Chapter 347 Contradiction (2)

Chapter 347 Contradiction (2)

The apartment used a keypad lock. She punched in the code and opened the door.

It was already 11:30 at night, and the lights inside were off.

Bernard wasn't home?

She stepped inside and turned on the lights.

All the interior doors were open, and the place was completely silent. Bernard really wasn't there.

Where could he be at this hour?

Penny looked around the apartment.

She hadn't been back in a while. The furniture hadn’t changed, yet somehow everything felt different from how she remembered it.

When it had just been the two of them, the place had been a little messy, but everything there was stuff they actually liked—all kinds of figurines, and gym equipment.

Now the figurines had been pushed into a corner, and the shelves and tables were covered with jars, bottles, and local snacks that Mrs. Lewis had brought over.

Peanut butter, jam, that sort of thing.

In the kitchen, the stovetop used to stay clean because they rarely cooked. But now there were baskets and bowls for washing vegetables, and even an extra bucket had appeared. The space had never been big to begin with, and now it felt completely cramped.

Then there was their small room, which they used to use for gaming. Now it was packed with Mr. and Mrs. Lewis's belongings. They'd decided the bed was too small and bought a fold-up cot, so now there was barely room to turn around.

Penny returned to the master bedroom.

It used to be messy too, but probably because of Mrs. Lewis, it had been tidied up—spotlessly clean. She opened the wardrobe and found every piece of clothing neatly refolded, even her underwear stacked in perfect order.

Penny suddenly felt a wave of suffocation wash over her.

If they got married someday, would Mrs. Lewis come into their room to fold their clothes?

She didn't mind having someone help with the housework.

But if that person helped while also dropping hints that it was her responsibility as a wife—that she wouldn't be okay with.

Penny didn't wait for Bernard to come home. She took out her phone to message him on WhatsApp.

But with the phone in her hand, she hesitated.

If she sent that message, she'd be the one giving in first.

She decided to scroll through Facebook instead.

Her friends were mostly family, close friends, and coworkers from the hospital.

Then she came across something unexpected—Bernard showed up in a Facebook post from one of her coworkers.

The coworker was a nurse, just like her.

Along with this, several other hospital colleagues were there too. It looked like someone had put together a group outing for that evening.

The coworker had posted a short video, and Penny tapped on it.

She saw Bernard chatting and laughing with a female doctor about something. They both looked like they were having a great time.

Penny felt a sharp ache pierced her chest.

She exited Facebook immediately.

Then, without a second thought, she left the apartment, deciding not to wait for him to come home.

……

Bernard was at a bar, drinking.

There wasn't really anything fun about a place like this—it was just a way to kill time and unwind after a long day.

A close colleague at the hospital had noticed he'd been in a bad mood lately and arranged a small gathering, inviting him to come hang out.

Also there was a female doctor from the pediatrics department. She had just finished her probationary period and was a year younger than him. Perhaps because they were close in age and at similar stages in their careers, they ended up talking quite a bit.

The doctor's name was Dahlia. She said to him, "Don't you have a girlfriend? Everyone says you two are a great match—she's beautiful and you're talented. And I heard her father is quite influential. You've got it made. All he has to do is put in a good word with the hospital leadership and you'll be up for a promotion."

Bernard wasn't happy hearing that. "I don't need that kind of help."

"Haven't seen you two together lately. Did you have a fight? Or is she on night shift? She should be off by now—aren't you going to pick her up?"

Bernard took a sip of his drink. "Let’s not talk about her."

"Alright, we won't." And they moved on to other things.

They talked about everything—the universities they'd gone to, people they both knew. The conversation just kept flowing.

By the time they left the bar, it was already past one in the morning.

Dahlia had had a bit too much to drink, and since everyone had been drinking, the men suggested pairing up to make sure the women got home safely.

Those without cars called taxis.

Bernard was in charge of getting Dahlia home. He hailed a cab, helped her inside, and got in beside her.

Dahlia was also from out of town and renting a place, not far from Bernard's apartment.

Inside the car, Bernard asked the driver to open the window slightly—he wanted to clear his head.

Before long, he felt a weight on his shoulder.

Dahlia had fallen asleep, leaning against him.

He tried to nudge her away, but every time he did, the car would turn and her head would end up back on his shoulder.

Eventually, he gave up and just let her stay there.

When they reached Dahlia's place, he shook her gently. "We're here."

But she was too drunk to open her eyes and mumbled, "We're here?" before drifting off again.

The driver urged them to hurry, saying he couldn’t stay parked there or he'd get a fine.

With no other choice. He lifted her out of the car and helped her walk.

"What floor are you on? Which building?" he asked.

But Dahlia couldn’t answer. She could barely stay on her feet.

He couldn't just leave her there, so he went to ask the security guard at the gate.

The guard looked at him suspiciously. Bernard handed over his ID to leave at the security booth and said, "If I'm not back down in ten minutes, call the police."

Only then did the guard give him the unit number.

When they got to Dahlia's door, he used her finger to unlock the fingerprint lock and helped her inside.

He set her down on the sofa, and only after making sure she was settled did he leave.

……

Penny didn't sleep that night. She stayed up scrolling through Facebook.

The coworker posted again later, but Bernard wasn't in the video. They'd probably all gone home.

After they split up, what had he done?

She stayed awake, restless, until morning.

When she went in for her shift the next day, she made up her mind that no matter what, she would find him today and talk things through—figure out whether they still had a future together.

She'd done a lot of thinking the night before. Her idea was that before the wedding, they'd each buy their own apartment in the same complex. After marriage, they could live in hers, while his parents stayed in his place. That way everyone would be close without interfering in each other's lives.

If his parents could accept that, then they could move forward with getting married.

She found a moment and hurried over to his department to find him.

His shift was just ending.

From down the hallway, Penny spotted him coming out of the consultation room.

It had been days since she'd seen him. The moment she did, her heart jumped.

She really did love him.

She was just about to walk toward him when Dahlia stepped out of the elevator in the middle of the corridor and stopped him right there.

"Dr. Lewis, thank you so much for taking me home last night."