When Susan was still a celebrity, she barely spent three and a half days at home in a year. Back then, her parents’ greatest wish was for Susan to spend more time with them.
Now, their wish had come true. They could see their daughter every day, but having her cooped up at home all the time made them worry.
“Isn’t she afraid of getting sick from staying in all day?” Mrs. Simmons thought to herself as she racked her brain for ways to get Susan out of the house.
“Susan, why don’t you go out for a walk? If nothing else, I’ll book you a plane ticket to travel abroad. Staying home like this isn’t good for you,” Mrs. Simmons said, her face full of concern.
“Mom, I don’t want to go anywhere. Isn’t staying home nice? You used to call me all the time, begging me to come home and spend more time with you. Now I’m doing just that, and you’re telling me you don’t want to take care of me anymore?”
“What nonsense are you saying, silly girl? Of course, I want to take care of you. I’m just worried about you. I even got your visa sorted a few days ago. Didn’t you love visiting Europe? Why don’t you go relax and clear your mind? Staying at home all day isn’t healthy!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll go out now, so stop worrying,” Susan said, giving in to her mom’s relentless nagging.
In the past, Susan would never leave the house without at least an hour of preparation-doing her makeup, coordinating her outfit. But now that she wasn’t a star anymore, she’d stopped caring about such things.
She left home barefaced, wearing a simple down jacket. If her past self had seen her like this, she would’ve been utterly shocked.
It’s true-people change.
Susan drove aimlessly around the city. To be honest, there weren’t many places she could go.
When she was a celebrity, her days were packed with schedules. Back then, all she wanted was a few days off. Now that she finally had free time, she didn’t know what to do with it.
Meet up with friends? She hadn’t made any genuine friends in the entertainment industry. Inviting them out now would likely just lead to gossip about the industry-topics she no longer had in common with them.
With nowhere to go, Susan realized that heading home too early would only prompt another scolding from her mom. So instead, she decided to stay out a bit longer.
She drove to a tea house, grabbed a book from her bag, and decided to spend her afternoon there.
She found a seat by the window, ordered some tea and snacks, and let the soothing music in the background fill her ears. For the first time in a while, Susan felt calm and at peace.
The book was already halfway through when she got up to use the restroom. On her way back, she saw something that froze her in her tracks.
Marcos was sitting across from a woman, deep in conversation. The woman laughed freely, without a hint of pretense.
It was Emily, the daughter of the Langdon family. Susan had met her a few times before. In this moment, Susan finally understood what betrayal felt like.
She remembered the other day at the Giron family gathering when people said Marcos had agreed to go on a date with Miss Langdon-how she was the ideal daughter-in-law for their family.
She also thought of the hydrangeas blooming on her windowsill, growing fuller by the day. The irony hit her hard. She finally understood how Aurora must have felt back then.
Seeing Marcos and Emily together ignited a fury in Susan. If she felt this angry just witnessing them on a date, how devastated must Aurora have been when she caught Hayden and her in bed together?
Some pain can’t be understood until it’s experienced firsthand.
The old Susan would have stormed over to confront them. But she wasn’t the same person anymore.
She quietly turned and left, as if none of it had anything to do with her. The bitter fruit she’d planted, she would eat on her own.
Well, at least he had finally made his choice.
Susan calmly paid her bill and walked out with a sense of resolve.
She didn’t notice that Marcos, sitting with his back to her, had been frowning the entire time. Nor did she know that Emily, carefree as she appeared, was just as oblivious.
“Mr. Giron, thank you for agreeing to this date today. I’m guessing your family has been pressuring you too?” Emily asked cheerfully.
“Yeah,” Marcos replied, clearly distracted.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Giron. I won’t fall for you. I already have someone I like, to be honest. I’m only here to make him jealous,” Emily admitted with a mischievous grin.
Marcos finally looked up at her, puzzled. “You’re in love with someone else, yet you came to a date just to provoke him?”
“Exactly! He’s always so cold to me, always saying he doesn’t like me. So I got mad and decided to come on a date to piss him off,” Emily said with a pout.
“But Miss Langdon, aren’t you worried he really doesn’t like you? What if he just lets you keep dating other people?” Marcos asked.
“Then… then I’ll keep dating until he comes to stop me!” Emily said, frowning for a moment before her cheerful demeanor returned. “No, he’ll definitely come!”
“Really? Then I’ll stay a bit longer to see if your man shows up,” Marcos said, amused.
“Mr. Giron, you’re such a good person. By the way, I saw in the news that you’re with Miss Simmons. Why are you still going on dates?” Emily asked curiously.
“If you hadn’t kept calling me, do you think I’d be here? I only came to make things clear-I already have someone I like. But seeing as we’re in the same situation, there’s no need to say much more,” Marcos said.
“Mr. Giron, if you have someone you love, make sure you treat her well. Don’t let her get hurt,” Emily said earnestly.
“I know. I’ll never hurt her again. Miss Langdon, after today, let’s not meet again,” Marcos replied firmly.
“Agreed. But Mr. Giron, I still need your help with one last thing,” Emily said with a sly smile.
Before Marcos could react, Emily picked up a piece of fruit and held it to his mouth. “Quick, Mr. Giron, my man’s here. Play along!” she whispered urgently.
Understanding her intentions, Marcos opened his mouth and ate the fruit.
At that moment, a cold voice interrupted them:
“Emily, you’ve got some nerve, going on a date behind my back!”
Marcos turned to see a man approaching. It was Eric, the director of Montgomery Group-a man known for his sharp tactics. They’d crossed paths a few times before.
“Mr. Montgomery,” Marcos greeted.
Eric shot him a hostile glare. “Mr. Giron, instead of keeping an eye on your own woman, you’re out here dating mine? By the way, I just saw Miss Simmons leaving the restaurant.”
“Susan? Damn it, she must have misunderstood!” Marcos exclaimed. He hastily threw some cash on the table and rushed out.
Emily, seeing the fury on Eric’s face, realized she might have gone too far this time. She was about to make a run for it when his voice stopped her:
“Emily!”
“Here!” Emily snapped to attention, standing stiffly like a soldier, almost ready to salute.