With that, she headed for the nearest stairs.
Abigail pretended to leave, but tiptoed behind Robin toward the stairs as well.
Robin was heading downstairs as she spoke over the phone, and eventually reached the back door, where she found lan waiting by a flower patio.
Abigail hid behind the door and watched them–it was her first time seeing lan.
“lan? What brought you here?” She smiled as she walked up to him, clearly happy to see him.
“I’m breaking up with you,” lan said shortly.
Robin was caught off guard right then, and her mind seemed to blank out while her body suddenly turned cold
“Why? I’m not pregnant! Why are you breaking up with me?” she cried.
lan had told her that he did not like children, and Robin was certainly compliant as she did not want children too–she would like to spend a few more years with him before any of that, at least.
However, she did not understand that it was not as if lan hated children-he forbade her from getting pregnant because she was not fit to be his wife!
It was a hassle to explain, so he went with the simple explanation that he hated children.
Robin was just naive enough to believe him.
“Nothing much. I’m just sick of you now,” lan said coolly.
Robin was earnestly in love with him, and begged, “Please, lan. I’ll do anything you say-”
“I hate clingy women,” lan growled and started toward the car he parked by the road.
Robin quickly ran up, grabbing his arm and sobbing. “Please, lan! Was it something I did? You just have to tell me–please don’t do this to me.”
lan shook her off impatiently. “I said, I hate clingy women. Don’t you understand?”
“lan…”
Robin tried to reach him again, so lan started to be a little more forceful as he shoved her away, knocking her to the ground.
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up. “Are you really breaking up with me?”
“Yes,” lan said coolly. As he headed for his car, he got a call.
“You found one? Is she reliable? Are you sure she’s delivered a child before?”
The word ‘child’ naturally caught Abigail’s attention!
Abigail wondered to herself if lan was talking about Tommy just then, but she was too far to hear what he was saying clearly-she just happened to be able to catch him saying ‘child.”
lan was still standing before his car, speaking to someone on the other end. “Bring her to me I want to meet her.”
He was looking for a woman who had recently given birth because Tommy had been crying terribly and refusing to drink formula milk. After reading various articles online, lan concluded that the boy wanted breastmilk, which was why he was looking for a woman who was lactating and could feed Tommy, so that the boy would stop crying.
In truth, Tommy was crying because the formula milk lan was feeding him was from another brand. The change in flavor did not suit him, but he would have kept feeding if he was fed the original brand.
lan, however, did not know that.
As he hung up and got in his car, he glanced at Robin, who was still standing nearby and sighed He wanted to show concern, but was afraid that would give her hope, and so had to cruelly drive off, leaving her there.
Meanwhile, Abigail was flustered
Was lan talking about her child? Was lan going to check on Tommy now?
However, there was no way she could chase after a car on foot.
Taking a snapshot of lan’s car plate, she sent it to Diarmuid, captioning it [Can you look for this car? It’s lan Althoff’s, and I think he’s going to see Tommy.]
Diarmuid was speaking with Stan in his own office at the Light Group headquarters when his phone rang. He picked up and raised a brow when he saw the text from Abigail, and replied. [Got it.]
“What is it?” Stan asked.
Diarmuid stared at him in silence–he had told him to keep track of Greg Althoff’s family, even their maids, so that they did not miss a thing.
One of their people reported that lan was looking for women who recently delivered babies, and Diarmuid had no idea why at first.
Somehow, Abigail’s text gave him a spark of inspiration–lan’s search must have something to do with
Tommy.
“Tell your people to keep a close eye on lan,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” Stan replied
Meanwhile, Abigail walked up to Robin and told her, “You’re bleeding. Let me help you.”
Feeling as if someone had been peeking at her vulnerable moment, Robin promptly wiped the tears on her face and refused her coolly. “It’s fine.”
“Look, I didn’t mean to spy on you, and I’m not laughing either. I’m a doctor–I’m sure I can help you,” Abigail said evenly, without being particularly sympathetic or eager to please.
She just wanted to help, and started to leave since she was refused. “Well, since you don’t need me, I’m going.”
Robin felt too awkward to call out to her, and started to limp toward the stairs. Still, she was too distracted and sprained her foot. “Ouch!”
Abigail returned to her and helped her to her feet. “Sorry, force of habit.”
Robin pursed her lips. “Thank you–I was being mean, please don’t hold it against me.”
It was natural for her to lose composure, since she was just dumped and her mood was certainly unpleasant, and Abigail understood that.
There was a first aid kit in Robin’s office, and Abigail helped her with a simple bandage over the scrape on her knee.
Seeing that she worked with deft precision and experience, Robin exclaimed, “Wait, you really are a doctor?”
Abigail chuckled. “Of course. Would you like my credentials?”
“If you are, why would you be delivering Ms. Lang’s list of entrants? It should be her or maybe one of her fellow instructors-I don’t recall meeting you before either.”
Robin appeared even more curious just then. Why would a doctor show up at a community arts center?
“I’m just helping out,” Abigail replied without hesitation. “Ms. Lang is busy, so she had to ask me.” Robin nodded.
Abigail asked, “Are you alright?”
Robin could tell what she was referring to, and bitterly said, “I haven’t been with him for that long, but we used to be happy. He would always watch my theater shows and treat me to gourmet food. We hold hands when we go shopping, and I’d lean on his shoulder at the cinema…”
The memories left her eyes welling with tears.
“I mean, I know that we don’t suit each other–he’s a child of the Althoff family, while I’m just some unknown thespian. I know we wouldn’t go all the way, but… It’s just so sudden! I can’t take it, even if I knew this was inevitable.”
Abigail listened attentively, and asked gingerly, “But why would he suddenly break up with you? Maybe he met someone else? You know how changeable men can be.”
Robin thought about it. “I don’t think so… He’s actually been quite busy lately.”
“What with?” Abigail tried to sound casual.
“I’m not sure…”
Still, Robin suddenly realized that Abigail was asking about lan, and quickly became wary. “Why’d you ask?”
Abigail made herself look pensive just then. “No reason in particular… I just feel a little empathetic toward you, since I’ve been dumped like that too. I guess I’m eager to find out if your boyfriend was a scumbag like my ex.”
Just knowing the fact that Abigail had been dumped allowed Robin to see her as a kindred spirit just then, bridging the gap between them–even losing all wariness just then.
“How long did it take you to recover?” she asked.
“Oh, you won’t feel a thing soon enough… with the help of a little alcohol along the way,” Abigail simply said.
It felt like an epiphany for Robin. “Yes, time heals everything…”
“But I think I heard something about another woman, I think? Don’t you think that he’s actually just cheating?” Abigail asked, once again directing their focus on lan.
She came here for information in the first place anyway.
Now that Robin had calmed down, she remembered that she did hear lan say that over the phone. “No, but I guess I must find out.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply