Yet this feeling, at this moment, made her feel as if she were in an ice house, chilling her heart.
What superb acting. If he pursued acting, he probably could have achieved the same success he now had in business...
If she hadn’t known anything, she would have been deeply moved by him by now...
Becca murmured, "They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’d like to test just how much time you’d spend missing me while I’m not by your side..."
Becca returned to Aunt Clare’s apartment. This was her home now, a temporary sanctuary where she could relax.
"Miss, Miss..." Aunt Clare called out twice. Becca, who had been sitting on the sofa lost in thought, finally snapped back to reality. "Uh, Aunt Clare, sorry. What were you saying?"
Aunt Clare asked with concern, "Miss, you’ve spaced out for the third time this afternoon. Are you too tired lately?"
Becca leaned back lazily on the sofa and nodded lightly. "Indeed, I’m quite tired." She was exhausted, body and soul.
Aunt Clare gave an awkward laugh. "Mr. Geoffrey should exercise some restraint. You look much worse than the last time you were here."
Aunt Clare had misunderstood, but even she could see it: Becca wasn’t well. Not well at all...
But what could she explain to Aunt Clare?
She had chosen this path herself, and she was determined to be with this man. If she were to tell Aunt Clare now that he might have ulterior motives and didn’t truly love her, how humiliating would that be? And she was even more afraid of seeing the sorrow in Aunt Clare’s eyes for her sake...
Becca forced a shy smile. "Please, don’t tease me. I have something serious to discuss with you."
Becca sat up straighter, took Aunt Clare’s hand, and said with a smile, "I might be going to America tomorrow."
"Ah?" Aunt Clare exclaimed in surprise. "So soon? Didn’t you say Mr. Geoffrey was going to stay in T City for another week or two?"
Becca nodded. "He is staying here. I’m the one going to New York, alone."
She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad... In the end, he had agreed to let her go back to America alone.
She was happy because she wouldn’t have to face him day and night for the next few days... Honestly, acting when your heart ached was exhausting.
The sadness stemmed from his agreement... If he truly couldn’t bear to part with her, given his proud, domineering, and forceful nature, he would never have consented.
It seemed that, to him, she was primarily of use. Perhaps he desired her physically too, but a man’s lust could often be detached from his heart. So, even if genuine affection was absent, he wouldn’t cling to her. This might be why he’d agreed to let her return to America.
Aunt Clare, ever sensitive, asked worriedly, "Miss, what’s going on? Did you and Mr. Geoffrey have a conflict?"
Becca was suddenly glad she hadn’t told Aunt Clare anything earlier, as Aunt Clare’s current concern was already making her feel guilty.
Becca said lightly, "Oh, it’s nothing like that. His mother’s birthday is coming up soon, and I thought I’d go back to keep her company on his behalf, since he’s too busy..."
Aunt Clare chuckled. "Miss, you’ve really grown up! You even know how to manage your relationship with your mother-in-law now... You mentioned before that Mrs. Geoffrey is good to you, and that she was the one who encouraged you and Howard Geoffrey to reconcile. I’m sure your future with the Geoffrey family will be very happy and fulfilling."
"Mhm," Becca hummed, smiling, though no one knew her heart was bitter.
She had to admit, going back to America to accompany Mrs. Geoffrey was just an excuse she’d concocted to avoid Howard Geoffrey. She possessed none of the mother-in-law management skills Aunt Clare spoke of...
She had considered confronting Howard Geoffrey about it yesterday, laying all her cards on the table, but ultimately abandoned the idea because she didn’t want to give up on them just yet.
The blow from discovering that bottle of medicine was indeed immense, but if one were to say what it truly represented, it couldn’t be considered one hundred percent conclusive...
She had considered the possibility: if he simply didn’t want a child for the time being and was afraid she would misunderstand, wouldn’t her questioning him completely destroy the hard-won progress they had made to reach this point?
Although the chances of this being the case were extremely low, she wasn’t ready to give up. Even if the truth was that she was merely comforting herself with such a far-fetched reason, she still wanted him to give her an explanation. More importantly, she wanted him to know that the woman she was now was not someone he could toy with at will.
Just then, Aunt Clare suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh, with you mentioning going back to America, I almost forgot! Miss, these past couple of days, while I was sorting through your grandfather’s old things, I accidentally found a letter he left for you."