Chapter 154: Mia, Please
It's Alice.
She's back.
Mia's eyes grew warm. Seeing Alice again felt like a lifetime had passed.
She quickened her pace, and when she was a few steps away, she called out softly, "Alice."
Hearing Mia's voice, Alice immediately hung up the phone and turned around excitedly, "Mia—"
Her bright, happy smile froze on her face the instant she saw Mia.
Is this... Mia?
Her shocked gaze fell on Mia's now flat stomach.
Counting the months, the baby shouldn't have been born this early.
"Where's the baby?"
The words slipped out, carrying her concern.
"I got rid of it."
Mia whispered softly.
The shock in Alice's eyes deepened. Mia loved children so much and had wanted so badly to have a child for James—she would never have gotten rid of the baby.
It must have been James.
"It wasn't him."
Mia spoke again.
People really do change quickly.
She was getting better and better at reading people. Alice hadn't said anything, but just from her expression, Mia could guess what she was thinking.
"Have you been waiting long?"
She naturally changed the subject, clearly not wanting to say more about the baby.
Alice understood and didn't continue. She watched as Mia walked toward her.
She could hardly believe her eyes.
Looking at the Mia before her, so thin she seemed like she could be blown away by a gust of wind, Alice's eyes instantly turned red.
She murmured with heartache, "Mia..."
If it weren't for the familiar face and voice, Alice would barely recognize her.
Mia, who hated wearing formal clothes, was dressed in business attire.
She who found makeup troublesome and always preferred going out barefaced now wore light makeup that suited her.
Her once slightly chubby cheeks had thinned away.
Her short, stylish hair made her face look even smaller.
Mia had completely changed, like a different person from a few months ago.
She had a smile on her lips, but you could tell it took effort.
That bright, sunny Mia—the light in her eyes was completely gone.
Alice's heart felt like it was being cut with a knife. She bit her lip hard, trying desperately to control her emotions.
"Alice."
Seeing Alice's eyes turn red with heartache, Mia took the initiative to step forward and wrap her arms around her.
The moment she was embraced, Alice snapped out of her shock.
With red eyes and trembling hands, she reached out and hugged Mia back.
When she spoke, her voice carried a sob, "Mia, what happened to you?"
Holding Mia, her hands felt how thin she had become, and her heart ached more and more.
In just a few short months, how had Mia become like this?
Mia also tightened her arms, resting her chin on Alice's shoulder, feeling the long-missed warmth.
But she only allowed herself to indulge for a few seconds before letting go.
Actually, she really wanted to hold Alice and confide in her like before.
Her sadness, how much pain and exhaustion she'd endured during this time, how hard it had been to get to where she was now.
But the words on her lips became just a light sentence: "I'm fine. It's all in the past."
One sentence—I'm fine, it's all in the past.
It pierced Alice's heart even more.
She looked at Mia, gripping her cold hands tightly, feeling both guilty and heartbroken, her eyes growing redder.
Mia didn't say, and she didn't know what had happened during the time she was away.
She only knew that seeing Mia like this made her heart ache terribly.
That Mia who lived toward the sun, who wore happiness on her lips, who lived so passionately—she was gone.
How much pain must it have taken to make even her smile so forced?
"I'm really fine. Look at me, aren't I doing well now?"
Mia squeezed Alice's hand reassuringly.
They were best friends, so naturally she knew Alice felt terrible for her.
It's just that she had already survived the most painful days.
When she most needed someone by her side, no one was there.
She had forced herself to learn to be strong alone, to digest all the pain and sadness by herself.
After she had quit depending on everyone, she was no longer used to confiding in others.
"Okay."
Alice responded quietly.
She still couldn't help feeling terrible.
The two understood each other too well. Since Mia didn't want to talk about it, Alice wouldn't press her. She gripped Mia's hand tightly, "You must be hungry, let's go eat."
She led her toward the restaurant they'd reserved.
Before, when they went out to eat, Mia would order. Today Alice ordered the dishes.
She ordered many of Mia's favorites, filling the whole table.
She kept serving her food.
Mia was very cooperative and ate a lot.
After they finished, Alice's fiancé Ivan Franklin came to pick her up.
Alice wanted to see her off, but Mia made an excuse about having plans that evening. She hugged Alice, said they'd meet up again when they had time, then turned and left.
Alice watched Mia's thin figure disappear from view, her eyes reddening again.
A pair of arms gently encircled her. Alice wrapped her hands around his lean waist, feeling terrible inside, her eyes growing redder.
But he had said that when she was with him, he wouldn't let her suffer even a little, and would never let her shed a single tear.
She had agreed.
But she really wanted to cry.
Ivan looked at Alice, who wanted to cry so badly but was trying hard to hold back because of their agreement. His eyes full of helplessness, he whispered gently, "Just cry for a little while?"
