Bella gazed at Kevin, holding her breath and waiting for him to answer. Kevin looked at her for a few seconds and slowly looked away then.
She mocked at herself. Since they were already on the way to divorce, what was she expecting? Already passed the age of dreaming, but why she still daydreamed like a little girl?
They had already arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Kevin sat in the car did not move, and Bella was the first to push open the door and walk down.
“Are you not down?”
She knocked on the car window to remind.
Only then did Kevin get out of the car, but apologized and said, “Sorry, I forgot my ID card.”
“What the hell do you mean?”
Bella frowned, “Okay, you go back and get it. I’ll wait here.”
“I have a meeting later. I might not be able to make it, so we’ll come back tomorrow.”
“No, we have to get this done today.”
Bella reached out her hand, “Give it to me.”
“What?”
“Wallet.” She knew his ID was in the wallet.
Kevin frankly took out his wallet from his suit and handed it to her.
Bella looked inside and out several times, but she hadn’t really found his ID card, “Don’t you usually keep it in your wallet? Why don’t you put it inside today?”
“Alvin took it to be photocopied this morning. I think he forgot to return it to me.”
She rolled her eyes, “Then call and ask him to bring it to you. Tomorrow is the 4th of July. We can’t go through the procedures when those workers go on holiday then!”
“Then we won’t have it done.”
Bella was startled, and immediately warned himself never to be lost in various fancies and conjectures, “What if we don’t get it done? There’s no way. I’m coming back from going to Paris in two years.
“Then we’ll wait until you come back.”
“And what if I don’t come back?”
Kevin shrugged, “It’s okay if you don’t come back. A couple have been separated for a long time, then their marriage will be automatically dissolved.”
“It’s troublesome. I don’t want to hold you up.”
“Are you afraid of holding yourself up?”
“What’s the difference? Our marriage must be dissolved.”
“Even if it’s for the sake of my parents, let’s maintain it for now. Once we get divorced, they’ll know sooner or later.”
He pointed to the door of the Civil Affairs Bureau in passing, “There’s not a single person in there who doesn’t know me. I’ve been here ten times before and after, and more importantly, there’s a friend of my father. As soon as I get divorced, hie will have to inform my father right away. Do you think you’ll be able to go to Paris after my father and the others get the news?”
Bella was silent, and a little hesitant by his words, but also disappointed. She thought he was not willing to part with her by delaying the divorce over and over again, but he was afraid that his parents would disagree when they found out.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
She took a deep breath and turned to get into the car.
On the way back, neither of them spoke. Their minds dwelt on of their own thoughts. Bella was disappointed at Kevin’s heartlessness, while she ignored the very important point that Kevin was never afraid of his parents.
His parents were full of expectations about his marriage. When he wanted to divorce, no matter how they stopped, he was determined to immediately divorce.
In fact, he had been struggling and hesitating to divorce. He obviously loved Freya, but when he thought of Bella to leave, he surprisingly would also feel sad.
“Are you going straight back to the company? If you go back to the office, just drop me off at that intersection, and I’ll go to the supermarket to get some food.”
“The maids at home will do these things, so you don’t have to.”
“I want to make a farewell dinner for everyone.”
Kevin’s face fell, “There’s no chance they will approve of you going that far away.”
“It’s up to you to help me figure out how to do that. I’m sure you’ll convince Mom and Dad.” Bella paused, “Unless, you don’t want me to leave.”
Kevin parked the car at the intersection, and Bella got out of the car, turning back and advising, “Come back early tonight and taste my cooking, or you won’t have the chance later.”
She said and left without looking back. There was a crossroads in front of her. When the red light came on, she stood in the middle of the road. Her stubborn back left a deep impression on Kevin.
Bella really prepared a sumptuous dinner. Blanche still did not know that Bella was leaving, cheerfully exclaiming, “What a good girl! Kevin is lucky.”
