Chapter 10
Winston was taken aback by Millieâs response. She and Selma got along the best, and Selma doted on her as if she were Selmaâs
biological granddaughter.
Whenever he did something he shouldnât have, Selma would immediately stand up for Millie. In fact, she even went to the company to rebuke him several times!
Yet, Millie was now claiming that she wouldnât be attending Selmaâs birthday celebration. Naturally, Winston didnât believe her.
Frowning slightly, Winston said in a fairly neutral tone, âMillie, letâs just move on from the incident involving you pushing Joanna into the pool.â
âMove on? What do you mean by that? By moving on now, youâre just solidifying the accusation that I did it, arenât you?â Millie swiftly retorted.
Winston didnât want to dwell on this matter anymore. With a displeased look in his eyes, he snapped, âCan you stop kicking up a fuss?â
Millie eyed him with increasing disappointment. Even now, he assumed she was just throwing a tantrum.
Looking down, she chuckled helplessly and said in a somewhat self- deprecating manner, âSetting aside my initial period of immaturity, throughout all the years weâve been married, how many times have I ever kicked up a fuss?
âYou said it yourself that you wouldnât bother to please me or placate me, so Iâm fully aware of that, of course. In that case, why would I try to kick up a fuss? Who do I expect to care about how I feel?â
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While speaking, she put on her shoes. Her calm tone seemed to convey the clarity she now had after being severely disappointed.
She didnât shout or make a scene. Instead, she remained composed the whole time.
Millie looked up and returned the gauze to Winston.
Alas; a personâs gaze would never lie. In the past, whenever she looked at Winston, despite the resentment or disappointment she felt, there would still be a sense of love in her eyes.
âIf only I were Joanna. I would definitely throw myself into your arms and kick up as much fuss as I wanted,â Millie remarked with a beautiful smile that was filled with bitterness.
Unfortunately, she wasnât Joanna, so she didnât have the right to do
that.
Millie had never envied others before. She always had what others had, and even things others did not. But now, she envied Joanna.
How amazing Joanna had to be, that she was able to be the subject of Winstonâs love and affection.
Winston swallowed hard. His eyes were dark, and he felt as if a part of his heart had been set on fire.
âOnce youâre free, give me a call. Weâll head over to the courthouse and complete our divorce proceedings,â Millie said, pursing her lips. ever so slightly.
She was no longer the Millie who would cry and plead to stay with Winston. This time, she was truly going to let go.
Winston had a slight frown on his face. Feeling a twang in his heart, he said somewhat darkly, âMillieâ
Cutting him off, Millie said, âGrandma isnât doing too well
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healthwise. Letâs not tell her about our divorce just yet.
Then, looking straight at Winston, she continued, âBy the way, do you still remember the ring I gave you three years ago?â
Winston froze for a moment. After seeing his reaction, Millie deduced he had forgotten about it.
âAll the gifts you gave me are in the third drawer in my study,â Winston said.
Millie hummed in acknowledgment before saying, âI donât want anything in the divorce, except for that ring. Iâll find the time to drop by the house to get it. Iâll leave right after.â
Having said all that she wanted to say, she moved to get out of the
car.
Winston instinctively grabbed her hand to stop her. For some
reason, as he took in the way she methodically brought everything up, a wave of anger ignited in him. âYouâre in such a rush to get a divorce?â
Millie laughed. Why was he acting as though he wasnât in a rush?
âOf course. There are so many other men out there waiting for me,â Millie replied with an innocent yet seductive smile.
In any case, didnât Winston want to marry the love of his life as quickly as he could?
Winstonâs expression was fraught with emotions. A chilly air seemed to emanate from him as he tightened his grip on Millieâs hand.
Millie winced in pain, for he was gripping her right at her wound.
Tension filled the car. Eyeing the indifferent expression on Millieâs captivating face, for some strange reason, Winston asked, âHave you fallen in love with someone else?â
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The question came so suddenly that Millie was confused for a second, but she swiftly regained her composure.