"Okay..."
Hearing this, Alice nodded, and at the same time, tears fell.
Ivan's large hand moved through her long hair, his movements gentle and tender as he pulled her into his embrace, letting her bury her face in his chest.
As she sobbed quietly, he patted her back soothingly, his movements gentle and doting.
But in the night, those eyes that usually looked at Alice full of love showed not a trace of affection when she couldn't see.
...
Mia didn't go straight to the subway. Instead, she found a park and sat down on a bench.
She took out a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and smoked.
She forced herself to cool down the hot blood that had surged up from seeing Alice.
She constantly reminded herself not to depend on anyone, not even Alice.
No one would stay by her side forever. Once you depend on someone, you become weak.
She didn't want to be weak anymore, and she didn't want to depend on anyone.
Quitting dependence was really too hard, too painful.
Mia quietly finished one cigarette. Only when her blood had cooled to its extreme again did she get up and take the subway home.
...
Early in the morning, James wasn't waiting for her on the downstairs sofa.
Mia didn't pay much attention. Just as she was about to leave, Wilhelmina called out to her, "Mrs. Smith."
"What is it?"
Mia looked over and saw Wilhelmina walking toward her, handing her a piece of paper. "Mrs. Mia Smith, this is from Mr. James Smith."
"He asked me to tell you that he didn't throw away any of the baby's things. If you want to see them, you can go anytime."
Mia was very shocked.
The baby's things weren't thrown away?
"The door lock password is the same as here."
Mia looked at the paper, then finally reached out and took it, holding it.
Without saying much, she opened the door and left for work.
Another busy day. When she finished work, Mia packed up her things and left the company.
She got on the subway.
One stop after another.
One stop before Luxe Haven, Mia couldn't hold back. She got off with the crowd.
She couldn't control her legs. She really wanted to see.
James had given advance notice, so as soon as Mia arrived, she was let through.
She walked into the complex, stopped at the door, and slowly raised her hand to enter the password.
The sound of the password lock unlocking rang out. She turned the handle and walked in.
Standing in the entrance, by the light of the setting sun, Mia looked at the familiar arrangement. All those things she thought had been thrown away were all here.
Her vision slowly blurred.
Because she had hoped too much, loved too much, when she lost it, it hurt that much more.
She knew she should let go and look forward.
But she couldn't let go.
She slowly walked in, her hand gently touching the baby items inside.
These things weren't really special—you could buy the same ones anywhere outside.
But in Mia's eyes, these things were what she had personally chosen for the baby. They belonged to the baby, and each was unique.
So when she learned James had thrown them away, that's why she hated him so much.
The arrangement here was exactly the same as the nursery they had planned together.
A project this big couldn't be completed in just a few days.
She knew clearly in her heart whose work this was.
She wouldn't think so narrowly that James was putting on a show.
After all, at that time, he was still misunderstanding her.
He did these things because, like her, he loved their child.
He was just as sad about losing the baby.
He kept these things because, like her, he wanted to hold onto some memories.
And his having Wilhelmina give her the key today, asking her to come over—she understood his purpose very clearly too.
Everything he'd been doing these past days was trying to win her back.
To salvage a relationship that had already reached its end.
Mia walked to the assembled children's Lego set and slowly crouched down.
She wasn't a very patient person. She always felt you shouldn't force yourself too much.
Being happy was most important.
She didn't want to do things that took time and effort.
So before having the baby, she would never have touched something like Lego that required thinking.
But because of the baby.
After learning that Lego helped develop a baby's brain, she bought many sets to practice at home.
The goal was so that after the baby was born, she could play with him.
For the baby, she really tried hard to change herself.
She had imagined so much, sketched out so many beautiful futures.
With her, with James, with the baby.
They would be the happiest family of three.
But in the end, it was all just a pipe dream.
When the dream ended, everything shattered.
...
James's car had actually been parked downstairs the whole time, waiting for Mia.
He watched her go upstairs and sat in the car waiting.
As the sky grew dark, the lights upstairs never came on, and he didn't see Mia come down.
He had selfish motives for having Mia come here.
But seeing her not come down for so long, he couldn't help but worry.
Worried that seeing the baby's things would make her cry so much it would hurt her body.
He pushed open the car door and got out, going upstairs.
He entered the password and opened the door.
He immediately saw her crouching in front of the castle he had built. Her head was lowered, and he couldn't see her expression clearly.
He slowly walked over, half-kneeling behind her, tentatively reaching out his arms to carefully and gently embrace her from behind.
Seeing that Mia didn't resist, James's arms trembled slightly as he tightened them. His chin rested in the crook of her neck, and he whispered humbly in her ear, pleading, "Mia, please, won't you forgive me?"