Chapter 238 The Smile Was Not Directed at Him

Chapter 238 The Smile Was Not Directed at Him

The plane touched down in Meadowbrook City.

Since it wasn't peak tourist season, the streets were nearly empty. The whole town sat quiet and still.

Matilda dragged her suitcase down the sidewalk, flanked on both sides by classic architecture.

The air smelled damp and fresh—completely different from Harmony City.

She picked a bed-and-breakfast tucked against the hillside, a two-story building with charming, old-world details.

The landlady was a woman in her fifties with a thick local accent and an enthusiastic warmth.

"Are you here by yourself? This time of year's pretty quiet, but peaceful. I saved you the room on the left upstairs—window overlooks the scenery, and at night you can hear the birds."

Matilda was more than satisfied. She paid for a full week upfront.

She pushed open the door. The room was small but clean, with touches of local character throughout.

She shoved her suitcase into the corner and collapsed straight onto the bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a long time, her mind blank.

Or rather, she refused to let herself think.

She didn't want to waste her time here dwelling on the mess back in Harmony City. These past few weeks, she'd been wound tight every single day. If she was here to get away, then she wasn't going to think about any of it.

By evening, Matilda was hungry.

She changed into a jacket and stepped out, locking her door behind her—only to hear the door next to hers open at the same time.

A man in his early thirties emerged from the room, dressed in a casual T-shirt and carrying two cans of beer. He spotted her, paused, then smiled.

"You the new neighbor?"

Matilda nodded.

"I'm Gavin Hayes. From Harmony City." Gavin offered his name without prompting, lifting the beers slightly. "You here alone? Me too."

"Yeah."

"What a coincidence. Work was killing me, so I bolted for a few days to decompress." Gavin leaned against the doorframe. "Want to grab a drink? This place turns into a ghost town after dark. I'm bored out of my mind."

Matilda was about to decline.

But then she reconsidered. She'd come to Meadowbrook City precisely so she wouldn't be alone with her thoughts spiraling.

"Sure."

They found a table in the small courtyard on the first floor.

They ordered a few local specialties from a nearby restaurant, and Gavin hauled down a whole case of beer from his room.

As they talked, Matilda learned that Gavin was actually a lawyer who'd been working at a firm in Harmony City for five years. He'd just pulled two straight months of overtime and couldn't take it anymore, so he'd requested time off to recover.

"What about you? Taking a break too?"

Matilda held her beer, staring at it thoughtfully, in no rush to drink.

"Something like that."

Gavin didn't press. He took a sip of his own beer and started chatting about which restaurants in Meadowbrook City were worth trying, which streets were good for walking—light, easy topics.

He didn't ask why she'd come, didn't ask what she did for work, didn't even ask her full name.

For the first time in a while, Matilda felt herself relax.

The two of them talked from daylight into moonrise. Matilda drank three cans of beer and felt a light buzz settling in.

"I'm done. Can't drink anymore. Thanks for the beer." Matilda pushed away the fourth can.

"Then we'll drink tomorrow." Gavin started gathering up the empty cans. "Tomorrow's on me. There's this restaurant around here that's amazing—only locals know about it."

"We'll see tomorrow."

Matilda said goodbye to Gavin and headed straight upstairs. She shut her door and leaned against it for two full minutes, sobering up.

Her phone was still off. She had no idea if anyone had tried calling.

Not that she cared to check. She'd already said what she'd said to Thomas.

A man as proud as him probably wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

Matilda washed up and collapsed into bed.

That night, she slept more soundly than she had in ages.

The next morning, ten o'clock.

Matilda had just finished washing up in the bathroom when she heard a knock at the door.

She walked over and opened it.

Gavin stood in the doorway wearing a clean white button-down, his face bright with an easygoing smile. He was holding a bag of assorted fruit.

"Morning. That restaurant I mentioned yesterday—want to go now? If we wait any longer, there won't be any tables left."

He held out the bag to Matilda.

Matilda glanced at it, momentarily caught off guard.

"Passed a fruit stand on the way. Picked these up for you." Gavin pressed the bag into her hands. "Come on, let's go. I'm starving."

Matilda didn't make a fuss. She thanked him, set the bag on the shoe rack by the door, and went back inside to grab a jacket.

She'd just locked her door when she heard the landlady's voice drifting up from downstairs.

"This way. The room on the right, first floor, is still open. Careful there, hon."

Another voice didn't respond.

Footsteps came from outside—steady, deliberate.

Matilda instinctively glanced toward the courtyard entrance.

She froze completely.

Because the figure stepping into the courtyard was Thomas.

He wore a dark suit, his tie pulled loose halfway down, the top two buttons of his shirt undone.

Stubble shadowed his jaw. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.

He looked exhausted.

The landlady walked ahead, pointing to the room directly below Matilda's. "You can stay in that one. Same setup as upstairs."

Thomas didn't look at the landlady.

His gaze locked straight onto Matilda.

In that instant, his eyes lit up. His footsteps stopped.

But then his gaze shifted to Gavin standing beside her.

Gavin was leaning toward Matilda, speaking to her casually—intimately.

Thomas's expression darkened immediately.

Gavin clearly noticed the man at the bottom of the stairs too.

He looked at Thomas for a couple of seconds, then glanced at Matilda's face, which had gone cold. He picked up on something.

"You two know each other?" Gavin asked, tilting his head toward Matilda.

Matilda pulled her gaze away.

"No."

Her voice was calm. Completely flat.

Then she turned to Gavin and gave a faint smile.

"Weren't we going to eat? Let's go."

She started walking toward the stairs.

As she passed Thomas, their shoulders nearly brushed.

Matilda shifted slightly, avoiding contact without making it obvious.

She didn't stop. Didn't look at him. Didn't even spare him a glance from the corner of her eye.

Gavin followed her down, still chatting away about the restaurant's signature dishes.

Matilda hummed in response here and there. Their voices faded as they walked farther away.

Thomas stood frozen at the courtyard entrance.

He turned and watched as Matilda and that man walked side by side out the front gate. Sunlight fell across the top of her head. She looked down, smiling.

But that smile wasn't for him.

The landlady called from inside the room. "You coming to check out the room?"

Thomas didn't answer.

He stared at the two figures disappearing through the doorway, his hand tightening around the handle of his suitcase.