Chapter 212 Farewell Kiss
Steven fell silent for a moment, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Of course. Did you think I'd stay with you forever?"
Nora's eyes instantly lost focus.
So what Mr. Hayes said was true.
After speaking, Steven stood there waiting for a while. Seeing she really had nothing more to say, he stubbed out his cigarette and lifted his foot to leave.
But as they passed each other, he saw her reddened eyes. Like he suddenly couldn't suppress the fire in his heart, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her forcefully.
Nora was locked in his arms, her nose stinging.
He seemed determined, forcing her teeth apart and kissing her deeply, as if trying to carve her breath into his memory.
When it ended, he said in a low, polite voice, "A goodbye kiss. Farewell."
Then he walked away without looking back.
Nora stood there in a daze, as if her soul had been drained, tiny droplets of moisture clinging to her eyelashes.
The next day, James came over to help Steven pack his things.
This time, he really wasn't coming back.
James packed up all the documents from the study and sealed the boxes, bringing two people to move everything out.
Nora watched them pack, her heart aching.
"Ms. Adams, Mr. York said he's only taking things from the study. As for clothes and daily necessities, they can all be thrown away."
Nora was speechless for a moment, then walked into the master bedroom. The room was still neat and tidy as always.
She opened Steven's closet—it was still full of his clothes.
In the bathroom, his toothbrush and towel were still there—she had bought that towel for him.
But he would never come back again.
Nora hugged his clothes and cried until she could barely breathe.
So divorce really was like losing half your life.
Steven disappeared for a few days.
Nora saw him once in Harman's elevator. He was with Vivian, surrounded by several men in suits.
Probably dealing with the aftermath of that leaked project.
Seeing he was okay, Nora felt relieved.
But after just a few days, he had lost a lot of weight. His handsome face had a sickly pallor, like he was ill.
Nora wanted to say something to him, but seeing Vivian beside him, she didn't dare, afraid of causing a misunderstanding.
Before leaving the elevator, Steven glanced at her. His eyes were distant and cold, like he was looking at a stranger.
Nora lowered her eyes.
Forget it. She had no right.
Her life remained busy. With Green Monday sales approaching, the warehouse orders were half completed.
Since the promotion launched, she and Olivia's store had been getting dozens of orders every day—over a hundred combined.
The two of them had to handle customer service, purchasing, packing, and warehousing. They were so busy they were dizzy, with no time to overthink things.
"Has Steven been busy lately? Why hasn't he come to see you?" Olivia asked while picking orders.
Nora kept her head down, packing. "He won't be coming anymore."
"What happened?"
"We're getting divorced." Nora lowered her gaze.
"Is it because of the project leak? Does he blame you?" Olivia was clearly worried.
Nora pressed her lips together. "Sort of."
Although the real reason was Vivian, Nora still covered for Steven so her family wouldn't resent him.
She took the blame upon herself.
Olivia asked, "What punishment did he get? Will he be fired after this is over?"
Nora froze.
Right—she hadn't asked him about that yet. She didn't know his current situation. She'd only been focused on her own pain.
"Let me call and ask." Nora picked up her phone. No matter what, this happened because of her. She had to know how he was doing.
The first call went unanswered.
She called again. This time, James picked up. "Ms. Adams."
Nora's heart inexplicably tightened. "Where's Steven?"
"Mr. York is in a meeting," James replied.
Nora heard a low cough in the background, and her heart clenched. "James, is that Steven coughing?"
"Yes, Ms. Adams."
"Is he... sick?" There was a flu going around lately. Nora worried he'd caught it too.
She'd been protecting herself well and was fine so far.
"Yes, Mr. York got caught in the rain a few days ago, and he's been working all night recently. The cold turned into a cough. His stomach has never been good, and he's barely eaten anything these past few days." James answered honestly.
Nora's brow furrowed.
She'd heard this flu was serious. She couldn't help saying, "Why isn't he resting if he's sick?"
"There's no way to rest." James sighed. "The group project is at a critical stage. Mr. York is trying to fix things."
Nora pressed her lips together. In the end, this happened because of her.
She felt guilty. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Actually, Nora wanted to see Steven, but she was afraid he wouldn't want to see her.
James thought for a moment. "Ms. Adams, could you make him some food? His appetite has been terrible lately. He won't eat what the hotel sends."
"I can do that." Nora didn't hesitate.
That same day, she rushed through her work, wanting to get home early to cook for Steven.
Olivia noticed her hurry and asked, "You're in a rush to get back?"
"Yes, Steven has the flu. I want to finish up and go cook for him."
Olivia said, "Then go quickly. That virus is pretty bad. I caught it a few days ago and could barely get out of bed. Take good care of him."
"Okay." Nora put on her mask.
She stopped at the supermarket to buy groceries, then immediately started cooking when she got home, using both burners and making soup too.
When the food was almost ready, James came to pick it up himself.
Nora packed up the food, then took out a box of fever medicine and handed it to James. "I heard medicine is hard to find right now. This is from my home supply. If he gets a fever, have him take it."
She knew Steven's personality—he wouldn't go buy medicine himself, so she prepared it in advance.
"Okay." James took the medicine.
Nora added, "If he can't eat the food, have him drink the soup. I made chicken soup."
"Okay, thank you, Ms. Adams."
"You take care too." Nora walked him to the door, then couldn't help asking, "James, how's the project situation?"
"It's mostly been fixed." After speaking, James carried the items into the elevator.
Only then did Nora breathe a sigh of relief.