Mike said, “Yes! You’re so pretty, I’m sure you’ll find better men in the future.”
Tammy said, “Thank you for drinking with me and comforting me. I feel much better.”
“We’re friends! Don’t mention it! It’s the New Year. Let’s not be unhappy!” Mike poured her some wine.
Averie took a bottle of fruit juice over and swapped the wine bottle with it.
“Don’t drink too much. You’ll get hungover.” Mike immediately handed his glass to Averie. “I’ll listen to you. I still want to watch Layla’s performance!”
Tammy lifted her cup and downed it. Then, she said to Averie, “Averie, I was too impulsive when we last fought. I shouldn’t have lost my temper at you.”
“Let the past, be the past. You don’t have to bring it up again.” Averie saw how Tammy blushed. She took away her wine glass. “Just stay over tonight! Didn’t you say Aunt Mary has returned to Aryadelle? There’s no one to care for you when you get back home. I’ll be worried.”
“Hmm. Hmm.” Tammy burped and fumbled around. “Have I given something to the kids? Where’s my bag?”
“Your bag is over on the sofa. Have some food first, the gifts can wait.” Averie poured a glass of warm water for her and placed it in front of her.
“Tammy, no matter how painful the past, it will pass. Don’t be afraid. I will always be with you.
Tammy’s reddened eyes sparkled with tears. “My mom said the same thing too.”
“Because it really will pass. Whether it’s a happy thing or a terrible thing, it will all become memories,” Averie comforted Tammy.
Mrs. Cooper took Averie’s phone over.
“Averie, your phone is ringing.”
Averie accepted her phone from Mrs. Cooper. She saw that it was from Elyette.
It was not a normal call but a video call. She recalled that they have not reconciled yet, why did he video call her?
She accepted the call. Just when she was about to ask if he was looking for Layla, she realized that he was lying in bed. His handsome face had a tinge of redness. His eyes were a little in a daze.
He was clearly drunk. She did not think he was calling looking for Layla.
Averie took her phone and headed to her room.
“Averie, Happy New Year.” When Elyette saw her face, he said to her.
Averie entered her room and closed the door shut.
“Elyette, are you drunk?” She asked, but she thought that if he was not drunk, he would not have called her.
Elyette wanted to prove that he was not drunk, so he sat up.
After sitting up, he said hoarsely, “I’m not drunk.” “Oh, how much have you drunk?” Averie also sat down by her bed.
“Two or three glasses.” Elyette rubbed his temples and said hoarsely, “You haven’t wished me a Happy New Year.”
Averie was speechless.
Elyette was already in such a drunken state, yet he said that he was not drunk.
“Happy New Year.” Averie furrowed her brows. “Did you make a video call just for this?”
“No.” Elyette’s tone was firm. His thoughts were clear. “Where’s Robert? Can I see him?”
Averie did not expect that Elyette would request that.
“You finally thought about this child?” Averie took a jab. “You don’t blame him anymore?” :
Elyette did not retort. He merely responded, “I have never forgotten him.”
He had tried so hard to protect this child with all his might once, how could he have forgotten about him?
“How did you come to terms with the child?” Averie wanted to know his process of coming to terms.
“Even if I killed him, Shea would not come back to life.” His tone was terrifyingly cold, but his eyes still had a shade of an intoxicated daze. “Rather than blaming the small and weak child, I should just blame myself.”
“What use is there blaming yourself? You didn’t force Shea to do so,” Averie rebutted, “Elyette, don’t you find it exhausting to live like that? I know that losing Shea is a painful thing for you, but if you don’t put it down, none of us can come out of this trauma.”
Her words silenced Elyette for a short while. He looked at her quietly, and so did she.
After a long time, he broke the silence, “Let me see Robert.”
Averie came to her senses and looked at the huge bed. Robert’s eyes were wide open, docilely looking around. He did not cry nor made a fuss. He was a great child.
“Babe, when did you wake up? You did great today! You didn’t even cry!” Averie teased Robert before aiming the camera at him. “Look at who this is? This is Daddy.”
Elyette looked at Robert’s face on his screen. He had mixed feelings. He knew what Robert looked like. Mrs. Cooper sent him pictures of Robert daily, but it felt different seeing him through a video call.
“He does look like me,” Elyette said after looking at Robert for a while.
Averie could not help but retort, “You don’t look like that when you’re young.”
“You’ve seen how I look when I was young?” Elyette asked.
Averie was stunned. Elyette did not know that she had once entered Shea’s room and seen photos of them when they were little.
At that moment, she accidentally let slip, but she did not plan to lie.
She carried Robert up and pointed the camera at herself. “After Shea’s accident, I once went to your house to see photos of you when you two were little. I did it secretly. It had nothing to do with anyone else.”
Elyette’s face did not have many reactions. “I rarely look at photos of me when I was young.”
“Hmm, how did you spend the day?” Averie saw Elyette sitting in bed alone, she felt an inexplicable loneliness in him.
“Ben and Chad came over to be with me. They are still here.”
“Oh, do you want to see Robert in person?” Averie did not know why she said that. It seemed like an invitation, “You should have about seven days of holiday, right?”.
Elyette heard what she said. He was tempted.
His head was no longer dizzy. He sobered up quite a bit too. He even wanted to immediately check on flights. If there were no available flights, he would take a private jet over.
He wanted to be with her. He wanted to be with his children. However, he could not.
Elyette was afraid that once he saw Averie and the children, he would be too engrossed in the happiness that he would not be able to calmly face the darkness behind him.
He did not want his terrible problems to affect her and the children.
Averie looked at Elyette remaining silent. She could see the complicated gaze he had. She could not read his expressions.
She thought that as long as she took the initiative to invite him and be the first one to admit defeat, he would accept it. However, why was he remaining silent?
What was he thinking about?
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