Chapter 173: He’s Getting Married (Part 1)
“Mummy, promise us you’ll take us to see Daddy in a few days,” Sophia said.
“Okay,” Alison agreed, though inwardly she resolved to stall for time.
That night, after the children went to bed, she sat alone on the edge of the bed, unable to sleep.
The thought echoed: he was getting married. Her heart ached.
As time slipped by, dawn crept closer.
She hadn’t heard from Colton or Aidan in a long time. Yet in this silent night, she suddenly longed to know how they were.
After much hesitation, she retrieved the SIM card. There was still credit left. After inserting it and turning on the phone, she saw a long string of missed calls.
Tears instantly spilled from her eyes.
They were all from Jack. He had just called again.
Why had he called her so many times?
Was he still awake at 3:30 a.m.?
She desperately wanted to call him back, but fear held her still. After all, he was about to get married—she couldn’t keep disturbing him.
Her mind was racing when suddenly the phone rang.
It startled her. The phone slipped from her hand and, by chance, her finger pressed the answer button.
“Alison? Is that you? Alison, where are you?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened. But she couldn’t speak.
She slowly picked up the phone, intending to turn it off; her heart was pounding.
“Alison, it has to be you. Where are you? Tell me quickly…”
She couldn’t bear to hear more, terrified she would lose her mind.
She pressed the power button. Tears fell onto the phone, rippling across the screen. It felt as though he were right before her—both blurred and crystal clear.
Whether it was love or resentment, she just couldn’t stop thinking about him—the love was engraved on her heart.
The SIM card was pulled out again.
Outside, the sky remained black, mirroring her mood: utterly devoid of brightness.
She sat by the window, dressed quickly, and pushed it open. Fresh air rushed in.
The hours before dawn should have been the best time to sleep, but neither of them had slept.
Alison slipped out of the room.
Was he still living in the apartment?
The urge to see him gnawed at her.
After a while, she hailed a taxi.
After telling the driver the address, she thought, What if he was there? What would it mean?
She shook her head, refusing to dwell on it.
The car sped through the quiet night, yet still too slow for her pounding heart. Staring toward the apartment block, her pulse raced.
As the car drew closer, she caught a faint flicker of light at the window—perhaps someone smoking.
Her feet carried her toward the apartment building.
The security guard saw her and opened the door.
Everything went surprisingly smoothly.
But only a few steps in, she sensed something was wrong.
Turning back, she saw the guard making a call inside the booth.
Alison’s heart sank as panic clawed up her chest.
She turned and ran back to the window just in time to hear, “Mr. Winston, the lady you’ve been looking for is here.”
Without hesitation, she dashed out—her cover was blown.
She sprinted away, the guard close behind.
She knew it must be Jack—he had been waiting for her all along.
Sensing the guard gaining, she kept her eyes fixed ahead, determined to escape.
Suddenly, she spotted an approaching taxi and hurriedly flagged it down. Before she had even sat, she urged the driver to start.
“Miss, did you run into trouble?” the driver asked.
“Uh… yes,” she replied casually, hoping the driver would only speed up.
Alison glanced back and saw the guard still chasing—and behind him, Jack’s white Lamborghini.
“Please pull over at the next turn, then keep going. Whatever you do, don’t let that Lamborghini catch up with you and don’t tell him where I am, okay?” Alison said.
The driver agreed without hesitation.
Instead of panicking in the car, she would get out early, before the complex. She planned to slip into the shadows and find another way out.
She was filled with regret now—why had I come to the apartment?
At the turn, the car stopped. Alison tossed a hundred-dollar bill onto the seat.
“Thank you so much, sir!” she said, before darting into the shadows.
“Miss, it’s too much!” the driver called after her.
“Hurry up! Don’t let that car catch you!” she shouted as she ran, knowing she needed to hide quickly.
The driver drove off.
Alison sprinted toward the shadows. When she reached a dead end, she stopped and looked out from the junction—just in time to see the white Lamborghini roar past.