Lena eventually really left. Patrick used all his connections, but he couldn’t get his daughter back.
Blanche shed tears all day long. Suddenly, the warm and lively home suddenly became deserted. Everyone was immersed in the shadow of Lena’s departure from home and couldn’t get out, so the night when Kevin didn’t return was gradually ignored, and no one suspected what had happened that night.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed, Patrick called the whole family to the living room, and announced solemnly and sadly, “From tomorrow, stop searching for Lena. Our family will gradually recover as normal.”
Bella looked askance at her father-in-law in shock, “Dad, Lena is still young. If we don’t get her back, she is alone …”
“Maybe she’s right. Your mother-in-law and I have held her in the palm of our hands since she was a child, and it’s about time she started learning to be independent.”
“And what if she meets a bad guy?”
There was nothing wrong with letting her be independent, but the world wasn’t so nice that people could be independent.
“Since she has chosen this path, no matter what she goes through, she has to bear it herself. We can’t protect her forever.”
Blanche cried sadly. Bella walked over and hugged her mother-in-law, “Mom, don’t be sad. Although Lena hasn’t suffered much, she is very smart and clever. Even if she leaves your shelter, she should be able to take care of herself.”
Kevin sat on the side and didn’t say anything. His expression was wooden yet stiff. Since the day Lena left until now, he had been like this for the whole seven days. Bella only thought it was because his sister’s departure from home made him feel bad. But she didn’t know that this was only a small half of the reason. The more important reason was the sense of guilt in his heart, causing him to be unable to face Bella.
It wasn’t of his own volition, but he knew in his heart that it happened, and the outcome was more important than the process.
The family meeting ended, and Bella consoled her mother-in-law for a while more before she wearily went upstairs. Very surprisingly, Kevin did not work hard this night, but sat on the sofa in the bedroom, smoking a cigarette, looking very preoccupied.
On the coffee table in front of him, there was an exquisite ashtray. He had already thrown three or four cigarette butts, shining with the stars of the fire that had not been completely extinguished.
“Don’t you have to work tonight?”
Bella sat beside him, her voice soft and inquisitive.
Kevin shook his head, “Yes, I’m a bit tired. I want to rest a bit tonight.”
She sadly looked at him and pulled him up, “Let’s sit over there.”
Bella pulled Kevin to sit down on the stool, then stood behind him and thoughtfully massaged his shoulders, “I know you’re sad that Lena is gone. In fact, you should think that what dad said was reasonable. It’s time for her to learn to be independent. After the revelation of Alvin’s fake acceptance of her feelings, she’ll only be sad if she stays at home. A change of scenery would be good for healing the heartbreak!”
Kevin didn’t say anything, and she continued, “Now that Lena’s surgery has also been successful, there will no longer be anything that can threaten her life. She’s smart and cute, so she will definitely be very popular no matter where she goes.”
Her nimble hands were suddenly grasped by Kevin, and Kevin pulled her to sit down in front of him, his eyes focused on her and said, “Bella, do you trust me?”
Bella was startled and nodded woodenly, “Yes, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just asking.” He smiled bitterly.
“By the way, you met with Freya last time, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did she say anything?”
“Not much. She gave me the evidence.”
Bella looked suddenly wide-eyed and a little incredulous, “No way! That’s the only bargaining chip she can threaten us with. Did she hand it over easily?”
“She really handed over. If you don’t believe me, you can go take a look at it. It’s in the middle drawer of my study.”
Kevin’s voice was flat and feeble, and his eyes were even more hollow.
“Did she get the more important goods on you? That’s why she handed over the evidence, right?”
Bella was just making a joke, but it made Kevin feel guilty.
He gazed at her, wanting to confess very much, but what came out as soon as he opened his mouth was, “There is no such thing.”
Bella smiled, “Knowing that there won’t be anything like that, I was just teasing you.”
She sat on Kevin’s lap, her hands on his neck, and said with her eyes closed, “Since she’s already handed over the evidence, so don’t meet with her from now on, okay?”
“Okay.”
Kevin nodded.
A long time ago when he knew the secret that Bella was hiding, he was very angry and incomprehensible. Even once he was sad and disappointed because she didn’t confess to him. At that time he really didn’t understand her. Even later when they were so intimate, he still couldn’t understand when he thought about those things. Until this moment, after going through the same state of mind, he finally understood the bitterness and frustration of no way for a man to confess to another.
