Conrad felt as though the blood in his body had frozen. He stood frozen, staring at Ethan.
Ethan didn’t flinch or avoid his gaze. “You ask me why she was in that small mountain village? I don’t know. In the five years I’ve known her, she never mentioned it. But she did develop a serious psychological issue.”
“Back then, she had nowhere to go, and I couldn’t bear to leave her alone. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, so I brought her back to my place and had a doctor I knew treat her. At first, she was anxious and paranoid. If the room went dark, she’d wake up in a panic, often standing by the window in the middle of the night. I had to get up several times to check that she was okay.”
“The situation improved when my sister brought Quincy over to my place. She saw Quincy for the first time, and it was also the first time she smiled at me.”
“She told me a lot then, about her dream of becoming a director. On a whim, I asked her if she’d want to go with me to Hollywood.”
Conrad’s eyelashes fluttered. The night wind blew, lifting his thin shirt and pressing it against his body. It was as if he had forgotten how to breathe.
“I don’t know what happened between you two back then. She barely ever mentioned her past to me, but I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
“When she got abroad, I realized her mental health was much worse than I thought. I found a local therapist for her, and the therapist told me she had a strong guard up, unwilling to open up to anyone. She hated men’s touch, and couldn’t stand being watched by others. There were many who pursued her at school. It was normal for a young, beautiful girl like her, no matter the country, to attract men’s attention.”
“The consequence of that was the constant attention from men. Eventually, I took the liberty of helping her get rid of a stalker. That was when she finally started to trust me.”
Conrad’s hands clenched into fists. “And then?”
“I’ve told you everything I know and what I’m willing to share, not because I want to see you two together, and not because I’m doing you a favor for business reasons.”
Ethan lifted his eyelids and glanced at Conrad, “But because of Lillian. Because tonight, you came to find me, asking me what happened to her these past few years. At least I can see that you, in your own way, care about her. That way, maybe her suffering over these five years will be understood by someone.”
“I’m not saying this to boast about how close I was to her, and I’m not trying to show off,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. “Go figure out where the real problem lies. Even I don’t know what exactly happened in the past. The secret buried deep inside her, the one that causes her so much pain and anxiety, is definitely the nightmare she never wants to speak of.”
“She wouldn’t tell me, but maybe you can find the answer yourself. After all, she once loved you so much. In that life-or-death situation, she gave birth to your daughter.”
“She’s such a lovely child. Lillian has missed five years of her life. I hope someone will understand her.”
Conrad had no idea when Ethan went upstairs.
All he knew was that when dawn began to break, his numb nerves seemed to finally snap, and he got into the car.
Jasmine would wake up around 5 a. m. every day, then cry and fuss for a while before being comforted enough to fall back asleep. If she didn’t get enough rest, she would end up staying in bed and refusing to go to school.
When Conrad drove back to Hillside Villa, he happened to hear Jasmine crying.
He quickly went upstairs, and sure enough, Lillian seemed at a loss for what to do.
As soon as she saw him enter, she hurriedly handed the child to him.
Conrad took Jasmine and walked around the hallway a couple of times, and only then did Jasmine settle down.
“It’s okay. She does this every day,” Conrad said.
Lillian, likely having stayed up all night taking care of Jasmine, had red eyes.
“Today, Jasmine can sleep a little longer. She usually likes to go to the amusement park, especially the carousel. She loves wearing her princess dress. Do you want to take a nap too, and change your clothes later?” Conrad said a lot in one breath, afraid that after breakfast, she would take Jasmine to kindergarten and then return to Ethan.
When she didn’t respond immediately, he gave a bitter smile. “I have things to do the next couple of days, so… I’m leaving Jasmine with you. I won’t be around. If she starts crying again, just do what I did earlier.”
Lillian didn’t ask where he was going, though she guessed that he wasn’t really busy but wanted her to have more time and space with Jasmine.
“Thank you,” she said softly, then lay back down beside Jasmine.
“Lillian.” He spoke suddenly.
Lillian opened her eyes and looked at him. There was an emotion in her gaze that he couldn’t quite understand.
“Thank you. There’s something I still want to tell you. Can you give me some time and a chance in a couple of days?”
Lillian didn’t understand why he was suddenly thanking her, but it was clear that with the child involved, they couldn’t just remain strangers. Their connection would only grow stronger.
“Okay.” She agreed.
As long as his request wasn’t too unreasonable, she could talk with him for Jasmine’s sake.
After all, Conrad was too important to Jasmine. No matter how much she longed for her, it couldn’t compare to the bond she had with the one who raised her.
It would have been too cruel to force Jasmine to choose; she couldn’t bear it.
While trying to sleep a little more, her mind was a jumbled mess, so when she woke up, she realized it was already 10 a. m.
Lillian quickly got out of bed.
The door opened, and Jasmine popped her head in with a big smile. “Mom! You’re sleeping in!”
Lillian couldn’t help but laugh, though she didn’t want to mention how domineering the little one’s sleeping position had been last night. It kept her up the whole night.
Jasmine climbed onto the bed and snuggled into her arms. “Mom, Dad went on a business trip, so I have to stay with you!”
Lillian stroked her hair. “Mm, I know. Your dad told me.”
“Then Jasmine has so many things she wants to do!”
Just then, a woman’s voice came from downstairs.
“Lillian! Come down here right now! I know you’re home!”
Lillian froze, and Jasmine stuck her tongue out. The sounds of someone rushing up the stairs grew louder.
The door was suddenly flung open.
Melissa’s eyes locked with Lillian’s. She threw her bag down, her eyes red with anger as she stared fiercely at Lillian.
Lillian, caught off guard by her sudden appearance, didn’t know how to react as Melissa rushed forward, trying to hug her.
Instinctively, Lillian shrank back, that physical reaction was more genuine than anything else.
Then, she saw Melissa frozen in an awkward position, hanging in the air, frustrated and scared.
“Sorry, Melissa, I…”