Chapter 253
Gregory struggled emotionally for a long time before he told Anathea his feelings.
“What do you say, Annie?” he prompted again tenderly, his voice edged with restraint.
In truth, he wanted to grab her by the shoulder, turn her around, and kiss her. But he held back when he remembered the look of fear and apprehension she’d given him.
Anathea wouldn’t like to be forced; she’d closed her heart to him, and pushing her would only backfire on him. As such, he carefully tested the waters to gauge how she felt about him.
Perhaps deep down, she still loved him. If not, she wouldn’t have cared so much about him being with other women, even if he hadn’t actually been with them or done anything with them.
Alas, no matter how much he tried to clear things up with Anathea, she would never believe him again. To Anathea, he had little to no credibility.
And so, he planned to gradually win back her trust with his own methods, such as by expressing his love for her.
Gregory was looking forward to hearing Anathea’s response, but all he got was silence.
Still, he refused to give up and prompted softly, “Annie?”
When she still didn’t answer, he propped himself up and peered at Anathea’s face, only to see her eyes tightly shut. Her breathing was deep and steady.
She’d fallen asleep.
Did that mean she didn’t hear what he said? And after the emotional struggle he’d endured to pour his heart out, too!
A bitter, exasperated smile curved his lips, his gaze darkening.
It was fine, he told himself. If she didn’t hear it this time, he would just tell her again next time. She was bound to hear it eventually.
Having encouraged himself, Gregory tucked close behind Anathea and breathed in her pleasant scent. He closed his eyes.
Upon hearing the steady breathing behind her, Anathea slowly opened her eyes. The edges of her eyes were red, but her gaze was cold and impassive.
She’d been waiting to hear Gregory tell her he loved her for many, many years.
In the past, she might have cried with joy upon hearing it, but now the rose–colored glasses of the life she’d envisioned for herself as Gregory’s wife had shattered.
A simple, weightless declaration of love like the one Gregory had just given her was no longer enough to heal the wound in her
heart.
She couldn’t care less about it anymore.
The rain outside the window stopped around noon, and the gunmetal sky gradually cleared up. The sun pierced through the clouds and the sheer curtains, spilling through the floor–to–ceiling windows and onto the large bed in the master bedroom.
Gregory opened his bleary eyes and instinctively reached for the space beside him, only to realize it was empty.
༠ ༢།
Anathea was gone!
He froze, and the sleep in his eyes cleared as he bolted upright. He didn’t even bother putting on bedroom slippers before hurrying into the walk–in closet. Maybe Anathea was carefully picking out his clothes for the day like before.
+25 BONUS
However, Anathea wasn’t in the walk–in closet, either.
Feeling as if his heart had gone cold and still, Gregory spun and hurtled out of the room. He jogged downstairs, his footsteps thudding in his wake.
“Mr. Sinclair.” Bella, who was putting away dining utensils, greeted Gregory respectfully when she saw him.
Gregory glanced at the used utensils and asked urgently, “Where’s Mrs. Sinclair?”
“She left after lunch.” Bella recounted, “I think she went to the studio.”
The knots in Gregory’s stomach loosened when he heard this. He was relieved Anathea hadn’t left. He never thought he’d panic like this at the idea of Anathea leaving him.
He rubbed the aching corners of his eyes.
“By the way, Mr. Sinclair, we’re out of organic oats. We’ll need to buy some,” Bella reminded him.
“You can go ahead and buy the oats. Hand the bill to Cyrus for reimbursement afterward,” Gregory said plainly before turning to head upstairs.
“Yes, sir.”
Bella peered at Gregory’s retreating figure. The normally well–dressed and stone–faced man hadn’t even put on his bedroom slippers before running downstairs to search for his wife. What a day to be alive, Bella mused.
The abrasion on Anathea’s inner thigh was healing well after she applied the salve, so she wanted to return to work at the studio. Coincidentally, she had to sort out the new orders that were piling in following Eden Studio’s large–scale expansion.
“Nat, good news! Our sales in the past week caught up with last quarter’s!” Evangeline announced ecstatically as she handed the records to Anathea, practically dancing with joy.
“We’re making it big! We’ll be rich! I knew it was the right decision to take your advice and expand the company!”
