Chapter 26 The Storm is Coming
"You’re so mean, I’m not a pig," she said, playfully hitting his back. Oddly enough, he found it comforting.
"Haha, thanks for scratching my itch," he chuckled, looking confident and satisfied.
"Jack, let’s get some sleep. You’ve got work tomorrow," she whispered softly, her eyes tenderly gazing at his face.
Every beginning has an end.
Some people need a lifetime to finish their journey.
But she had to leave tomorrow.
Jack didn’t suspect a thing, holding her close as they drifted off to sleep, just like the previous two nights. Everything felt so natural and beautiful.
Alison stood at the door, watching him walk out with his lunchbox, her eyes following him until he disappeared.
He got into the elevator, and even though he was out of sight, Alison stood there, frozen.
She could still smell the cologne he wore, a scent she loved, but this time, it would be the last time she’d smell it.
He was gone, and their three months together had come to an end.
She wished she could see him one more time.
With that thought, she quickly shut the door and ran to the window, pushing it open just in time to see a white Lamborghini driving out of the apartment parking lot.
"Jack..." she called out softly, but quickly realized he couldn’t possibly hear her from that distance.
She covered her mouth, staring blankly as the car drove further away in the opposite direction.
Strangely enough, as if he had heard her or sensed her thoughts, he rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and waved at her while driving slowly.
Oh my gosh, is he crazy? Driving while distracted!
Thankfully, he only waved for a moment before focusing back on the road.
She etched the image of him waving into her memory.
Jack, if I caused you any harm, I’m sorry.
Jack, I have to leave.
She wanted to leave quietly, just as she had arrived. But before she left, she needed to tidy up the apartment.
She opened her laptop. Oh, an email had arrived.
"Leave. Immediately."
Just those four words made her heart race, sensing something was terribly wrong.
She really needed to go.
But oddly, Jack’s smiling face at the Lamborghini window flashed in her mind.
No, she had to finish tidying up before she left.
Leave on good terms.
No matter what happened, she was innocent and wanted to leave him with some good memories.
Her chest wound had healed a lot, making it easier to move around. But by the time she finished cleaning the apartment, it was already eleven o’clock.
In another hour, he’d be off his lunch shift.
He would eat the last lunch she made for him.
The thought weighed heavily on her heart.
Carrying her luggage and laptop, she felt like throwing the laptop away as soon as she left the apartment.
But she was scared, scared that person wouldn’t keep their promise and would threaten her again.
But she couldn’t worry about that now.
As she stepped out of the elevator, the people and cars outside grew larger, and she was about to re-enter the bustling world.
She didn’t look back, not even at the blooming cactus flower by the apartment door, afraid that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to leave the place she had stayed for three months.
She still felt the warmth Jack had given her last night, but now, if they met again, would they be strangers?
Stepping out of the building, standing in the sunlight, looking at the bustling crowd and traffic, she felt lost, not knowing where to go.
But she needed to find a place to stay.
At the bus stop, Alison paused, her eyes scanning the job and rental ads on the information board.
She knew Jack was still at work and wouldn’t be back, so she didn’t have to worry about running into him.
She read the ads carefully, afraid of missing any information, as she needed both a job and a place to stay.
The sun beat down on her back, making her already sore body from the morning’s work start to sweat.
Her chest, faintly aching.
Leaning against the bus stop pole, she barely managed to stand when a tall figure blocked the sunlight, bringing with it a wave of intense anger.
"Emily, how dare you still stand here..." Jack roared, grabbing her and turning her around.
In the sunlight, her already pale face looked even more bloodless.
Jack, like an enraged lion, glared at her fiercely, as if he wanted to tear her apart.
She had anticipated the possible consequences, and now they had come true.
His eyes were filled with hatred and resentment, hating her to the core.
But she had no idea what had happened.
Could she defend herself?
In the sunlight, she looked down at her shadow cast on him, feeling incredibly lonely and helpless.
She wanted to escape, to leave his world, because she didn’t want to see him like this. She wanted to keep those three months as a beautiful memory.
But now, the beauty had shattered, and the storm had arrived.
Before she could turn around, his hand was on her again, shaking her shoulders violently. "Emily, tell me, why did you lie to me? Why did you do this?"
His cold voice, filled with resentment, reached her ears, accompanied by the pain from his shaking. Her chest wound, which had almost healed, was now reopening, causing intense pain.
She bit her lip, afraid she couldn’t hold back a cry of pain.
"Speak, tell me why?" He kept shaking her, drawing the attention of people at the bus stop, surrounding them.
Countless eyes were on her, but she couldn’t say a word.
Because she really didn’t know anything.
But she could feel that whatever had happened had hit him hard, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so out of control. This was the first time Alison had seen Jack so out of control.
She wanted to comfort him, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized that anything she said would be pointless and would only make him more resentful of her.
So, she decided to say nothing.
But he still wouldn’t let go, shaking her body, "Emily, tell me, why did you frame me?"
Frame him?
In these three months, except for the night he took her away, when she was harassed and injured on the street and sent to the hospital, she hadn’t left the apartment. And wasn’t he monitoring her?
She shook her head firmly, she had never framed him.
No matter what others said, she hadn’t done it. She endured the pain, saying each word slowly, "It... wasn’t... me..."
Really, it wasn’t her.
"Emily, you’re lying! The surveillance footage shows you, and the handwriting on the documents is yours. How do you explain that?" He angrily gripped her flesh.
The pain grew more intense, becoming unbearable.
She had no idea about any surveillance footage or handwriting. Could it be that the real Emily had appeared?
That’s what she suddenly thought.
It must be.
At that moment, she understood her role.
Although she didn’t know the details, she knew it was that Emily who had caused trouble and shifted the blame onto her.
Now, no matter what she said, it was useless.