Holding her phone, Mia Foster returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed to check her phone. There, countless missed calls stared back at her, all from home.
Frowning, she was quite surprised. How had she not heard the ringing of so many incoming calls?
Only when she accessed the settings did she realize that her phone had been set to silent at some point.
Turning her head to one side, without asking, she knew it must have been Felix Shaw. Taking a deep breath, Mia Foster called back home. It was her mother, Evelyn Bailey, who answered the phone, immediately saying in a worried voice, "Mia, are you back? Felix called to say you won’t be returning tonight..."
"Mom, it’s not what you think," Mia Foster responded helplessly; she could imagine her mother’s reaction to Felix’s call, "His mother got sick, and I came over to see..."
"Mia, I don’t care what your reasons are. If you’re going to break it off, do it cleanly!" Mia’s explanation was abruptly interrupted by the stern voice of her father, Edmund Foster.
"Dad, I know. You don’t have to worry about me. Nobody can change what I’ve decided."
"I hope you can stick to your word."
...
In the living room, Melody Zachary saw her son sitting on the couch, engrossed in the TV series with no intention of going to his room to rest, and urged anxiously, "Felix, go back to the bedroom. Don’t leave Mia alone there."
"Mom, I’ll keep you company watching TV."
"No need, who needs company? I’m not a child that needs an adult with me. Hurry up and go; otherwise, Mia might get upset," Melody Zachary said as she pushed her son up from the couch, and Felix Shaw, with no other choice, took his phone and returned to the bedroom.
Mia was browsing on her phone, having just finished a call with her family. Seeing Felix enter, she looked up at him. Though she said nothing, her eyes clearly questioned him.
"Mom... she kept pushing me to come in here... I’ll go sleep on the couch once she’s asleep," Felix said haltingly as he walked past Mia’s watchful gaze to sit cross-legged near the window with his phone.
If it had been before, Mia would have felt sympathetic, but ever since she learned of Elizabeth White’s existence, her heart had turned glacial. Whatever Felix did, she remained unmoved because she had told herself that if there was no love, she had to cut ties decisively.
With the light on in the bedroom, the couple were both engrossed in their phones; one lounged comfortably on the bed in loose clothing, sleeves and pant legs rolled up, while the other, also casually dressed, sat dejectedly on the floor against the wall.
Sitting on the couch, Melody Zachary continued watching TV until noticing that the bedroom light was still on after a long while. She got up and went to knock on the door, "Felix, it’s getting late, and you have to work tomorrow. Go to sleep soon and don’t disturb Mia’s rest,"
"Got it, Mom!" Felix responded, and softly said to Mia as he stood up, "Turn off the light, otherwise, Mom will keep nagging."
Mia looked at him and then turned away, continuing to play with her phone with her back to him.
Seeing that her son’s bedroom light had been turned off, Melody Zachary returned to the couch, her smile apparent on her lips and eyes as she continued to watch TV.
After the lights were out, Felix Shaw went back to sit on the floor by the window to look at his phone. Mia didn’t rest either, perhaps because Felix was there.
Whether intentionally or simply in a good mood because her daughter-in-law had returned, Melody Zachary remained on the sofa watching TV, even though it was well past eleven.
Putting down his phone, Felix rubbed his face, glanced at Mia still on the bed with her phone, and said, "You go to sleep first. I’ll go out once Mom goes to her room."
Seeing that Mia gave no response, he added, "Don’t worry, I won’t touch you."