“Hannah?”
Alden was surprised to see Hannah standing behind him, carrying shopping bags in her hands. He immediately felt awkward and cleared his throat softly.
“If the door is broken, you have to fix it,” Hannah warned.
“I haven’t kicked it in.”
“Yet.”
Hannah opened the door to the house and was about to close it again, but Alden quickly stopped her. Their eyes met, and it was clear Hannah had been crying.
“Where have you been this late?” Alden asked.
“Buying groceries at the 24-hour mini-market. Is there anything else you want to talk about? If not, you should leave,” Hannah replied, half dismissing him.
Alden still held the door to prevent it from being closed from the inside. “I want to talk to you, Hannah. Besides, I’m a bit hungry.”
Hannah squinted her eyes but then allowed Alden to enter. She hurried to the kitchen, not paying attention to Alden as he looked around the house. Alden followed Hannah to the kitchen and sat at the dining table, watching Hannah prepare instant food.
A few minutes later, a bowl of mac and cheese was in front of Alden, and Hannah sat in the chair across from him.
“After you eat, you go home, okay?” Hannah dismissed him again.
“What is this?”
“Mac and cheese.”
Alden looked hesitant to eat it. Hannah immediately grabbed the bowl from in front of Alden, who quickly stopped her.
“If you don’t want to eat, leave quickly. Don’t waste my time,” Hannah said irritably.
“When you’re angry, you’re really scary, but also cute,” Alden chuckled. He pulled the bowl back in front of him. “I want to eat it, darling.”
Hannah didn’t respond, busy finishing her own meal without looking at Alden at all.
“That day…” Alden choked up.
Hannah glanced at Alden.
“Please, listen to what happened first, Hannah.”
“I already know, you were driving the car, then the accident happened…”
“No.” Alden shook his head. “That’s just what the media needed to know.”
On the night of that fateful accident, Alden was heavily drunk, and Sarah wasn’t in a fit state to drive either. Sarah drove the car, and because of the high speed, the car swerved and rolled over. Both Sarah and Alden were thrown from the car. No one knew who was driving.
Alden was in a coma for a week, and when he woke up, he didn’t know where Sarah had disappeared.
It turned out Sarah was taken abroad by her family due to internal bleeding in her head. Sarah was treated there, but she couldn’t recover 100%.
As a result of the accident, Sarah would suffer from nerve disorders in her head. Moreover, Sarah became depressed because she was separated from Alden, leading to an obsession with being with him always.
“But she was the one driving the car,” said Hannah. “And you’ve been suffering all this time.”
“If I hadn’t been so drunk and forced Sarah to drive us home, it wouldn’t have happened, Hannah.”
“It was an accident, no one could have predicted it.”
“Yes, but I’m the one who should be blamed first. I pushed Sarah to take us home.”
So, despite all that had happened, Alden was still the one at fault.
Hannah didn’t understand why Alden had to bear the burden. What happened in the past, both Alden and Sarah had consented, they agreed to go home together. But there always had to be a scapegoat for all that happened, right?
The news spread, and the scapegoat was Alden. He was the one driving the car, leading to the accident. Then Sarah disappeared, not wanting to be held responsible for Alden’s paralyzed leg. In reality, it was Sarah who suffered permanent brain damage.
It was really complicated for Hannah.
“I can’t just leave Sarah like that, at least I have to stay with her until she recovers,” Alden said.
“You said she wouldn’t recover 100%.”
“But if she lets me go and accepts it, everything will be fine.”
“Are you that sure, Alden? She’s obsessed with you! Gosh!” Hannah shook her head.
“I don’t love Sarah anymore, Hannah.”
Hannah was silent.
“But I can’t escape the responsibility,” Alden continued.
“Do whatever you want.”
Hannah stood up, took the empty bowl from the table, and placed it in the sink. She hurried to the front door and opened it wide. Alden, confused, quickly followed her.
“Go take care of Sarah, and let me live my own life,” Hannah said firmly.
“Please, Hannah. Try to understand.”
“I’m actually in a position to understand. If you have to be with her, then I’ll step back. I’ll leave your house, I’ll stay here and run Texco until next year,” Hannah replied at length.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what? Do you think I can watch my husband close to another woman who happens to be his ex-girlfriend?” Hannah took a deep breath. “Going back to her is better than putting me in an awkward situation.”
“Come on, let’s go home. I want to be with you, not with Sarah.”
“Go home alone. This is my home!”
Suddenly, Alden pushed the door closed. Hannah was startled and looked at Alden in disbelief.
“You can’t force me to go back to your house!” Hannah insisted.
“I won’t do that. I’ll stay here.”
“What??”
“I already told you, wherever you go, I’ll go with you.”
Hannah clicked her tongue and left Alden, hurrying to the second floor. Oddly enough, Alden followed Hannah as if they were playing a game. Exhausted, Hannah entered her room, and Alden saw how clean and tidy it was.
“Is this your room?” Alden asked.
“No, it’s a hotel. So if you want to sleep here, you have to pay.” Hannah looked annoyed.
“Okay, how much?”
Hannah grew more irritated. She grabbed some clothes from the closet and went into the bathroom. Hannah tried to hold back her emotions, cursing herself for still being soft with Alden. She should have kicked him out or called the police if necessary.
But wouldn’t that cause a scene later? Hannah was confused.
When she came out of the bathroom, Hannah saw Alden lying on the bed.
“Don’t you have pajamas? I want to change clothes,” Alden asked casually.
Hannah took pajamas from the closet and placed them on the edge of the bed. Alden looked at the pajamas with blinking eyes.
“Do you want violet flowers or tulips, those are the only pajamas,” Hannah offered coldly.
“Are you serious?”
Hannah crossed her arms and looked flatly at her husband. “Take it or leave it, Young Master Alden.”