Chapter 243 Confession
Chapter 243 Confession
She tossed out a quick sentence and hurried up the stairs.
She pushed open her bedroom door and locked it behind her.
Matilda leaned against the door, letting out a long, heavy breath.
The room was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat.
Matilda pressed her hand against her chest, forcing herself not to think about all that messy nonsense.
This was good.
She closed her eyes, repeating it to herself over and over.
Wasn't this exactly what she wanted?
He'd go back to Harmony City and continue being the almighty CEO, and she'd stay here living her peaceful life.
From now on, they'd stay out of each other's way.
This was good.
Night fell, and Meadowbrook City's evenings carried a chill.
Matilda sat propped against her headboard, phone in hand, the screen dimming and brightening, brightening and dimming.
Her mind kept replaying what the landlord had said earlier: "He looked pale as a sheet, could barely walk straight."
She irritably set her phone on the nightstand and pulled the covers over her head.
Thomas left—so what? What did that have to do with her?
He was the CEO of Ascend Global Holdings, for crying out loud. Surely he wasn't short on people to take care of him.
Brent had probably already arranged everything. For all she knew, Thomas was lying in some fancy private hospital right now.
Why was she worrying herself sick over him?
After tossing and turning for half an hour, that restless feeling in Matilda's chest hadn't lessened—if anything, it had gotten worse.
Just then, a knock sounded at her door.
Matilda threw off the covers and went to answer it.
Outside stood Gavin in a loose gray sweater, holding two bottles of beer in one hand. He gave them a little shake.
"Can't sleep either? Want to have a drink?"
Matilda's gaze fell on the bottles. Her first instinct was to refuse.
But for some reason, she really couldn't sleep tonight.
He pressed one of the beers into Matilda's hand and turned to head downstairs.
"Come on down. I picked up some food. We'll just call it a late-night snack."
Matilda gripped the cold bottle, then finally decided to close her door and follow him.
The guesthouse's small courtyard glowed with warm yellow light.
Gavin had already set out the food on the courtyard table and opened both bottles of beer.
Matilda pulled out a chair and sat down, tilting her head back to take a long swig.
The icy liquid slid down her throat, and oddly enough, it cleared Matilda's head a bit.
Gavin glanced at her. "Drinking like that, you planning to get yourself wasted?"
Matilda didn't respond. She took another drink, her fingers gripping the beer can tightly.
"About this afternoon—sorry. Didn't mean to drag you into that and ruin your sightseeing."
Gavin waved it off, his expression unbothered.
"What's there to apologize for? I came here to relax anyway."
He leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table, his tone casual.
"Though I gotta say, your ex-husband's got quite the temper."
Matilda's movements stilled.
"He's a lunatic. Just ignore him."
Gavin let out a soft laugh and clinked his bottle against hers.
"Do you still have feelings for him?"
The question was so blunt it made Matilda's brow furrow instantly.
"Of course not." Her answer came without hesitation. "We're divorced. We have absolutely nothing to do with each other now."
Gavin studied her for a moment but couldn't read anything from her expression.
Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
"Funny, because I don't think he's planning to let this go so easily."
Gavin rotated the can in his hand, his tone certain.
"The way he acted today? It was pretty obvious he wants you back. Chasing you all the way to Meadowbrook City, dragging himself around sick just to follow you, turning green when he saw you with me—that's not something your average ex does."
Matilda let out a cold laugh, that restless feeling surging up in her chest again.
"That's not love. It's just wounded pride. He's used to controlling everything. Suddenly something slipped out of his control, and he can't handle it. That's all."
She crushed the empty can and tossed it precisely into the trash.
"Even if he wants me back, there's no way I'd agree."
Gavin watched her, a smile tugging at his lips.
"That decisive, huh?"
"Absolutely." Matilda popped open another beer. "It took everything I had to get out of that hellhole. I'd have to be crazy to jump back in."
Gavin nodded, then leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.
"In that case—" He looked directly at Matilda, his tone more serious than before. "Would you consider me?"
Matilda nearly choked on the sip she'd just taken.
She broke into a coughing fit, eyes watering.
Gavin pulled out a napkin and handed it to her, patting her back.
"That much of a shock? Am I really that bad?"
Matilda took the napkin and wiped her mouth, scooting back to put some distance between them.
"Are you joking?"
"I'm not joking." Gavin withdrew his hand and sat up straight, his expression genuinely serious. "I'm pretty direct. These past few days getting to know you, I've developed real feelings. You've got a great personality, you're not fake, and we click. Since you and Thomas are completely done, I think we should give it a shot."
Matilda was completely stunned.
She never would've expected Gavin to pull something like this.
These past few days, she'd only thought of Gavin as a pleasant travel companion—someone who could even help run interference with Thomas.
She'd never thought of him that way.
"Gavin, I'm sorry." Matilda crumpled the napkin in her hand. "I just got divorced. My head's a complete mess right now. I have absolutely no plans to date anyone. I came to Meadowbrook City specifically to get some peace and quiet."
Her rejection was clean-cut, leaving no room for ambiguity.
Gavin didn't seem offended by the rejection. His smile remained warm.
He raised his bottle, toasting her from across the table.
"I get it. Fresh out of a relationship—you definitely need time to decompress."
He took a sip, his tone returning to its usual lightness.
"But I'm not in a rush. Take your time thinking it over. I don't have much going on lately anyway. I've got all the time in the world to wait."
Matilda didn't know how to respond to that, so she just kept quiet.
They drank late into the night. Matilda lost track of how much she'd had.
All she remembered was Gavin helping clean up the empty bottles at the end, while she gripped the stair railing and shuffled back to her room one step at a time.
Riding the buzz, she collapsed onto her bed without even changing clothes and passed out immediately.
She slept deeply—didn't even dream.
When she opened her eyes again, bright daylight streamed through the window.
Matilda sat up, rubbing her foggy head, feeling sore all over.
She went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. As she cleared her head, fragments of last night's memories trickled back.
Gavin had actually confessed to her last night.
Matilda sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
What a mess.
She still hadn't sorted out the Thomas situation, and now here was Gavin.
She changed into clean clothes and pushed open her door to head downstairs.
The moment she reached the first floor, she spotted Gavin standing in the courtyard.