His only concern was Nicole and her hallucinations. He wondered if she had had any episodes these couple of months.
Davin came to the company to see him and mentioned Nicole.
âEvan, like I had already said, Nicole hacked into the account, stole all your money, and ran away with some other man. Sheâ¦â
âShut up!â
Evan bellowed impatiently, bringing the conversation to an abrupt halt.
He refused to believe a single word of these rumors. He and Nicole had been through so many ups and downs together. He knew exactly the kind of person that Nicole was.
The surveillance footage was blurry, to begin with. Even if they were not, even if everything had happened right in front of his very eyes, he would still not believe it at all!
Davin shot a glance at his brother. He had to admit, Evan had certainly harbored a deep affection for Nicole.
Their mother had been hit, his company account robbed, and Nicole had been seen sharing a luxury car with another manâ¦
All of those glaring shreds of evidence still failed to shake Evanâs trust in Nicole. If Nicole knew about this, what would she think?
Back at the Seet Residence, Davin conveyed Evanâs reactions to Sophia.
âMom, it had already been two months since the incident. Evan still doesnât want to believe that it had been Nicole who did all those things.â
Sophia was rendered speechless.
She sighed. It seemed that all the pains that Nicole had gone through for his son had all been for nothing. Evanâs feelings for Nicole were deeper than they had imagined.
âThereâs nothing we can do if Evan refuses to believe. Donât mention this in front of him again. We can only give it time and let that deal with the damage.â
âMom, you really donât know where Nicole is?â Davin looked at Sophia in disbelief.
âI donât! Iâm worried too. I donât know how sheâs coping with her hallucinations. I donât know if anything had happened to her.â
âHavenât you talked things through with her already? Didnât you arrange accommodations for her?â Davin pestered.
âYes, I did! Iâve arranged a place for her to stay, where she wouldnât need to worry about food and daily supplies, but she didnât show up⦠Do you think she might have died? â
Davinâs face fell. âMom, donât take this the wrong way. It might not have been safe for Nicole to remain by Evanâs side, but Evan liked it that way! Now that sheâs gone, itâs true that Evanâs safety is ensured, but itâs like heâs lost his soul. For the past two months, he had been putting up a long face, and he wonât say anything! It hurts me to see him like that.â
âYou wretched child! Are you blaming me then? Do you think I wanted this? I had no choice! Was I supposed to watch my son risk his life every single day? Iâm a mother! I canât do that!â
Sophia clutched at her heart, pain and conflict reflected on her face.
Davin empathized with Sophiaâs inner struggle. He could picture Sophiaâs unwillingness to part with Nicole. In fact, after Nicoleâs disappearance, not only was Evan devastated and distressed, but Sophia had also been worried as well, agonizing over guilt.
But she had to do it for the sake of her sonâs safety.
God makes fools of us all!
After school, the four children called their father, asking when Nicole would return.
Evan came up with an excuse. âYour mommyâs illness hasnât been cured yet. Sheâd come back when sheâs all better!â
âHow long will it take for Mommyâs illness to be cured? I miss Mommy!â
Maya spoke in a low tone. Evan could tell from her manner of speech just how much she missed Nicole.
But he really had no idea how long it would take to find Nicole.
âBe good, Maya. Give your mommy some more time. She misses you too. When Mommy gets better, sheâll fly back to see you as soon as possible. â
He ended his comforting words and could hear Juan comforting Maya on the other end of the call as well. âMaya, itâs important that Mommy gets treated. You canât rush Mommy. You have to give Mommy more time. When Mommy gets better, then we can be with her every single day!â
âYeah, Maya. Mommyâs sick, and sheâs suffering too. She loves us very much, so she would definitely come for us after she gets better!â
âBut I really miss Mommy. Why doesnât Mommy call us?â