Chapter 7
Sheila hurriedly asked Mabel, Which room is Henry’s?“”
“This way, please follow me.“!
Mabel, just a housekeeper, dared not voice her anger about Timothy’s behavior. She could only lead Sheila to Henry’s room in silence.
Meanwhile, Timothy stepped out onto the balcony and dialed Jessica’s number.
Jessica had just settled into bed when her phone lit up with Timothy’s name
Her fingers tensed.
When Timothy heard the call connect, he let out a small sigh of relief.”
He waited as the phone rang and rang, but no one picked up. Eventually, the call ended on its own.
A strange heaviness settled in Timothy’s chest.
Jessica had never ignored his calls before.
No matter what she was in the middle of, she would always answer when he phoned
And now, she hadn’t come home all day.
Sheila emerged from Henry’s room.
On the balcony, Timothy stared at his phone, his eyes clouded and distant. Sheila pressed her lips together, then walked over to him. As she reached him, she forced a gentle smile. “Timothy, you can’t get ahold of Jessica, can you?”
He answered with a quiet “Mm.“2
“It’s so late, and she can’t speak. It can’t be safe for her out there alone. Should we go look for her? Try to remember–where does she usually go?“% Timothy’s mind was blank.”
All he really knew about Jessica was that she was an orphan, and mute.
The only reason he knew about her favorite food was because he’d once seen her lining up outside Velvet Fork, a popular bakery.
The line had stretched down the block; she must really love those pastries to wait so long.
He remembered that morning, sitting in his car, waiting half an hour for his assistant to bring back her favorite pastries–only to return home and find her gone. “She can’t speak, but she’s otherwise fine. Your ankle hasn’t healed yet, you shouldn’t be wandering around outside. You barely slept last night. Try to get some rest tonight, okay?” Timothy led her to the largest guest room.”
Once her work was finished, Mabel retreated to the small room reserved for the staff. She agonized for a while, then decided to call Jessica.)
If she didn’t, that woman would soon take her mistress’s place for good.
Jessica had slept through most of the day and now found herself wide awake in the dark.
When she saw Mabel calling, she hesitated to answer.
Mabel had tried to reach her earlier, too.
Jessica guessed it had something to do with Henry, and after much indecision, she’d let the call go unanswered.)
This time, when Mabel’s call went through and Jessica still didn’t pick up, the housekeeper had no choice but to send a text.!!
Come home soon, ma’am. The master… he brought that woman back last night.”
Jessica stared at the message, her expression stiffening.
Mabel meant well. She wanted Jessica to come home and fight for her marriage.
In the past, Jessica might have rushed back immediately. Even knowing she couldn’t outcompete Sheila, she would have tried–after all, her husband and son were her whole world.
But now, she only had six months left.”
The moment she saw Timothy take Sheila to the father–son event at Henry’s school, she knew it was time to step aside..
Whether she fought or not, the ending would be the same.”
The next morning.
After waking up, Henry heard noises from the kitchen.
Mom must be back!
Delighted, he jumped out of bed, washed up quickly, and ran toward the kitchen.
Yesterday’s breakfast hadn’t tasted good, and he’d been hungry at school long before lunchtime. The cafeteria food was even worse.
Usually, his mom would pack him a homemade lunch in the morning. At noon, the teacher would help him heat it up in the microwave.
Her lunches were not just delicious, they looked amazing. His classmates were always jealous–sometimes their mouths would actually water looking at his food.
Because he hadn’t brought lunch yesterday, lots of kids had asked him about it. He hadn’t known what to say.”
Today, he was determined to ask Mom to make his lunch extra special.
Calling for his mom, he dashed into the kitchen–and stopped dead, his eyes going wide.}
23 54
“Miss Sheila? Is that really you?”
Sheila turned, catching Henry’s gaze.”