“Bella.”
“What?”
Bella opened his eyes and tilted her head to check him out, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going on a long trip tomorrow. It might be a month before I get back.”
“Is it that long? Where are you going?”
Bella, languid, regained her consciousness suddenly with a shocking question.
“Saudi Arabia.”
“What are you doing there?”
“I want to set up an oil factory over there. I had the idea a year ago.”
“Why would you want to go that far away to run a factory? Isn’t our family’s business big enough already?”
“Man struggles upwards while water flows downwards and the same goes for businesses. It’s not good enough to stand firm at home, but it’s a real success to make a brand in the international arena.”
Bella was just an ordinary middle school teacher and didn’t know much about business. But she was well aware of a man’s ambition and career, and as the woman behind the successful man, in addition to unconditional support, she should give him unconditional encouragement.
“Well that’s okay, but will a month be too long?”
“I don’t want to be away from you for that long, but in order to do my business, my love affairs can only be put off for a while.”
Bella pursed his lips and tried to say, “Would it be okay if I accompany you? I don’t have to go back to school and work for a while anyway.”
She thought he would promise to go to the company to help out just like he did last time, but unexpectedly Kevin refused without even thinking about it, “No, I will be very busy this time. I can’t spare any time to accompany you, not to mention that Lena has just left home. If we both leave, Mom will definitely be very sad at home alone.”
Although it was a little bit disappointing, it was true when her sister-in-law had just left, and her mother-in-law was still grieving, she should stay with her mother-in-law no matter what.
“Then you have to take care of yourself by yourself, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“Remember to call me if you’re not busy. I don’t expect that you can call me once a day, but at least you should call me once a week.”
“Good.”
It was late at night, and they lay down on the bed, with Bella pillowed on her superior’s arm, staring blankly at the black ceiling and sighing deeply.
“Can’t you sleep?”
She replied, lost in thought, “How can I sleep when I think I’ll be alone at this time tomorrow night …”
“It’s only temporary. Don’t think about it and get some sleep.”
“Okay.”
She rolled over, facing Kevin, feeling his warm breath, and was sleepy. When she was about to fall asleep when she heard a sentence in her ear, “Bella, ever since I’ve known you, I’ve never hidden anything from you, and if once in a while I hide something from you, please forgive me.
“Oh …”
She was groggy and agreed, and the next second, she was in dreamland.
The next morning when Kevin woke up, Bella had already packed all his luggage, and when she saw him wake up, she walked over and asked, “Do we still not have a photo together?”
“What?”
Kevin was stunned, a bit unresponsive.
“Look here.”
Bella suddenly grabbed his neck, her cheek pressed into his face, and with a click, she snapped an intimate photo of them with Kevin’s phone.
“Wow, it’s not bad. I didn’t know that I had never taken a picture together before, but now I see that we really look similar.”
She handed the phone to Kevin, “How is it? Isn’t it a good match?”
Kevin smiled dotingly, “Yes.”
“Alright, get up and wash. It’s already late.”
Bella wouldn’t know that Kevin was asleep until six in the morning.
She wanted to give him a ride to the airport, but he refused, saying that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to let her go to the airport. So they ended up having to say their goodbyes in front of their house.
Alvin drove the car to send Kevin to the airport. On the way, Kevin didn’t say a word. After arriving at the airport, he patted Alvin’s shoulder, “I leave the company to you. Pay more attention.”
Alvin nodded heavily, and the moment Kevin turned around, he shouted, “Mr. Jones-Sharp, I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s all because of me. If it wasn’t for me, Lena wouldn’t have run away from home. I’m really sorry …”
These days, Alvin was feeling bad, living in self-blame every day. He always felt that it was because of his own fault that Lena had left home.
“It’s not your fault. Don’t feel guilty.”
Kevin patted his shoulder again, before carrying his bag into the airport hall.
The moment he boarded the plane, he felt bad. These seven days for him were really a painful torment. Before no matter how busy and tired he was in the company when he returned home as long as he saw Bella, all the tiredness would vanish. But now he was afraid to go home to face Bella. When he didn’t see her, he thought about her. When he saw her, he felt pain again. That kind of contradiction psychology had been about to torture him crazy! That was why he had temporarily decided to run a factory to escape all of this with the excuse of establishing a factory, hoping to give himself a month to adjust his mind and to forget those unpleasant experiences. So he could return to the happy state he had been in the past when facing Bella.