Chapter 94 Farewell
In the howling wind and snow, James, dressed in black, his slender fingers dancing across the black and white piano keys.
It was as if only three colors remained in the world.
Black, white, and red—extreme yet stunning.
As the last note fell, Gloria raised her hands to applaud.
James saw Gloria leaning against the doorway, wearing no makeup, yet her skin was delicate and smooth—breathtakingly beautiful.
A distant, polite smile played at the corners of her mouth: "That was very good."
As if to her, he was no longer the husband who had been intimate with her, but a stranger.
Gloria had come dressed up, only to say goodbye to him.
Realizing her intention, James felt even more upset.
He slowly stood up and walked toward her, closing the door and pulling out a chair for her.
"Is Grandma feeling better today?"
"Although she's lost the ability to take care of herself, at least she's in good spirits. Thank goodness you made the decision in time to save Grandma."
Gloria pushed a box toward him. "Happy birthday."
"What is it?"
"Nothing expensive."
With James's wealth today, even the most expensive luxury items weren't unusual.
When James opened the box, inside lay a silver watch worth a few thousand dollars—not a big brand name, but exactly what he had wanted most when he was eighteen.
So she had known all along.
Gloria explained: "Actually, I wanted to buy this for you years ago. That year I worked as an extra and saved up a few thousand dollars, but your company urgently needed money, so I never brought myself to buy it. Now I can finally fulfill that wish."
"Gloria."
James's grip on the box tightened, making the blue veins on the back of his hand stand out. A shadow of sadness passed through his eyes, and his throat felt tight. "Thank you."
The waiters began serving food, but it wasn't fancy dishes—it was home-style cooking.
Gloria looked a bit surprised. "All this romance, but not fancy food?"
A doting smile curved James's lips: "The first time I took you to a fancy restaurant, we spent hours there, and you said you'd never go again—too expensive and you left hungry."
Back then, neither of them had much money. The first time they went to a fancy restaurant, Gloria had specially worn a cocktail dress, afraid they'd be kicked out for dressing too casually.
After finishing, as soon as they walked out the door, Gloria had dragged him to get a burger.
Now that James was powerful and wealthy, eating home-style food in a fancy restaurant wasn't unusual.
He served her soup and put food on her plate, just as he had done a thousand times over the years.
"Eat more, you've lost a lot of weight recently. Don't take those medicines anymore."
Gloria didn't refuse. She nodded in response, "Okay. You just recovered from your illness too, you need to eat well. Since Pearl won't do it anymore, you should find a new helper."
"What about you?"
"I want to stay with Grandma and take care of her."
Gloria sipped her soup in small mouthfuls, then looked up at him. "James, we were friends, family, and lovers—but we should never be enemies, right? In about ten days, our marriage will end. Can you let go then?"
Her eyes were so gentle. "Just like how the story began, let's not end it with regret and hatred."
He knew all too well that Gloria was using retreat as advance, wanting him to give up and stop pursuing her.
He gave a bitter smile: "But Gloria, the ending of a story is itself a kind of regret."
Gloria gazed at his face. She took the initiative to put food on his plate. "Maybe that's just life. Take good care of yourself from now on."
How many eighteen-year periods does a person have in life?
All her joys and sorrows up to now had been closely tied to James. Thinking that she would never see this face again for the rest of her life.
Never feel his presence again, never touch his warmth or his embrace—her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, slice by slice.
It was an instinct her body had developed over the years, beyond her mind's control.
James raised his wine glass. "Let's have a drink."
Gloria smiled. "My stomach's been bothering me lately. I'll toast with water instead."
"Let me arrange for a medical specialist to give you a thorough checkup."
"It's fine, I've already been checked. It's just an old problem."
Gloria raised her glass to clink with his, the crisp sound like pleasant wind chimes.
"James, don't be fixated on me anymore. You'll meet better women in the future. Your life is still long—I'm just getting off midway."
James didn't respond. He tilted back his neck, his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed the wine.
The bitterness spread from his tongue to his stomach, then extended to every part of his body.
In this world, besides death, separation is the most painful thing.
Gloria closed her eyes. She was clearly drinking pure water, but that water was not only ice-cold but bone-chilling.
During this meal, neither of them brought up those unpleasant matters again.
Even though James tried his best to stay with her a little longer.
It had been so long since he had properly shared a meal with her, and it had been so long since Gloria had been this gentle with him.
He carefully tried to please her.
Gloria understood, but every gathering must end.
She wiped her lips with a napkin, a faint smile curving her mouth. "I'm done eating. It's getting late, I need to go back up the mountain to take care of Grandma. Let's end it here."
Let their lives end here too.
Gloria stood up to get her coat, but James hugged her from behind.
At her nose was his familiar cool pine scent, elegant and clean.
His warm body temperature seeped through her thin dress.
James buried his face in her neck. He didn't use too much force, his large hands gently holding her waist.
He was afraid of hurting her again.
"Gloria." His voice was hoarse and full of emotion.
Gloria didn't struggle. She turned around and took the initiative to wrap her arms around his waist.
She buried her head in his chest, greedily breathing in his scent.
Tears rolled down her cheeks one by one.
One last time, just let her hold him one last time.
Her small hands clutched tightly at James's shirt. Gloria choked out: "James, why did you do such a thing? We were so close."
So close—she had almost gotten pregnant.
James crossed his arms, forcefully holding her slender waist. He apologized over and over in a low voice: "I'm sorry, Gloria, I'm sorry. Can we go back?"
Gloria lifted her head from his chest. Her face was already covered in tears. "We can never go back."
James raised his hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, but Gloria stepped out of his embrace at that moment.
Although her eyes were red, the look in them was like muddy water gradually becoming clear.
She stepped back out of his embrace, step by step. "You tied me up once, I tied you up for one night. James, from now on, we're even."
Watching her turn to leave, James spoke: "Gloria, I want to know—a month ago you said you had a surprise for me. What was it?"