Should I go back? Is it too early?
Seeing that I had fallen silent, Joseph took that as a sign that I refused to return. Sighing, he said, “Mrs. Fuller, who’s going to feel the pain if Summer falls down?”
Startled, I glanced at the man who was driving seriously and said, “Although we’re not biologically related, we have spent the last four years together. She’s a significant part of my life. It hurts me to see her suffering in pain.”
He brought the car to a halt when the traffic light turned red. Staring at me in the eyes, he asked, “Then, can you imagine the sort of pain he has to go through over the past four years? Mr. Fuller was afraid you would be irked by his presence. In order to oppress his affection for you, he spent most of his time working and getting himself drunk.”
Halfway through his orated speech, Joseph paused. “On the first winter you left, he passed out on the streets in the middle of the night. As a result, he caught a high fever. However, he said he had the best time of his life because you showed up with a bright grin in his dream.
“He was the person in charge of Fuller Corporation by day, yet he would turn into a drunkard when night falls. His intestine started bleeding internally as a result. If he couldn’t get himself drunk, he would approach me and ask me if he should approach you just to keep an eye on you. As soon as he sobered up the next day, he would become the indifferent man again.
“Undeniably, he did a great job keeping his emotions to himself, but at the end of the day, he’s but a human. He suffers from mental breakdowns as well. Mrs. Fuller, you should move on from the past and appreciate your future with him. Since you have a thing for him, why don’t you stop torturing yourself and Mr. Fuller?”
I was in a state of bewilderment when the traffic light turned green. It was a surprise since an outsider had brought up everything about Ashton in front of me.
Perhaps Joseph’s right. The past is in the past.
After picking up Summer, I brought her back to the yard.
Prior to his departure, Joseph peered into my eyes with his lips pursed. “Mr. Fuller will be heading back to K City tonight.”
With that, he departed immediately.
I decided to send Ashton a simple message, wishing him a safe flight.
Seconds after I dropped him the text message, he called and asked in a gentle tone, “Have you had dinner?”
He seemed to be boarding the plane soon. Nodding, I looked up and gazed at the pitch-black sky. “Yes.”
“I’ll be back soon. Take good care of yourself when I’m away. And don’t forget to have your meal on time,” he replied in a hushed voice.
Through the phone, I heard the announcement urging him to board the plane. Immediately, I said, “I’ll talk to you soon! See you!”
“Okay!”
After hanging up the call, I lost myself in another train of thoughts because I was overwhelmed by Joseph’s words.
It’s true that the ones we love hurt us the most.
I used to think I was head over heels in love with Ashton, but I slowly figured out it was nothing much. The moment that I figured out that I was pregnant, I started planning my escape. When I lost my child, I knew he was in great pain as well, yet I still resented him.
The moment he tried to explain the reason why he swapped the DNA samples, I left without allowing him to explain himself. Perhaps my selfishness was the reason why the two of us had ended up like this.
A week after Ashton’s departure, I quit the job at the hotel.
When Colin received my resignation letter, he asked with a straight face, “Have you informed Mr. Fuller?”
“I’ll get in touch with him soon.”
He fell silent. A few seconds later, he nodded and acknowledged my resignation.
“What are you going to do from now onwards?” he asked, looking slightly sullen.
“Well, nothing for the time being.” Since John and Ashton had shown up one after another, I was pretty sure others would start talking behind my back again.
He nodded. “Keep in touch with me, okay?”
Smiling, I said, “I still need someone to look after the plants in the yard.” I had no intention to sell my place in P Province. Should Summer further her study at the university and start a family, I might make my way back in the future and spend the rest of my life there.
He nodded and replied with a grin, “Let’s catch up over a meal soon. Michael has no idea you guys are leaving. I believe we should allow the children to bid farewell to each other.”
After we wrapped up the conversation, I returned to the yard. It was already the last week of August. Therefore, most of the crops were ready for harvest.
Usually, I would cultivate a new batch of crops, but I stopped because we would be leaving soon.
I only packed a few sets of clothes for Summer and myself.
Colin and I had agreed to meet up for a meal over the weekend. I told Summer beforehand that we would be leaving soon so that she could prepare herself. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help feeling sentimental when the time of our departure neared.
The usually mischievous little girl started behaving herself and shared the things she liked with Michael. She said, “Mommy said we wouldn’t be able to bring this away with us. Can you keep this on my behalf? I’ll retrieve it once I’m back.”
Michael, who had always been a little boy of few words, looked at me in the eyes and asked, “Ms. Stovall, when are you coming back with Summer?”
