Chapter 13
“Did I wake you?” Cedrick asked, seated on the edge of the bed, looking at her in the light.
For a moment, her mind was a blur.
Cedrick stood up. “Aren’t you gonna pick out clothes for me?”
Lucille turned over. “Do it yourself. I’m sleepy.”
“You haven’t picked out clothes for me in two days. Mrs. Maynard, you’ve neglected your duty,” he said behind her.
She turned back to get up, only to find he was standing by the bed, fully dressed.
“Cedrick, you…” She didn’t know what to say.
Cedrick fastened his tie. “There, there. Don’t be mad. I’ll come back early tonight. I won’t keep you waiting.”
Purchase completed
What he didn’t know was, she wou want for many more.
“Say something,” he urged. She had hardly said a word.
“OK,” she replied flintily.
“That’s the spirit.” Pleased, he added, “Some guests are coming for dinner tonight. Be cheerful. Or they’ll think my wife is angry at me.”
So, that was what he was up to.
He had been trying to mollify her to spare himself humiliation.
“Who’s coming for dinner?” she wondered. In their five years of marital life, they had never entertained guests at home.
“You’ll know in the evening,” he said mysteriously. “It’s a surprise for you.”
She didn’t know what surprise it was. The night before, he’d mentioned they didn’t visit her parents. Were her parents coming over?
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Chapter 13
288 (Vouchers
She asked no more questions. She just hoped Cedrick and Mylee would get out of the house soon. The buyer was coming for the watches later. At 10 a.m., Mylee left the house as usual.
At 10:10 a.m., the buyer called. Lucille let her come up.
It was a fashionable young girl whose username on WhatsApp was Vivian.
She was professional and candid.
She authenticated the watches efficiently and transferred the money to Lucille.
Afterward, she said frankly, “Luckily, you kept the receipts and purchase details. Otherwise,
I wouldn’t have dared to take them.”
Lucille got it.
It wasn’t about authentication. Who would’ve bought ten identical watches?
One might think they were stolen.
“All right. I’ll take them. If there’s anything else you wanna sell next time, contact me. Be it purses, jewelry, or anything else.” She put the watches into a big bag.
“No problem. Thanks.” Lucille had received the transfer notification on her phone. Money gave her a sense of security. Always had. The gifts Cedrick bought her had been traded for money. They were not worthless, after all.
After Vivian Gentry left, Lucille picked up her phone and deleted the notification from the bank.
There was a large sum of money in her account.
Honestly speaking, Cedrick was generous, although he was unfaithful. Lucille had spent little in the past five years. She saved up. The money was enough to cover her tuition.
She opened a new notebook and wrote, “30 days to go before leaving Cedrick. Dispose of gifts.”
Then, she began preparing the materials needed for her visa application.
Since she was gonna go with Meredith’s troupe, she had the materials printed and had them delivered to Meredith, along with her passport.
Just like that, another day went by.
09.26
Chapter 13
288 Vouchers
At dusk, she was gonna go to bed after surfing the Internet a bit longer. Out of the blue, she saw Maricela’s update.
It was a photo of her sitting in a shopping cart.
The person behind the cart wasn’t in the picture. There was only a pair of hands and sleeves.
That sufficed.
At a glance at the hands, Lucille knew it was Cedrick.
She used to pick out clothes for him every morning. She knew his cufflinks best. The old cufflinks weren’t pretty, so she had a new pair customized for him. They were unique.
The caption went, “The happiest thing in the world is that someone still dotes on you after many years. Thank you for being there, my prince.”
So, this was the surprise for her from Cedrick.
How thoughtful.
The only time Lucille went to the supermarket with Cedrick was soon after they got married.
He was finally home that weekend. She wanted to create a happy familial atmosphere, so she suggested they go to the supermarket together.
Back then, she had sincerely craved a happy marriage, dreaming of them cooking together, shopping together, going home together, enjoying a drink together at sunset, and watching sunrise together every morning.
Sadly, a dream remained a dream, however beautiful it was.
That time, at the supermarket, they bumped into an acquaintance of Cedrick’s. Probably an elder to him. Lucille wasn’t sure. The person called him by his first name. Cedrick’s first reaction was to keep an arm’s length from Lucille.
The person said, “Ced, fancy seeing you here.”
Cedrick replied, “Yeah. I suddenly felt like shopping alone.”
Alone…
That word stung like a thorn.
09.26
Chapter 13
11 288 vouchers
Lucille stood there alone with a cartful of things. Cedrick, on the other hand, walked away while talking with his acquaintance.
If someone hadn’t asked her to make way, who knew how long she’d stand there before reconciling with the thorn in her heart?
When she made way in a fluster, she hadn’t gotten used to her limp. Losing her balance, she fell to the floor and knocked the cart over.
The pain was so much that she couldn’t get up. A little girl and her mom helped her with the cart and put everything back.
The girl held her hand with her soft hand to help her get up and said sweetly, “Miss, no tears. I’ll kiss it and make it better.”
With the help of the girl and her mom, Lucille finally regained her balance. She held back her tears with all her might.
She looked fine when Cedrick came back to her.
But she never went to the supermarket with him again.
Once again, the bubble of the happy marriage she wished for burst.
Each burst left a needle in her flesh. The adaptation and acceptance took a long time. She buried it in a proper spot and let it rest there. In this way, it wouldn’t hurt that much.
Now, looking at the photo of the spoiled Maricela in the cart, Lucille felt the buried needle kicking in. It stuck in her throat like a fish bone, unable to go up or down.
Maricela had released the update half an hour before. There were already a lot of comments.
Out of curiosity, Lucille read the comments. Most of them were negative.
“Are you a child? Shameless!”
“Your shoes are dirty. How are other customers supposed to use this cart for food? Gross!”
“Does she think she’s adorable? For crying out loud, go home if you wanna declare your love for your man!”
The viewers shared the same opinion. This was a first.
Just then, Lucille heard the sound of the door opening. A commotion ensued.