Stuart felt frustrated. Despite all his apologies and admitting his mistakes, Josephine still wouldn't make up with him.
He thought she was being ungrateful.
He never imagined love would take up so much of his life.
A man should be ambitious, conquering the business world. Stuart looked down on those who were all about love and affection.
When Josephine started working at the hospital, he had plenty of complaints.
He could make enough money, so Josephine should just stay home, be a housewife, and enjoy life.
Like Doris, who just shopped, bought clothes, and depended on him—that was normal.
But Josephine was too strong-willed!
He had already apologized, but she still wouldn't budge.
So, he just waited for her to beg him. When the time came, he would show her that her tricks wouldn't work on him!
And then, Josephine left, and he heard nothing from her.
She blocked all his contact methods.
Even if he wanted to find her, he wouldn't know how.
Once, when Jair was home on vacation, they hung out.
Jair asked, "Have you contacted Josephine?"
Stuart acted casual. "We haven't talked in a long time."
Jair didn't press. "Has Robin not returned yet?"
Robin had been expanding the overseas market for over a month.
Stuart, distracted, shook his head. "No."
He was anxious. The conversation drifted, and finally, he asked, "What about you? Have you contacted her?"
Jair was confused. "Who?"
Stuart got annoyed. "Josephine!"
Jair was speechless. "Of course, I contacted her."
Stuart whispered, "How is she..."
Jair didn't hear him. "What?"
Stuart angrily drank a glass of wine. "Did she say anything to you?"
"No," Jair said, "She seems very busy. She replies to my messages slowly. I know she's doing well, so I haven't bothered her much."
'Doing well? She couldn't be doing well!' Stuart fell into a strange thought.
He wanted to contact Josephine but couldn't swallow his pride.
Knowing she was doing well made him feel unbalanced.
He couldn't sleep well, having all sorts of dreams.
During the day, he was fine when busy; but as soon as he had free time, he overthought everything.
Seeing this photo now, he was almost going crazy.
He knew he looked haggard lately.
In contrast, Josephine was radiant, smiling beautifully, and looked even better than before.
He didn't know who that man was or what they were doing together.
If they were just friends, they wouldn't be so close in the photo.
Maybe it was the man Josephine had mentioned she liked before.
So, she went abroad not for research but to find that man!
At work, the staff didn't understand why Stuart looked so grim.
Although he hadn't looked good since the divorce, looking like he wanted to kill someone was rare.
So, when they saw Donna bringing food, they all sighed in relief.
Donna knocked and entered, placing the cream of mushroom soup on his desk. "Stuart, didn't you get enough rest?"
Stuart rubbed his forehead. "Why are you here?"
Donna replied, "A friend gave me some mushrooms. I made soup and brought you some."
Stuart spaced out for a moment.
If only Josephine were as gentle, caring, and considerate.
Donna called him, "Stuart?"
He snapped back to reality. "Has Robin contacted you?"
"He's busy," Donna said, pouring the soup and handing it to him. "He said he has to go to many places."
"Expanding overseas isn't as easy as it seems." Stuart took a sip. "This is really good, thanks. I have work to do; you should go back."
"Alright." Donna smiled. "You haven't looked well lately. If you want something to eat, let me know. I'll make it for you. Robin's not around; you're like a brother to me. Don't be polite."
Stuart nodded. "Okay."
After Donna left, he didn't touch the soup again.
He had a social event that evening and got home close to midnight.
Still living with Andrew at Haustia Manor, he went upstairs to his bedroom. The empty bed made him feel a wave of loneliness and bitterness.
Fueled by alcohol and the photo he saw, he took out a new phone and SIM card and dialed Josephine's number.
Across the ocean, Liam stepped aside to take a call. Halfway through, he waved at Josephine.
Josephine said to William, "I'll go check."
William smiled. "Okay."
As Josephine walked away, her phone rang.
It was on vibrate, and William instinctively looked over, seeing an unmarked number flashing on the screen.
He looked at Josephine, who was talking to Liam.
The distance was too far to shout in the restaurant.
He thought about taking the phone over but accidentally hit the answer button.
Stuart immediately straightened up. "Josephine?"
With just one word, William recognized Stuart's voice.
He stood up but then sat back down, holding the phone. "Who are you?"
Stuart was stunned, then anger surged. "Who are you?"
He didn't recognize the voice over the phone.
He couldn't believe that Josephine's phone was in a man's hand.
Stuart was infuriated by the scenarios he imagined. "Where's Josephine? What's your relationship with her?"
His aggressive tone sounded like a husband catching his wife cheating.
William smirked, a hint of vengeful pleasure on his face. "Josephine is taking a shower, she can't come to the phone. Do you need something?"
Shower? What kind of relationship would allow him to say that?
Stuart was almost going crazy. "Who are you? Let Josephine answer the phone!"
"Sorry," William lowered his voice. "I said, she's not available. You can tell me if you need something; it's the same."
The intimacy in his tone made Stuart's eyes turn red.
After a suffocating silence, Stuart's voice turned icy. "I'll ask one more time. What's your relationship?"
William easily retorted, "What do you think?"
His boastful rhetorical question made Stuart snap. He violently threw the phone away.
Hearing the call disconnect, William smiled and looked up to see Josephine looking at him curiously.
Josephine asked, "Why did you answer my phone?"