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I stood frozen in place.
Ike wriggled out of his restraints and rushed back to me like a little cub, clutching my legs as tears streamed down his face. “That’s not true, Uncle, you’re being so unfair!”
Hearing this, Gregory chuckled, his gaze steady on me. “Is that so?”
I guessed he had misunderstood something. The things he said were meant to test me. He was staring at me, waiting for me to provide a contradicting answer. This was probably the last chance he was giving me.
Slowly, I diverted my gaze, crouching down to hug the sobbing Ike, wiping away his tears. “It’s okay, Ike. Uncle was wrong. Can you give your sister a little time? I need to explain something to your uncle, alright?”
The little munchkin blinked his teary long lashes, his voice soft and milky. “Okay…”
“Chris.” I dialed Christine’s number.
She answered with confusion, “What’s up?”
“Can you come up to the fifth floor? Take Ike to the birthday party, will you?”
“Sure.” Christine sensed something was off in my tone and agreed promptly, but she couldn’t help asking with concern, “What’s going on?”
I pressed my lips together, “I’ll explain tonight.”
Soon, Christine arrived to take Ike away, leaving me and Gregory alone, one standing outside, the other inside. In a standoff. Annoyed at each other.
I glared at him, licking my dry lips. “Gregory, has anyone ever told you you’re being
childish?”
He was generally a great guy. Just too sharp–tongued. Never knew how to speak kindly. As a kid, unless I was in tears, it was rare to hear him say anything nice. But as a child, I was the same. Spoiled, willful. We were born the same, but the experiences of the past twenty–plus years had changed me, forced me to evolve. Me and him, we had become entirely different people,
Gregory tapped his cheek with his tongue, “Jane, you won’t even give me an explanation before you start lecturing me?”
“Do I dare?” I smiled faintly, looking at him. “Is it about what happened two years ago?”
“Yes.”
“You looked into me?”
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“Yes.”
“What did you find?”
“What do you think?”
At his counter–question, I fell silent. For the last two years, between searching for him, learning from Dave, and battling depression, I can barely say I did anything else. Yet, he was upset.
My phone suddenly rang, displaying Mark’s name. Gregory’s expression turned even colder, and I immediately understood what he was upset about. Somehow gathering my courage, I stepped forward, disregarding his icy demeanor, and stood right in front of
him.
“Me and Mark…” Under his intense gaze, I grabbed his shirt collar, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. The man was momentarily stunned! The next second, unable to hold back any longer, he wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me slightly, responding with a stormy kiss. Bit by bit, kissing me until I could barely breathe!
I lost my strength, wrapping my arms around his neck, stepping back, my eyes glistening with tears, my voice soft yet firm, “Me and Mark, we’ve never kissed like this.”
“Gregory, I think I know what you found out.” I leaned against his forehead, “I can explain. During those two years abroad, I lived in a house that was Mark’s; he did take good care of me, but it was just that, nothing beyond friendship. Even when he occasionally came to France for business and checked in on me, we never stayed under the same roof.”
။
After thinking it over, this was what he must have been upset about. I wasn’t sure at first, but seeing his reaction to the caller ID, I was instantly sure.
Hearing this, Gregory pulled me close again, still deliberately stern, “What else, Jane? Say it all at once.”
I was taken aback, “What else did you find out?”
“What should I have found out?”
My eyes flickered uncertainly. I didn’t know the extent of his network, but since he found out even where I lived was Mark’s, he must know everything else…
Thugged him, hesitating to speak, “Gregory, it wasn’t serious… and it’s cured now.”
This time, he was the one who froze.
“Cured?”
“Yes.” I nodded, “Mark introduced me to a great psychologist, a very gentle woman who helped me a lot…”
“Psychologist?” He suddenly grasped my shoulders, creating some distance between us,
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his eyes stormy with emotion!
Only then did I realize. “You… didn’t know about this?”
“Psychologist….” Gregory murmured softly, his gaze deepening. “You… had depression? When did this happen?”
“A long time ago!” Realizing he was unaware and not wanting him to feel guilty over this, I half–truthfully said, “It was diagnosed before your accident.”
He suddenly pulled me tightly into his embrace. “Jane, are you an idiot? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I am an idiot.” I patted his head, “That’s why I need Gregory, right? According to the law of conservation, a smart person is paired with an idiot, isn’t that so?”
“You’d be the death of me.” Gregory pinched my face, exasperated yet affectionate. Suddenly, I felt a pang in my stomach, about to tell him I needed to visit the restroom when his phone also started ringing.
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