She leaned in ever so slightly, her breath washing over Winstonâs face. With a piercing gaze, she questioned, âDonât you think youâre prying too much for a soonâtoâbe exâhusband, Mr. Greer?â
Winstonâs lips parted, but she had rendered him speechless.
Once again, he found the terms âMr. Greerâ and âexâhusbandâ to be so irritating!
After pulling away from Winston, Millie opened the door and got out of the car.
As she stood in the rain, her smile gradually faded. With her back. toward Winston, she waved goodbye.
The car headlights illuminated her slender figure, and her silhouette seemed extremely fragileâas if she would shatter into pieces any second now. It was completely unlike the captivating side of her she had displayed in the car.
Winston clutched the steering wheel tightly. Millie was no longer. clinging to him, but for some reason, he didnât feel happy about it at all. On the contrary, he even felt as though he was slowly losing something. That feeling made him feel agitated.
Millie walked aimlessly along the streets. Even as she saw the glitzy and glamorous city around her, she felt listless.
It was already 11:00 pm when she got back to her place. Terrence and Julia were watching a show together, chatting and laughing the whole time.
When Julia spotted Millie, she waved and called out, âYouâre back, Mills.â
âDid you have fun today?â Terrence asked.
Millie stopped in her tracks and looked at her parents, who were sitting on the couch. In an instant, her empty heart was filled with love.
She walked over and squeezed onto the couch between them. Hugging Julia, she mumbled, âMom.â
Julia looked at Terrence. She could tell that Millie was unhappy-
She patted Millie comfortingly on the back and said gently, âIâm here, Mills.â
âWhy did you only greet your mom? Canât you see that Iâm here too?
Terrence huffed in jealousy.
Millie swiftly let go of Julia and turned around to hug Terrence. Burying her face against the crook of his neck, she said tearfully, âI was so foolish and immature back then. Iâm sorry.
Terrenceâs smile dropped as his heart sank. âWhy are you apologizing? No parent would ever resent their own child.
Julia stroked Millieâs hair and comforted her. âEverythingâs fine, Mills. Once you get over this hurdle, your future will be smooth sailingâ
Millie sniffled before releasing Terrence and turning to look at Julia.
Terrence and Julia both smiled and gave her nods of assurance.
Seeing the warmth and love from them, Millie became even angrier with herself for having hurt them with her stubbornness back then.
âTell me what happened at the event tonight,â Terrence said. He
was all ears.
Millie nodded. After composing herself, she got into a comfortable position between them. Then, she held Terrenceâs arm and leaned against his shoulder as she told him what happened.
âYou saved Mr. Harrison?â Terrence exclaimed.
âYeah,â Millie said before drinking some water and looking out the window.
The rain had gotten heavier.
âYou saw his son too, right?â Terrence asked.
âI did.â
Terrence was speechless, but all of a sudden, he started laughing.
âYouâre incredible, Mills! However, donât let your grandma find out about this, or sheâll try to steal you away from me and force you to go into medicine! Mills, my dearest Mills, tell me when youâre going to take over the family business.â
âHere you go again, Dadâ¦â
Millie got up and fled at once.
Terrence had no choice but to shout after her, âMills, donât you know that the best way to forget about painful memories is to keep yourself busy with work? Donât think Iâm just trying to urge you to take over from me. I just want to help you get over this painful period!
âHow about this? I have a dinner gathering tomorrow night, so you can attend it in my place instead!â
âDad!â Millie cried out helplessly in response before returning to her room, her face red with anger.
Although keeping busy was indeed a way to distract a person from their worries and troubles, Terrenceâs job was far too hectic. Was it even humane to expect her to spend her day with a schedule that packed?
Millie climbed into bed. As soon as she picked her phone up, she
seerived a mumssage from Marvis
âBess, did you get the ing yet?ât wait for the glory days with youd
The clingâ¦
Milller tergiland to this message. ââTÃber extrawing in fomutsaw. Mart me toomonesaw at nuum at M. Diese. â