She spun around and saw Steven standing there.
Steven looked a bit rough, with stubble on his chin and faint dark circles under his eyes.
"Are you here to see Laura?" Josephine asked, taking the initiative.
Steven shook his head. "No, I'm here to see you."
Josephine was taken aback. "To see me?"
Ten minutes later, they were sitting in a café just around the corner.
Steven stared at his coffee, silent for a few minutes.
Josephine couldn't hold back. "Do you still want to be with Laura?"
"Of course," Steven said, "But it feels like she doesn't care about me or our relationship at all. I can bend over backward for her, but it really hurts inside."
"How could she not care about you?" Josephine said, "You know her, right? She might say harsh things, but deep down, she cares more than anyone."
Steven sighed, "I'm a person with feelings too. I thought I could take anything from her, but maybe I overestimated my feelings for her."
Josephine was caught off guard.
She quickly added, "If you have any issues, you need to talk them out and communicate. You know about my divorce with Stuart; we ended up like this because we didn't communicate much."
Steven said helplessly, "I know. But Laura is very resistant to deep conversations with me. Whenever I bring it up, she gets very irritated."
Josephine responded, "I think if you truly love her, you'll give her time to slowly accept everything. Laura is not unreasonable; if you talk to her properly, she'll listen."
Steven didn't say anything.
Josephine continued, "You've been together for so many years. If Laura didn't care about you, she wouldn't have stayed with you for this long."
Steven nodded, "I know. I haven't planned to give up. These past few days, just thinking about leaving her makes me incredibly sad. Don't laugh at me, but she might be my only weakness in this life."
Josephine smiled, "Why would I laugh at you? I'm envious of your persistent and long-lasting love."
Steven said, "I have a flight tonight for a business trip abroad. I might be gone for three to five days. I'm afraid she's still mad, and I don't dare to approach her, so I thought I'd talk to you."
Josephine replied, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her. But you need to resolve your issues quickly; dragging it out won't help. Should I go upstairs and call her down?"
Steven said, "No, if you call her down and I can't calm her down today, I won't be able to focus on my trip tonight. Just do me a favor and make sure she doesn't block me. I can't even contact her."
After parting ways with Steven, Josephine thought as she went upstairs that Laura was lucky to have a man who cherished and protected her.
It was at that moment that Josephine realized she felt a tinge of envy.
When she left Stuart, she was very resolute.
She believed she would never be consumed by love again.
She would never let herself get hurt again.
But now, she realized that perhaps she still longed for love.
Some plants, even if they grew out of the dirtiest mud, still yearned for sunlight.
Just like her, no matter how scarred and battered she was, she still hoped for something beautiful.
Josephine thought, 'Maybe it's human nature. Even after experiencing darkness, one still hopes for light. But hoping is one thing; finding the right person is incredibly difficult.'
Lost in thought, Josephine stepped out of the elevator and froze.
Stuart was leaning against the wall, looking down, holding an unlit cigarette.
Hearing the sound of the elevator doors opening, Stuart looked up, and their eyes met.
Josephine had known since childhood that Stuart was handsome.
Among their group of friends, his features were the most refined and attractive, and he had an excellent height and build.
A guy like Stuart, even without leadership or money, could win over many women with his looks alone.
Not to mention, his family background and abilities added to his charm.
He looked even more attractive.
Some people were born as God's favorites.
Stuart was definitely the most favored one.
In her youth, Josephine didn't regret falling for Stuart.
But there were too many misunderstandings between her and Stuart, and it wasn't entirely Stuart's fault.
In that marriage, she was timid, insecure, and never saw herself as equal to Stuart.
Such an unequal love was bound to end, which was normal.
If she could do it all over again, she would definitely...
No, she wouldn't do it again.
Despite all these thoughts, their eye contact lasted only a second or two.
Stuart spoke first, "Are you tired? I ordered dinner; they'll deliver it soon."
Josephine frowned. "I told you on the phone..."
Stuart said, "I'm just concerned about you as a friend. Besides, we're still neighbors."
Josephine asked, "How long do you plan to keep doing this? What if I marry Roy?"
Stuart was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "If you marry him, maybe I'll let go."
"Then I'll send you an invitation," Josephine said, "Forget about dinner. I just hope you won't bother my friends anymore, okay?"
"I'm here to apologize in person," Stuart said, "About Claudia."
Josephine said, "Let's just let the past be the past. Your friends and my friends don't get along, so it's better not to interact."
"It's not like that," Stuart said anxiously, "You know Jair; he means no harm. I just didn't think it through, so... I'm really sorry."
"I accept your apology," Josephine said, "Goodbye."
Josephine entered her home and saw Laura and Jeffery reading a children's book on the couch.
And they were role-playing the scenes.
Seeing them get along well, Josephine felt relieved.
She planned to have a heart-to-heart with Laura after dinner when Jeffery was asleep.
Although she didn't intend to meddle in Laura's relationship, sometimes she saw things more clearly and felt that if she didn't share her perspective, Laura might be confused.
Unexpectedly, just as Jeffery fell asleep and before Josephine could say anything to Laura, her phone rang.
It was Stuart calling.
Laura saw it and said, "Are you really going to answer his call this late?"
Josephine said, "He should know his boundaries now. Besides, he said if I marry Roy, he'll let go."
Laura rolled her eyes dramatically.
Josephine answered the call and hung up after a few words.
She got up to change clothes. "I'm going to check on him."
Laura knew Stuart lived next door.
She asked, "What's wrong?"
Josephine said, "His stomach is acting up."
"Is he faking it?" Laura said.
Josephine shook her head. "Not necessarily. I'll go check. If he's faking or has any ulterior motives, I'll use this as a reason to cut ties with him for good."