It had been nearly a month since her phone call with Tristan, and they hadn’t been in contact since. But that was okay. She didn’t have any hopes for him, anyway.
This was the Tristan that felt normal to her.
’During those three years, wasn’t Tristan always like this?’
’Once, the longest they’d gone was nearly half a year without seeing each other...’
’She was already used to these kinds of days. Long since used to them...’
She would eat and then lie in bed for the entire day, which at least afforded her so peace and quiet.
Downstairs, Mae Lynch sat on the sofa, unable to focus on the TV show. Tilting her head, she looked at Caleb Grayson and frowned. "Caleb," she asked, her voice laced with concern, "have you noticed that sothing’s a little off with Mika lately?"
Caleb Grayson put down his newspaper, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip. "What could be off about her?" he said with a smile. ’She just eats and sleeps all day. What could possibly be wrong? Even if she was frail, a month should have been more than enough ti to recover.’
"No, that’s not it. I was watching a talk show recently, and they were saying a lot of pregnant won get emotionally unstable and can easily develop depression. Look at Mika—her mood is clearly off. This morning, when I went to call her down for breakfast, she nearly fell down the stairs." Recalling the incident made Mae Lynch’s heart pound with fear.
She had no idea what was going on with Mika lately. The girl would zone out while talking, walking, and even eating. Mae was terrified sothing terrible would happen.
"Are you serious?" The smile vanished from Caleb Grayson’s face. His expression turned stern as he asked, his voice grave.
Mae Lynch shot him an irritated look. "Of course it’s true! Why would I lie to you about sothing like this?"
Caleb Grayson frowned, thinking for a mont. "Being stuck at ho all day is bound to make anyone feel ill. Why don’t you take her to the mall today? Let her have so fun, cheer her up a bit."
"That’s a great idea! I’ll go get Mika right now." The suggestion of a shopping trip imdiately brought a smile to Mae Lynch’s face.
"Alright." Caleb Grayson nodded. As he watched Mae Lynch head upstairs, his expression grew grim. He pulled his phone from his pocket, grabbed the newspaper, and stepped outside.
Once the call connected, Caleb Grayson’s voice was grim. "Henry Archer!" he snapped.
"Chairman!"
"Henry Archer, tell the truth. What exactly is Tristan doing?" ’Even if it was important business, it should have been finished by now.’
On the other end of the line, Henry Archer wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He answered nervously, "Um, I’m not sure myself. The boss said he had an important contract to sign."
"Heh, an important contract?" Caleb scoffed. "You tell him that if he isn’t back in ten days, I’ll co ’invite’ him back myself." ’Does he really think I’m that easy to fool? It’s one thing to lie to the won of the family, but to try and lie to ...’
"Yes, Chairman. I’ll pass the ssage on to the boss imdiately!"
—
Upstairs, Mae Lynch found Mika sitting on the bed, staring into space. "Mika," she said with concern, "is there sothing on your mind?"
"Huh...?" Mika Sumrs clearly hadn’t processed her mother-in-law’s question.
"Mika, you seem so absent-minded lately. Are you sure there isn’t sothing worrying you?"
"Mom, there’s nothing on my mind."
"Nothing?" Mae Lynch frowned, clearly skeptical. "Well, if you say so... In that case, I was hoping to go to the mall to buy a few things today. Would you be able to co with , Mika?"
"Okay, sure."
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