Chapter 146: Collapse
The next morning, Mia came downstairs right on time.
"Mrs. Smith."
Wilhelmina's voice caught in her throat the moment she spoke.
Having not seen her for a while, seeing Mia again left her shocked.
How had she gotten so thin?
Hearing the familiar voice and seeing Wilhelmina's return, Mia showed little emotional response, just greeting her flatly, "Wilhelmina."
"Mrs. Smith, I made you lots of breakfast foods you love, you..."
She's really too thin.
She needed to take good care of Mia and help her gain some weight back.
Without any signal from James, Wilhelmina stepped forward on her own to take Mia's hand.
The moment she grasped it, Wilhelmina's eyes instantly reddened.
So cold.
Even though spring had arrived and the weather was getting warmer, why were Mrs. Smith's hands still so cold, like ice?
"Wilhelmina, you don't need to make three meals a day for me anymore. I won't be eating here."
Mia gently interrupted Wilhelmina, giving her hand a light squeeze - her way of showing she was happy to see her.
"I'm heading to work now."
With that, she withdrew her hand, turned, and walked toward the entrance.
Her heart had gradually withered and died in this painful marriage.
She wanted to grow toward the light, struggling hard to keep herself going, to stay alive.
She told herself that as long as she was alive, there was still hope.
But her efforts still couldn't keep pace with the speed at which her heart was dying.
A dying struggle.
She didn't know how much longer she could hold on.
The door opened, the door closed.
That one word "here" severed her connection to Luxe Haven and tore at James's heart.
He sat in the most visible spot on the sofa, where Mia could see him the moment she came downstairs.
But she didn't give him a proper look, not even a glance from the corner of her eye.
The place that was irreplaceable in his eyes, the object of his deepest affection, had become just a temporary residence in her eyes.
"Mr. Smith, I'll be going now."
Wilhelmina untied her apron, preparing to leave. Mia's words had been clear - she didn't need her care.
But James had asked her back specifically to take care of Mia.
And she had agreed to return because she wanted to take care of Mia.
"No need, stay."
Stay, so there's one more person in the house she's willing to see.
Maybe she'll be a little happier when she comes back.
Even if it's just a tiny bit more.
James rose from the sofa and walked to the dining table, sitting down. The table was full of foods Mia loved.
His gaze fell on Mia's usual seat.
That spot had been empty for a very long time.
They hadn't sat down to eat together in ages.
The breakfast in his mouth tasted only of bitterness.
...
With Wilhelmina back, Mia's lifestyle didn't change much.
She remained busy.
When she came home, even when she spoke, it was just a few simple words with Wilhelmina.
Between her and James, there was still only physical entanglement.
Beyond that, the two were becoming more and more like strangers.
And she was becoming more and more like stagnant water.
In a blink, another half month passed.
When her salary came through, Mia picked an evening when she had no classes and invited Benjamin to dinner.
She still owed him a meal.
After work, Benjamin drove Mia to dinner.
When they arrived, Benjamin parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt to get out, but noticed Mia hadn't moved. He teased, "What, having second thoughts about treating me to dinner?"
Mia looked at Benjamin somewhat helplessly, "Benjamin, let's change places."
He wasn't the type to eat at street stalls.
As his secretary, she naturally knew the restaurants he frequented for business or pleasure.
"Why change? Didn't you say I could pick anywhere?"
Benjamin directly pushed open the car door and got out.
Seeing this, Mia could only follow suit.
As he actually started walking in, she stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve to stop him, "Benjamin, you really don't need to save money for me..."
"Let me tell you a secret."
Benjamin suddenly lowered his voice, making it all mysterious.
"What?"
Mia was infected by his tone and lowered her voice too.
"I used to have a nickname."
"What nickname?"
Mia was successfully drawn in, a flicker of movement appearing in her eyes that had been too calm for too long - it was curiosity.
"The rich guy who loves street food."
Mia was completely speechless.
He was talking complete nonsense with a straight face!
"Come on, just think of it as doing a good deed today, helping me let loose a bit. I have to put on airs going in and out of fancy places every day - I'm suffocating."
As he spoke, Benjamin had already started walking in.
Mia's hand was still clutching his sleeve, and she was pulled along for a couple of steps.
She let go, watching Benjamin in his expensive designer clothes weaving through the smoke-filled, noisy alley.
He picked a barbecue stall, found a spot, and turned to look at her, "What are you standing there for? Come on."
Mia could only stride forward.
"Benjamin, wait."
Just as he was about to sit down, she grabbed some tissue from the side, wanting to wipe down the grease on the table and chair first.
"What are you doing? I'm not that fussy."
Benjamin caught her arm and sat right down.
He took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the chair, undid his cuff links, and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
A server came over with a grease-stained menu and placed it on the table, "What would you two like to eat?"
"Order whatever you want."
Mia pushed the menu toward Benjamin.
Benjamin looked at the menu, his pupils showing a trace of shock that he couldn't quite hide.
What is this?
But having already said what he said, he still reached out to take it.
His eyes scanned over it.
He really wasn't quite clear on what "one skewer" actually meant as a concept.
His expression unchanged, his mind full of confusion.
Using the menu as cover, he quietly glanced with his peripheral vision at the barbecue grill not far away, trying to figure out the difference between "one skewer" and "one portion."
Mia was rinsing the utensils with hot water. After finishing, she noticed Benjamin's little movements.
As she pushed the utensils over to him, she reached out and took the menu.
Without the menu's cover, Benjamin's gaze met Mia's.
She glanced at him once then turned back to the menu. Being his secretary, she knew his preferences well.
Avoiding things he didn't eat, she quickly ordered for both of them and got two bottles of beer.
After the server left, Mia's gaze returned to Benjamin's face as he tried to maintain his composure, and she suddenly made an ambiguous teasing remark, "The rich guy who loves street food?"
Benjamin, who was drinking water to cover for himself, almost spat it out, choking until his face turned red.
Mia helplessly handed him a tissue.
Soon, the barbecue was brought over.
Benjamin reached out and picked up a beef skewer, took a bite, and his eyes lit up, "The taste is really good."
Having been exposed, he stopped pretending he'd never eaten street food before.
That first bite was actually quite amazing.
Seeing he genuinely didn't mind, Mia felt relieved.
She took the opened beer, poured for both of them, raised her glass, and clinked it against his.
Benjamin knew Mia's alcohol tolerance and didn't stop her from drinking beer.
The two of them enjoyed the evening breeze, drinking beer and eating barbecue.
After finishing, Mia got up to go pay. Benjamin knew her attitude about money and didn't fight to pay, glancing at a nearby bubble tea shop and saying to her, "I'm going to buy cigarettes."
"Okay."
After paying, Mia walked out from inside, planning to wait for Benjamin at the entrance.
Suddenly, a small figure entered her line of sight.
On his head was a fluffy blue little hat with a small pompom on the back.
Following his toddling little steps, the pompom bounced around behind his head.
He walked toward her direction, getting closer and closer.
This scene that had appeared countless times in her mind and dreams while she was pregnant and after losing her baby was now truly replaying before her eyes.
Mia's vision suddenly blurred. Watching the child walking toward her, for a moment she couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
Just as the child got closer and closer, calling out, "Mommy—"
In that instant, Mia's long-suppressed emotions suddenly collapsed.
In her daze, the small figure before her seemed to be her baby. Her baby was still here, already born, right before her eyes.
She suddenly rushed forward, dropped to one knee on the ground, and tightly hugged that tiny body, "Baby—"