Conrad’s expression remained unchanged. “I’m just concerned about Lillian’s living conditions here. After all, fast food from outside isn’t as clean as homemade meals. Don’t you agree, Mr. Ethan? If you really want to make time, you can always find a way.”
With that, Conrad didn’t even wait for Ethan’s response before turning to Jasmine. “Go check if your mom’s awake yet. If she’s still sleeping, come back down quietly, okay?”
“I know, Dad!” Jasmine’s little dress swayed as she dashed upstairs, her footsteps pattering rapidly.
“Sorry about that. Jasmine misses her mom when she’s home. I hope we’re not bothering you, Mr. Ethan.”
With Jasmine gone, Ethan couldn’t be bothered to keep up appearances anymore. “Do you really think this is going to work, Mr. Conrad?”
“When you were going through the divorce with your ex-wife, you didn’t try anything, so of course, it failed. If you don’t hold on to your own wife, you’re just waiting for her to become someone else’s. Mr. Ethan, if you could learn just a little bit and make breakfast in City A, you wouldn’t be watching me walk right in now.”
“Mr. Conrad, I didn’t know until today that you could talk this much. It didn’t match the rumors I had heard.”
Conrad smirked. “I’m not much of a talker with outsiders, but since we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for quite some time – both at work and here in your home – I figured I’d better not keep things too stiff between us. You don’t mind, right?”
“And what if I do mind?”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to apologize in advance. Sorry, Mr. Ethan, but you’ll have to bear with it. We’ll be bumping into each other often, not just at work but in our personal lives too.”
Ethan stood by while Conrad leisurely pulled out a chair, crossed his long legs, and settled in comfortably.
What Ethan found most impressive about Conrad was his uncanny ability to treat any place like it was his own turf – like he absolutely belonged there, no questions asked. It was so natural, so brazen… almost terrifyingly confident.
Meanwhile, Lillian was trapped in a nightmare.
“Lillian, you can’t get away from me.”
“I died because of you… I’ll haunt you… haunt you for the rest of your life!”
Frank was crawling up from the edge of a cliff, his limbs twisted and distorted. Half of his face was skeletal, the other half-human, his twisted grin widening as he reached for her ankle.
“No! Get away!”
“Get away!”
She screamed, and suddenly a small, warm body pressed tightly against her, hugging her and crying out, “Mommy! Mommy! Jasmine’s here! Jasmine will protect you! Daddy, come quick!”
Hearing the noise from upstairs, Ethan had barely moved when Conrad sprang up, crossing the room in just a few swift steps and racing up to the second floor.
Lillian’s eyes shot open. Her gaze landed on her bedroom – and three worried faces staring back at her.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming or finally awake.
“Are you okay?” Conrad asked as he pushed past Ethan and sat down at her bedside.
Her mind slowly cleared as she blinked at the man propping himself up on one arm beside her. “You? What are you doing here?”
“Mommy, did you have a bad dream?” Jasmine piped up, her voice trembling slightly. “You almost scared me to death! Daddy and I came to see you, and we made a bunch of your favorite breakfasts! Daddy did the cooking, and I was in charge of supervising. Oh! And I even chopped the filling for one of the dishes all by myself!”
Jasmine’s little mouth kept going non-stop. “And Daddy burned his hand frying something! He’s got a bunch of blisters now – they must hurt a lot!”
Lillian sat up, and Ethan asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
“Do you want to go to the hospital? Or should I ask George to come over?” Conrad asked with concern.
Lillian avoided his outstretched hand and shook her head. “I’m fine. It was just a bad dream.”
“Dreams reflect what’s on your mind,” Conrad said. “You’ve been too stressed lately.”
Conrad scooped Jasmine up in one swift motion. “Alright, let’s head downstairs first. Once you’ve rested, come down and have breakfast, okay?”
Lillian’s mind was still foggy, and the fact that he was giving her some space to collect herself was something she hadn’t expected. Almost instinctively, she nodded.
Conrad stood up, brushing past Ethan on his way out, hesitating as if he had something more to say.
Ethan spoke up, “We’ll head out now. Don’t forget to come down later.”
“Ethan, have I caused you any trouble?”
Ethan paused for a second. “Lillian, with our relationship, you really don’t need to say that.”
Lillian opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. Her hesitation said more than words ever could.
Ethan understood – she still kept her distance, still drew that invisible line between them.
She was afraid of being a burden. That alone showed how distant she still felt.
“Sorry,” Lillian said. “I’m just afraid your day-to-day life’s been disrupted.”
“Your problems have never been a bother to me,” Ethan said. “I’ll head downstairs now.”
Ethan closed the door behind him, only to find Conrad waiting right outside – as if he’d been standing there to make sure Ethan wouldn’t linger inside too long.
“You mentioned she often wakes up like that… is this what you meant?” Conrad asked.
Ethan nodded. “Honestly, her symptoms have improved a lot over the past few years. Did you find anything out yesterday? After she got back, she just stayed in her room alone. She was probably dwelling on the past again.”
A flicker of pain flashed through Conrad’s eyes. “Do you have the contact info for her psychologist overseas? I’ve already looked into what happened five years ago.”
Ethan glanced toward the room. “Let’s talk downstairs.”
Meanwhile, Jasmine lay sprawled across Lillian’s chest. “Mommy, does it feel better when I hug you?”
Lillian’s mind slowly cleared. She stroked Jasmine’s soft little arm. “Mm, Mommy feels much better now.”
“Then can Jasmine help Mommy get out of bed?”
“Sure.”
“How did you and your dad end up coming here?” Lillian asked as she pushed back the covers. She felt a little dizzy when she stood up.
She’d cried too much last night. Her eyes were swollen, and her nose felt terribly stuffed.
“Because Daddy and I both missed you! If Mommy’s not at our house, we had no choice but to come here instead!” Jasmine slid off the bed on her own.
Lillian froze for a second, then bent down to pick her up and set her on the bathroom counter.
As Lillian washed up, Jasmine kept her eyes fixed on her the whole time.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m comparing how Mommy brushes her teeth with how Daddy does it.”
“And what’s the difference?” Lillian asked.
“Daddy’s way rougher. He moves really big.”
Lillian couldn’t help but remember how Conrad used to brush his teeth – always leaning lazily behind her, one arm hooked around her waist, watching her reflection in the mirror with a teasing grin.
The memory struck her unexpectedly, and she gave Jasmine’s nose a gentle squeeze. “Why do you keep bringing up your dad in front of me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve got my own little plan – I want Mommy to forgive Daddy sooner!”
“That’s something between grown-ups,” Lillian said, shaking her head. “No matter what happens between me and your dad, it won’t change anything between you and me.”
“No, no, no!” Jasmine shook her head firmly. “Mommy, you have to be fair! If I can’t interfere with things between you and Daddy, then you can’t interfere with things between me and Daddy either. We’ll each work toward our own goals and see who succeeds first!”
She tilted her little head, looking so proud and determined, like she was absolutely serious about her ‘principles.’
Lillian couldn’t help but laugh. “Where did you even learn all this?”
“Kids know everything these days!” Jasmine declared smugly.
“So… are you skipping school today too?”
“Yup! It’s just playtime at school anyway. I know way more than what they teach there! I’m gonna play with Quincy today, and I need to take care of Mommy too! What if you have another bad dream? If I’m here, Mommy won’t feel bad anymore. I’m really busy, you know!”
How could Lillian say no to her?
As she carried Jasmine downstairs, she noticed the two men had been deep in conversation – but whatever they were talking about came to an abrupt stop the moment they saw her.