Malcolm naturally tried to take Rosalind’s luggage from Ulric’s hands.
As Malcolm reached for it, Ulric didn’t let go.
The two men stood there in a standoff.
The evening breeze blew, ruffling Ulric’s fine hair. He smiled and said, “It’s no trouble to see my wife off.”
“…”
Rosalind, afraid they might start fighting, quickly said, “Malcolm, hurry and take the things upstairs. I’ve been packing for a long time and I’m very tired.”
“Alright.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow, smiled victoriously, and turned to walk inside with Rosalind.
Ulric was left standing there alone, motionless for a long time.
After a while, he returned to his car, took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, lit one, and took a few drags. His gaze fixed on the floor where Tilda lived.
He masochistically waited there, wanting to see if Malcolm would stay the night.
As he finished the cigarette, the ash fell onto the back of his hand, and the burning tip scorched his skin. But he seemed not to feel the pain, his gaze unwavering.
Time passed by slowly.
No one came out.
Ulric felt his temples throbbing, his blood boiling and reversing through his veins.
He still couldn’t accept that Rosalind liked someone else, couldn’t accept that she was about to belong to another man.
Ulric extinguished the cigarette with his hand, feeling the burning pain, trying to calm himself down, but it was useless.
Finally, he got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the apartment complex.
As soon as he entered and walked a few steps, he heard what seemed to be Rosalind’s voice from above.
“Hmm… I can do anything for him… As long as he’s with me in the future…”
Ulric’s entire body stiffened as if doused with ice water, chilled to the bone.
Was she referring to Malcolm?
She actually liked Malcolm this much!
Even now, Ulric was unwilling to describe their relationship as love; he only thought they were merely fond of each other at best.
His body felt frozen, the pain making it hard to breathe.
Ulric placed his hand over his heart, the intense pain almost suffocating him.
Suddenly, footsteps came from above.
Soon Malcolm’s voice reached his ears.
“You’re still here?”
Ulric looked up at him, his eyes filled with hatred and jealousy.
Yes, even Ulric felt jealousy towards others today.
But unlike him, Malcolm’s face showed more panic.
He didn’t know what Ulric had heard or how much…
“Mr. Walters, eavesdropping isn’t a good habit.”
“Before the divorce, she’s still my wife.”
“That’s true.” Malcolm smiled and spread his hands. “So here I am, not staying with her! Don’t worry, if you can respect her, so can I. Whatever you can give her, I can too.”
Realizing that Ulric probably hadn’t heard their conversation about the child, Malcolm relaxed a bit. “But still, thank you for taking care of her before.”
“Malcolm, if you treat her badly-”
“I worked hard to win her over; there’s no way I’d treat her badly.” Malcolm interrupted him directly. “Tomorrow, make sure to return her to me early.”
With that, Malcolm walked past him and left, trying to lead him away.
He didn’t dare linger there any longer for fear that Ulric might overhear something he shouldn’t.