Stuart's nights were still a mess. Ever since Josephine left, he hadn't had a decent night's sleep. He'd spend countless nights wide awake, torturing himself with memories of the past.
Back then, he was a total idiot, insanely jealous of Liam for being close to Josephine.
He could've taken Doris to another hospital, but no, he had to bring her to Josephine.
He hurt her like a madman, and seeing her in pain gave him some twisted satisfaction. But a marriage like that was destined to be a double-edged sword. He hurt Josephine, and he hurt himself.
With Josephine gone, Stuart felt lost, like his life had no meaning. It hit him later that his love for Josephine was beyond saving; that was one thing. But the real kicker was the pain he caused her, making him live in constant agony.
By some miracle, he got to see Josephine again after five years. He had no idea what he did to deserve it. He'd messed up so much, yet Josephine was still willing to give him another shot.
With a woman like Josephine, how could he not treat her right? For the rest of his life, he was ready to give it his all to make her happy.
The next morning, Stuart woke up and saw he'd only slept for about three hours. Compared to his usual nights, three hours straight was a win.
He still went for his workout, cleaned up, and grabbed Josephine's favorite breakfast before heading to see her.
When Josephine opened the door, she was still half-asleep. She'd stayed up late helping a colleague with some research.
As the alarm went off, she groggily silenced it once more. The past few days had been overwhelming, and she finally had a moment to rest.
Opening the door for Stuart, Josephine rubbed her eyes and then turned to head back inside. "You're an early riser," she remarked.
She was in her regular home pajamas, nothing revealing. But Stuart still stared at her, not wanting to blink.
He said, "Going back to sleep? I brought breakfast."
Josephine looked at the time; it was indeed not early.
She said, "You sit first, I'll go wash up."
She didn't bother with makeup, just did some basic skincare. In about ten minutes, she came out of the bedroom.
Stuart had already set up breakfast and was sitting on the couch, looking at his phone.
"You eat first," he looked up when he heard her, "I need to reply to an email."
Josephine nodded and sat at the dining table.
The breakfast was all her favorites, and she couldn't help but glance at Stuart.
Stuart, tall and long-legged, seemed to have no place to put his legs while sitting on the couch.
He rested his hands on his knees, slightly hunched, with a chiseled side profile and a firm jawline.
Seeing him again after five years, he had lost a lot of weight, but his handsome features were still there.
Josephine glanced at him, and Stuart unexpectedly met her gaze. Their eyes locked, causing Josephine to pause before asking, "Want to grab a bite together?"
Setting his phone aside, Stuart approached and took a seat next to Josephine. "Dig in before it gets cold."
They didn't say much more and quietly ate breakfast.
"Ready to head out?" Stuart assisted with cleaning up before inquiring, "Do you need to go to the research institute?"
"In the afternoon," Josephine said, "Let's go, I promised Jeffery yesterday to pick him up."
"He's at Haustia Manor, don't worry. Grandpa and my parents adore him, and he's always got someone around to keep him company," Josephine said.
"Yeah, with my crazy work schedule, I don't get to spend much time with him," she added.
Stuart wanted to chime in, but Josephine continued, "I've already arranged for him to start kindergarten. It should start after the 15th."
Stuart suddenly remembered that kids his age should be in kindergarten. He quickly asked, "Which kindergarten? If it's tough for you to pick him up when you're at the research institute, I can do it."
Josephine sent him the name of the kindergarten. Stuart immediately looked it up.
After checking, he suggested, "Josephine, can we consider another option? I have a better recommendation in mind."
Josephine replied, "No need, my friends and I have already checked it out. This kindergarten is pretty good."
Stuart didn't push it further.
On the drive back, Stuart was behind the wheel while Josephine sat quietly in the passenger seat. She suddenly noticed that Stuart had been unusually well-behaved these past couple of days.
Before, he always seemed to be hugging her, kissing her, or holding her hand. But lately, he hadn't made any moves.
Josephine glanced at him and then looked away, trying not to overthink it.
Actually, with Stuart behaving himself, she felt quite comfortable. Being too close to Stuart made her feel conflicted.
Admitting she was just an average person, she acknowledged a desire for physical contact but struggled with how to engage with Stuart.So, too much intimacy made her feel very conflicted, especially after that dream she had. Josephine almost didn't dare to look directly at Stuart.
She couldn't lie to herself; her body actually craved Stuart. But she also knew that this might just be pure desire, unrelated to love. So, it was good that Stuart wasn't provoking her.
This way, she could calmly analyze her feelings, instead of being lost in physical pleasure.
When they arrived at Haustia Manor, Andrew and Jeffery were exercising in the yard.
Jeffery, new to this task, quickly picked up the ropes after a brief training period with Andrew.
Seeing them, Andrew smiled, "Come and see how great Jeffery is!"
Andrew then looked at Stuart, "He's much smarter than you were at his age!"
Stuart also smiled, "Well, he's a chip off the old block, taking after Josephine, naturally bright"
Jeffery ran into Josephine's arms, looking up at her, "Mommy, are you here to pick me up?"
Josephine squatted down, touched his slightly sweaty hair, and asked, "Jeffery, do you want to stay a few more days or go back with Mommy? But Mommy is a bit busy these days."
"If you're busy, let Jeffery stay here," Andrew said, "Otherwise, he'll be lonely at home alone."
Stuart didn't say anything but looked at Josephine expectantly.
Josephine asked Jeffery, "Jeffery, do you want to stay here or go back with Mommy?"
After a moment of contemplation, Jeffery proposed, "Mommy, how about this—I stay with you at night, and you drop me off in the morning and pick me up in the evening."
Andrew said, "That's a good idea. You don't have to pick him up, I'll arrange someone if you're busy."
Jeffery nodded in agreement. So, this matter was settled.
Since Josephine was going to the research institute in the afternoon, Andrew asked her to stay for lunch.
Josephine played a few games of chess with Jeffery and Andrew, and just as they were about to eat, her phone rang.
It was Todd calling.