Armand twisted his head and looked at Boyce in surprise. A miracle had happened, as he even had a question to ask himself.
It usually bothered him. Was it that the moon was different in Country Y and Country Z? Did it cause people to change their nature?
âYou tell.â
Meeting Armandâs eyes that were filled with gossip and curiosity, she swallowed what she wanted to ask. If he told him the matter that Jasmine had kissed him, he would surely ridicule him with sarcasm.
The words on the tip of his tongue took another turn, âHavenât you noticed that woman named Renee Gordon is quite beautiful?â
Boyce accentuated the pronunciation of the word âGordonâ, trying to remind him.
However, Armand focused on the point that this woman was pretty, as it was the first time he had ever heard Boyce praise a woman.
He let out a laugh with a somewhat cold accent.
Boyce was taken aback by her laughter and felt panicked, âWhat are you laughing at?â
âIâm laughing at you and Matthew being captivated by that woman.â She patted him on the shoulder and said seriously, âListen to me, look for that college girl who hasnât worked in society yet. She is easier to seduce. You canât handle that woman, donât think about it.â
Boyce was speechless.
Wasnât his reminder obvious enough?
Was his head full of shit?
He didnât mean to be foul-mouthed, but when had this bastard gotten so stupid?
He really was dumb!
âDonât talk anymore. Letâs go back and drink.â Boyce didnât want to talk to him anymore, as he feared he would die of rage if he continued this conversation.
Armand was still curious as to why Matthew was going there and asked him, âArenât you curious as to where he had gone?â
Boyce looked at him, âWhat do you think heâs more interested in at this point?â
He thought for a moment, âCould it be that he had suddenly gone off to find Dolores?â
Boyce thought in his mind, âHis brain is still working fine, as he knows what Matthew is most concerned about. His brain seemed to be clear, how come heâs such an idiot when it comes to his own affairs?â
âDoesnât he stay with us all the time? Where did the clue come from?â Armand was confused, then quickly guessed, âCould it be that he secretly asked someone to investigate?â
Boyce was speechless.
Armand didnât notice his lifeless face and said, âItâs not cool at all, since heâs hiding it even from two of us. After all, we still pretended to investigate for him when he was feeling bad. Who knows whether he himself investigated it.â
âAt least he knows to dedicate love to his wife. Do you?â he couldnât help himself and said so.
Just as he mentioned Theresa, Armandâs expression soon became unrelaxed and he said wistfully, âYou know my situation from before, since everyone kept his whereabouts from me. The only way I could find out was from Dolores. Now Dolores is gone too and I dare not look for Theresa because I am afraid of frightening her. Iâm afraid sheâll get excited and hurt her again if she sees me.â
She turned her head to look at Boyce, âBoyce, Iâm hurting.â
Boyce slapped his hand over his mouth, âDonât talk anymore, letâs have a drink.â
Like his partner, he had done his best to remind him. It wasnât his fault, as he didnât think of it that way.
They went back to the hotel, ordered drinks and drank in their room. They were both completely drunk.
Neither of them woke up in the morning and one was lying on the couch while the other was in bed. No one disturbed them, so they slept until nightfall. Then they washed up and bought tickets for their return.
For his part, Matthew rested one night in a hotel near the Country Y airport. He boarded the plane early in the morning and it landed in City C of Country Z at about 4 pm.
The sky was bright at that time and the sun was still dazzling a bit. However, he could still feel the scorching heat, although it was not as intense as the midday heat.
Normally, Matthew had someone to accompany him wherever he went and the basic necessities were all taken care of for him without him worrying at all. But this time he came in a hurry, so he didnât bring anything at all. Because of the heat, the collar of his white shirt was slightly open. He walked out of the airport through the crowd with his jacket on his right arm.
The airport was crowded, so there were also many cabs waiting for passengers at the entrance.
Matthew got into a random cab and gave his address.
Soon the driver was on his way and it wasnât long before he arrived at the entrance of the YJ Community. He took the money out of his wallet and handed it to the driver. The wallet and the phone were the only things he had with him.
He pushed the door and got out of the car. There was a gate at the entrance of the district with a security guard standing there and there was an imposing stone with the words âYJ Communityâ carved on it. He stood there but did not dare to move forward.
He didnât know what he could say to her by suddenly appearing in front of her like this.
Could he see her without any distractions in his mind?
The answer was no. Since the Jeffery matter had not yet been resolved, he did not know what expression he could use to confront her and what he could say to her in his first words.
Until that moment, he only experienced that contradiction in his mind and understood why she had to leave at that moment.
If she had not left, it would have been a great torture for both of them during this period.
It was better to fail than to be speechless.
âMom, when is Renee coming back?â asked Amanda Nelson. Since Theresa had changed her appearance and name, the two girls called her especially softly and even more naturally than before.
After Dolores returned from the XF textile mill, she went to pick up two children from preschool. On the way back they went to the supermarket and didnât go by car because it was close by. They just walked back along the roadside in the shade of the phoenix trees. Andrew Nelson took Amanda by the hand and staggered along with the school bags on his back, which carried some simple books needed for class.
âIt should be soon. I think sheâll be back tomorrow.â She had gotten a call from Theresa and knew what was going on there. Even if she was done, there were still a lot of things to work out, so she couldnât go back right away.
In her hands were the things they had just bought.
When Matthew, who was standing in the doorway, heard this sound, he turned his head to look and saw the three small and large figures not far away.
The two children hadnât changed much, Andrew was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, beige pants and white shoes, while Amanda was wearing a pink dress with lace trim and a pair of sandals with rhinestone embellishments, exposing half of her white calves. The two held hands and were affectionate.
Compared to Andrew, Amanda was always less steady, as she even stepped on the ground with fallen leaves as she walked.
Dolores also wore a chiffon dress, with a thin belt tied at the waist in a bow, which fell casually over her right side. Her stomach, which did not protrude at first, now looked pregnant. Against the breeze, the fabric clung to her body, making it even more obvious. Her beautiful arms carrying the things were exposed and she looked at her two children with her face showing a slight smile.
.
.
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