At exactly seven o’clock, all the people arrived. Bella opened a bottle of red wine, poured a glass for each person, and then lifted the glass and said, “I’ll toast everyone first, and then tell you all the good news.”
“Bella, are you pregnant?”
Lena asked casually. Blanche and Patrick immediately smiled happily.
She awkwardly shook her head, “No, I have an opportunity to go abroad for further training.”
After she announced the news, everyone froze.
“Are you going abroad?”
Blanche frowned, and was displeased.
“France for two years. After I come back, I’ll be back to teach high school students. Those middle school students are at the age of rebellion and I feel annoyed.”
Patrick immediately said, “If you don’t want to teach middle school students, you don’t have to go abroad. I have plenty of connections. Not to mention high school, you can even teach in university if you want.”
“That’s right. You don’t have to go to France. Two years later you and my brother will break up.”
“Dad, teaching is a great learning. If I don’t have that ability, I can’t complete the task, and will mislead the students.”
“Then you don’t work. You are the daughter-in-law of the Jones-Sharps, and don’t have to make a living. If you need anything, feel free to tell us. Even the stars in the sky, we will also find a way to pluck them for you.”
Bella was sad to hear Blanche’s words. She knew how much Blanche loved her, but what she wanted was not something they could give.
“Work is not for survival, but an ideal, and a pursuit. I hope you can support my ideal and pursuit.”
Blanche saw Bella’s resolute attitude and was in a panic, glaring at her son who had been silent, “Speak up, your wife wants to go abroad. Don’t you even have anything to say?”
Kevin slowly looked up and said lightly, “If you like her, then support her. Don’t try to restrain her. It’s selfish.”
“You…”
Blanche was so angry. She had expected Kevin to come out and retain Bella. But he supported Bella and accused them of being selfish. He was so cold-blooded.
“When do you plan to leave?”
Patrick was silent for a long time and asked expressionlessly.
Bella answered softly, “At the end of this month.”
“Do you have to go?”
“Yes, the quota is limited. If I give up this opportunity, I won’t have the chance to further my studies.”
Blanche sighed heavily, “Well, since you are determined to go, we just can’t do anything about it even if we don’t agree. We just hope that after two years, you will still be back.”
After she said that, she covered her face and cried.
Bella felt guilty, hiding the fact from her in-laws that she won’t return after two years and it would be impossible to be together with Kevin again.
But saying the truth now would only break everyone’s heart.
Only Kevin could decide on his own feelings, and even his parents who raised him had no right to make decisions for him.
A sumptuous dinner was wasted. Everyone’s face fell. Lena saw Blanche crying sadly, and comforted her. Even she was shedding tears.
Patrick gloomily got up, said nothing, hobbled into the study, and never came out again.
Bella slowly touched the handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Blanche, “Mom, don’t cry. I’ll be back in two years.”
“I’m not sure about it. I expect too much from you, and think you can save my son. Now it seems Freya did indeed destroy him.”
Blanche was wise all her life. How could she not see the reason why Bella insisted on leaving. But unfortunately she could do nothing about it even though she was powerful.
Kevin might be unable to stand the heavy atmosphere, got up and left. Standing in front of the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, he lit a cigarette and smoked irritably.
Sometimes, he also hated himself for being ruthless. Why couldn’t he forget the past and start a new relationship? Bella was undoubtedly the best candidate, since his family liked him. She was intelligent, kind, thoughtful and insightful, who he admired. But he just couldn’t like her…
There was the sound of footsteps behind him and he turned to see Bella walking towards him with tearful eyes.
“Thanks for speaking up for me earlier.”
He wanted to stop talking, and only spoke out in embarrassment, “It’s okay.”
Smiling sadly, Bella went to her chamber and came back out an hour later, carrying the suitcase she’d brought over the day she’d returned to her home.
“Where are you going?”
Kevin asked lamely.
“These last few days, I want to go home and live here. Staying here will only make everyone unhappy.”
“You’re just leaving. Don’t you think my parents would be sad?”