“Peace had never had an episode in front of me, but she told me about it. At the beginning of her attack, she would fantasize that she was a warrior. And she would imagine fighting against the evil dragon and rescuing the princess with her sword. And, whenever a man is around her, she would be afraid. And she often suffers from insomnia all night because of it.”
When Anna explained it, she purposefully left out some details. However, she thought that since Wayne was so clever, he must have known that Peace suffered from schizophrenia because her stepfather had molested her.
“And then, as Peace couldn’t live like that anymore, she wanted to kill herself. She believed that only death could save her. And she wouldn’t listen to anything anyone said to her. At that time, the doctor had to stay by her side every second.”
Anna sounded like she was about to burst into tears. She said, “Peace has a lot of tattoos because she tried to hide her scars with them. You know, I met her in a bar in America. At that time, someone tried to put drugs in my glass. But Peace saved me. She is such a brave girl! I really couldn’t imagine her having such a terrible disease at that time.”
“Is that why she turned down Karl?”
Anna closed her eyes, looked down, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said, “Isn’t that enough”
Wayne sighed and felt heartbroken.
“But it’s too late now,” he said as he handed Anna some Kleenex.
Since Karl knew about it, there was no way he would leave Peace alone.
They arrived at Sea Town after a few hours.
Anna had fallen asleep against the passenger seat by then with tears on her face.
Wayne didn’t want to wake her up. He was aware, though, that time was running out and that they needed to return as quickly as possible.
He tapped her on the shoulder after pulling up and said, “Hey, wake up, Anna. We’ve arrived.”
Anna opened her drowsy eyes and stared at Wayne for a few seconds. Then, she looked out of the window to see where she was.
She noticed that the sunlight was so strong that she almost heard her skin cracking.
Anna had only taken two steps out of the car when she noticed a glimmer of shade above her. When she looked up, she found Wayne standing beside her with a black umbrella. Then, he asked, “Hey, where are we going?”
She looked back, then pointed to the grocery store and said, “That way. Peace told me to find the owner of the grocery store. She said that it’s the only store in this town with a pay phone.”
North Town had always been a remote and poor place due to its odd location. And Sea Town was one of the most impoverished of these villages.
Many fishermen squatted in front of their houses, smoking homemade cigarettes and enjoying the sunshine.
After Anna explained why she was there, the owner of the grocery store promptly remembered that they had previously chatted on the phone. He then told his wife to stay in the store, and he showed Anna and Wayne the way to Andrew Cooper’s house.
“Oh, Andrew lives right on the beach. He’s weird, and he never talks to anyone in town.”
“Really? How come?” Anna walked behind the boss and asked things about Andrew curiously.
“Well, it’s strange enough for him to give up his life in the big city and suffer in this place!”
Anna laughed and said, “Actually, many people nowadays want are too noisy. Besides, living in the countryside is a wonderful experience.”
“No, I can’t understand that. But Andrew has also done a lot of weird things. The mayor of the town sought to turn this side of the water into a tourist destination two years ago. But Andrew disagreed and let that plan fall through.”
“Ah? Why?”
“He said that if many tourists came here, it would be noisy. Also, he said something about the pollution.”
“Is that so? Can’t the mayor do anything about him?”
“Oh, no. Andrew is the only local star that has attended college and studied overseas. So, a lot of people will listen to him. And we don’t know how to develop this town at all. So, only his words count.”
Sea Town was a remote village and virtually unaffected by the outside world. So Andrew, being an educated man, would be seen as an authority, and even the town’s mayor respected him greatly.
Anna, however, frowned and thought that Andrew was a selfish person who kept the community from improving for his own profit.
Anna’s tees were trembling after nearly two hours of walking. It was then that the owner said, “Oh, we’re here.”
The owner pointed to a blue and white painted wooden house
Fow. You’ll have to return to town if you want to find a place to stay the night. If you get lost, just call me, and I’ll send my daughter to pick you up.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Then, Anna and Wayne walked toward that one-of-a-kind house on the beach.
Anna found there was no fine soft sand on the beach, and the nearby scenery was not too good either. Moreover, there was a fishy smell of fish and shrimp in the sea breeze.
The wooden house was surrounded by a white fence. Inside the house, three rows of wooden racks were erected, on which salted fish and some men’s clothing were hung to dry.
Anna saw a man there boiling water in the yard. He set up a pot and boiled it over the fire.
He’s really living a primitive life, Anna thought to herself.
Anna and Wayne looked at each other, and then they both miled.
“Hello, are you Mr. Andrew Cooper?” Anna asked politely to the man as she stood at the fence.
The man turned his head and glanced at her with a cold gaze. He asked warily, “Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Peace’s friend, and she told me to visit you. I heard that you and Peace attended the same university.”
The man rose from his seat, wiped his hands, and walked toward the courtyard door. He said, “Peace? Oh, it looks like you’re who Miss Gabriel Peace was referring to.”
Anna nodded and handed him her business card.
Andrew didn’t take it, and he still looked cold. In the bright sunlight, his tanned face reflected the light and seemed to glow. After sizing up Anna for a moment, he looked at Wayne and asked, “And who is he?”
“I’m her bodyguard,” Wayne said calmly before Anna could say anything.
Anna glared at him as if to complain and said, “Oh, no, he’s not. He’s my assistant.”
Andrew cast a glance at Wayne. To their surprise, he opened the fence door and said, “Okay, come on in.”
Looking over Andrew’s tanned shoulder, Anna sighed with relief and followed. She said. “Mr. Cooper, I know you’ve been living here alone for a long time. But, you know, you’re a very talented man. So, I’m still hoping that you can get back in town to be a designer.”
Andrew didn’t even look at her. He sat in front of the pot where he was boiling water, and the firelight made his face glow. As Anna listened intently to the fire crackle, he said, “Oh, I live alone, so there’s no place for guests to sit here. Make yourselves comfortable.”
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.
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