In the quiet night, Carl paced back and forth downstairs.
He looked up at Nana’s room and saw a dim yellow light, but the curtains were closed so he couldn’t see her silhouette.
Ever since Jerry and Tracy had rejected him at the door, Carl had been waiting here for hours. Although he was starting to feel tired, he didn’t want to give up just yet.
Suddenly his phone buzzed in his pocket – it was Mrs. Waters calling. He answered and heard his mother’s worried voice, “Carl, it’s almost one o’clock in the morning and you’re still out drinking?”
Before leaving home earlier that evening, he had made up an excuse which now came in handy, “Yes, I’m staying over at a friend’s house tonight and I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
After hanging up with his mother, Carl continued to wait downstairs. As long as he kept watch here, maybe tomorrow when Nana went out, they could finally meet.
With this belief in mind, Carl no longer felt bored but rather hopeful.
The next morning.
Nana tossed and turned all night after seeing Carl again yesterday; she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time even though she was exhausted from lack of rest.
She tied her hair back before coming out of her bedroom after washing up. At that moment Tracy was preparing breakfast when she saw her daughter come out looking groggy, “Nana, why don’t you sleep more? What do you want for breakfast?”
At this moment, Nana wasn’t in a good mental state. She yawned lazily and replied, “I’m awake now, getting ready to go out for a walk and buy breakfast.”
Upon hearing that she wanted to go out, Tracy became a bit worried and quickly called Jerry, who was watering the flowers on the balcony.
“Don’t water the flowers for now, Nana wants to have breakfast outside. Hurry up, get dressed and go out to buy it,” Tracy urged, hoping that her daughter would stay at home and take care of herself.
But Nana just wanted an excuse to go out and get some fresh air. She hadn’t been outside for a few days, and staying in the room for too long made her feel stifled.
“Let me go instead. The weather is nice today, and it’s good for the baby if I get some exercise,” Nana said with a gentle smile. In front of her family, she rarely revealed her negative emotions.
Seeing her daughter insist, Tracy had no choice but to let her go, but she repeatedly reminded her to be careful when going out.
With her mother’s nagging in her ears, Nana grabbed her bag and headed out.
Soon, she arrived downstairs and as soon as she took a breath of fresh air, she noticed a familiar car parked ahead.
Nana froze instantly and carefully observed the license plate, confirming that it was Carl’s car.
“Why is he here again?”
Nana frowned and muttered to herself. Her first reaction was to change direction and avoid him.
However, just as she was about to change course, she noticed that Carl’s car was completely motionless.
At that moment, Nana realized that perhaps Carl hadn’t actually left the neighborhood last night.
With this thought in mind, Nana, out of curiosity, walked over.
Through the dark tinted windows, she indeed saw Carl sitting in the driver’s seat, sleeping soundly with his head tilted.
As she silently watched Carl sleeping, Nana’s emotions became complicated.
She couldn’t understand Carl’s motives. Since he already had a child with Grace, why did he keep trying to reconcile?
Did he want to have the best of both worlds?
Nana couldn’t fathom Carl’s thoughts, and his behavior of lurking downstairs at their home only increased her aversion towards him.
She took out a piece of paper from her bag and quickly wrote a few lines, then tucked it onto the windshield.
An hour later, Carl woke up from his dream.
It was around four or five o’clock in the morning when he was both tired and sleepy, so he had returned to his car to rest.
Originally, Carl had only intended to take a short nap, but to his surprise, when he opened his eyes, it was already half-past eight in the morning.
Rubbing his tired eyes, Carl first looked outside the car window and noticed that Nana was nowhere to be seen.
It was still early, so she shouldn’t have gone out, right?
Carl speculated in his mind, preparing to get out of the car and continue waiting when he suddenly noticed a note attached to the glass outside.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he jumped out of the car to take a look.
“Carl, please go back. Please stop coming to find me. Don’t let one disappointment after another happen. Now, I only hope that we can part ways amicably.”
Although there was no signature on the note, he recognized Nana’s handwriting and the content.
It must have been written while she was sleeping just now…
Realizing that he had missed the opportunity to see Nana, Carl felt deeply remorseful.
The misunderstanding between them was growing deeper and deeper, and Carl understood that Nana wanted to break up with him. He couldn’t stand still by the car anymore.
He dashed up the stairs, impatiently knocking on Nana’s door.
Tracy, as if prepared for this, opened the door without even asking.
“You still want to see Nana?” Tracy’s response was cold as she looked at Carl’s anxious expression.
“Yes, I really need to talk to her. Please let me in…” Carl pleaded with Tracy, his face turning red with frustration.
At that moment, Jerry also arrived at the door and coldly informed him, “It’s no use letting you in because Nana has moved out.”
This response was like a bolt from the blue, directly hitting Carl’s head.
“What did you say?”
Carl’s expression was incredulous, and he urgently asked, “Where did Nana go? Can you tell me?”
Jerry and Tracy shook their heads simultaneously.
“We don’t know either. Nana just said she doesn’t want to see you and doesn’t want you to affect our lives.”
“Carl, stop pestering her. You’ve caused so much harm to my daughter, and as a mother, I want you to stay away!” The elderly couple held a hostile attitude towards Carl.
Carl sighed upon hearing their words and had no choice but to apologize to the two.
“I’m sorry. One day, I will prove myself to Nana, and then I will come back to visit.”
With that, he left the Lawson family and drove aimlessly through the streets.
He was lost and didn’t know where to go or where to find Nana.
During this time, the director of the film production called Carl several times, urging him to come to the set and shoot as soon as possible.
However, Carl knew that he couldn’t get into character in his current state, so he decided to take a sick leave and stop working.
The next day, Carl tried everything he could think of. He made countless phone calls to friends, asking them to help him find out where Nana was.
On the other hand, Grace was still living in the Waters Villa.
Since Carl left the house yesterday, nearly twenty-four hours had passed.
She believed that Carl was purposely avoiding her, so she packed her things and tearfully went to Mrs. Waters.
“Mrs. Waters, I think I shouldn’t stay here anymore.”
Grace, like a frustrated daughter-in-law, spoke with a hint of grievance, “Carl has been avoiding me, and instead of making him uncomfortable, I’d rather leave.”
She pretended to wipe away her tears and resolutely turned away.
Seeing the daughter-in-law she had approved of about to leave, Mrs. Waters quickly got up and stopped her.
“Grace, don’t be hasty. I have a way to bring Carl back home!”
A cunning look flashed in Mrs. Waters’ eyes as she pulled Grace to sit on the sofa.