Chapter 267

Chapter 267

"Randy was never mine." Adeline said.

Waverly stared at her, stunned. "I'm leaving. I won't be back. I know you probably never thought much of me, but I still want to say… I'm sorry."

She turned to leave, but at the door, she couldn't help but look back. Waverly gazed at the face she had imitated countless times, so familiar it felt like her own. She had almost forgotten what she originally looked like.

"I'm sorry."

The words were light as air, yet they carried the weight of a thousand stones.

And then she was gone.

Adeline thought they would probably never see each other again. There was something she hadn't said, too.

She quite admired Waverly.

Even though her methods were far from honorable, even despicable, in fact.

What a pity.

Adeline suddenly announced she was going into a creative retreat.

Olivia and Lily were both surprised.

"Why the sudden retreat?" Olivia asked, worried. "Did the thing with Waverly affect you?"

"Mommy, it has nothing to do with you." Lily said, sounding like a little adult. "You're not the one who did anything wrong."

Adeline stroked Lily's hair. "Silly child. I'm going into a retreat, but not because of that. It's because I suddenly had an inspiration and want to create a story."

"What story?"

"It's a secret for now."

Her mysterious air piqued their curiosity, but Adeline wouldn't say, and they couldn't get it out of her.

Watching Adeline leave, Olivia took Lily's hand. "Looks like you'll have to hang out with me for a while."

"I still have Daddy."

Olivia smiled knowingly. "I don't think your daddy has time for you right now."

Adeline pushed open the study door and saw Edward sitting at the desk, looking at his computer.

"What are you doing here?"

Edward looked up. "I'm keeping you company during your retreat."

Time flew by. For half a month, Adeline was holed up in her study, painting. Her meals were brought to her by the housekeeper. There was a bathroom in the study, and she didn't leave the room for fifteen days.

And Edward was there with her, the whole time.

Adeline had tried to kick him out. A retreat was supposed to be a solitary affair. But his reasoning was sound.

"If you're here alone and something happens, no one will know. Don't worry, I'll stay here and I won't bother you. I'll just work on my own things."

"Give me a chance to prove it. I won't disturb you at all. If you feel like I'm bothering you later, I'll leave immediately."

He had put it that way, and she couldn't refuse. "Do whatever you want."

And so they began their half-month of constant companionship. Adeline was engrossed in her painting, but occasionally, when she took a break or hit a creative wall, she would chat with Edward. She was surprised to find that he had a mind full of whimsical ideas.

She had thought he wouldn't understand such things.

But he spoke with such clarity, offering her many practical suggestions.

Gradually, Adeline found herself enjoying their conversations more and more. Before, she had always worked alone, keeping her ideas to herself and solving problems on her own. There was joy in creating a piece of work, but sharing the process, polishing it together, was a different kind of feeling.

Time slipped through her fingers like sand. Before she knew it, half a month had passed.

The deadline of their agreement was getting closer.

The day Adeline was scheduled to emerge, Olivia and Lily were waiting eagerly at the door. The moment she came out, they hugged her from both sides.

"How did it go? Is the story finished?"

"Mommy, can I be the first one to see it?"

"Of course, you can." Adeline said, taking Lily's hand and heading downstairs. "Let's go downstairs, and Mommy will tell you the story."

"Yay!"

Olivia smiled at their retreating figures. She turned and saw Edward coming out of the study. "You've had a pretty good half-month, haven't you?" she teased.

"It was alright." Edward said, his tone nonchalant.

He was just being stubborn. The smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Olivia sidled up to him, wiggling her eyebrows. "Tell me the truth. Has there been any progress between you two? When are you getting married and officially giving Lily a home?"

On that subject, Edward couldn't make any promises. "That's up to Adeline." he said after a moment of thought.

"You can't even promise that?" That was all he could come up with after all this time?

Edward shot her a look. "I'm not the one in charge in this family."

And with that, he walked away.

Olivia stared at his back, her eyes wide.

Downstairs, the housekeeper, Vida, saw them coming down and quickly brought out a bowl of washed fruit from the fridge. "Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Thomas, have some fruit."

Edward glanced at her. "Where did you find this housekeeper?"

Vida thought she had said something wrong and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I misspoke. I only started half a month ago, and I'm not familiar with the family situation. Please don't mind me."

"Give her a raise." Edward said.

Vida was dumbfounded.

Adeline, who was peeling an orange, tossed a piece of the peel at him. "What are you talking about?"

Edward caught the peel. "Fine, I won't say any more."

"You can go back to your work." Adeline said to the housekeeper.

"Yes, ma'am." Vida went back to the kitchen, peeking at them from the doorway and sending a message on her phone.

Edward pulled up a picture on his phone. It was a picture of the seaside. "Look."

Adeline nodded. "It's beautiful."

"I'll take you to the beach." Edward said. "There's a cabin there. We can watch the sea, the stars, have a barbecue, eat seafood…"

Adeline ate the last slice of her orange. "Why the sudden urge to go to the beach?"

Edward smiled. "I want to make some good memories."

Adeline suddenly remembered that there were only thirty days left until their final agreement. It seemed like a lot, but if she counted down, today was already the 29th day.

She was silent for a moment. "Okay."

When Olivia and Lily heard they were going to the beach, they thoughtfully decided not to tag along and helped Adeline pack instead.

Olivia placed the clothes in the suitcase and sat down next to Adeline. "What are you thinking now? I really think you two could be together."

Adeline didn't say anything.

"What are you so hesitant about? I know he locked you up before, and I hated him for it, but he seems to have changed lately." Edward had supported her decision to leave, to have her retreat. "Before, if he wanted to take you to the beach, he would have just dragged you there. He wouldn't have asked so nicely."

"Isn't that what he's supposed to do?" Respecting a woman was a basic decency.

Olivia nudged her with her shoulder. "You know that's not what I mean. I think he's realized his mistakes and is trying to change. I think you could give him some encouragement."

Adeline looked out the window and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, seeing the worry on her face.

Adeline shook her head. There was no deep-seated hatred between her and Edward. The debts of the past had been paid. They were even. But there was still a hurdle in her heart that she couldn't get over.