluctantly agreed, “Alright, sure.”
Staring at us, she then continued, “Wait, why can’t we go there together?”
“Well, I’m busy with work, while Mommy isn’t feeling well enough to travel so far. You are still young. As you grow up, books can’t be your only companion, and you have to travel around the world to broaden your horizons. Similar to what you’ve read, not only do you have to read and educate yourself, but you also have to experience the real world for yourself. This is why we gave Mr. Crest the responsibility of guiding you around,” Ashton explained.
Though Summer could not fully comprehend what he was saying, she thought he sounded logical. Therefore, she nodded and acknowledged.
Gaping at Ashton, I mused at how sly he was.
After coaxing Summer and having breakfast, Ashton lounged on the sofa in the living room, seemingly in no hurry to leave.
Meanwhile, I was preparing to leave the house, and I ordered Flora to look after Summer. Scowling at Ashton, I grilled him, “Aren’t you heading to the office?”
