Chapter 209
“Alright, put the phone down, stop talking, get ready to eat.”
This is Cedrick’s voice.
“Okay.”
Maricela put the phone down, but didn’t turn off the video.
Lucille saw the kitchen ceiling, but Maricela’s voice kept coming through.
“Cedrick, ah- Cedrick, don’t-”
“I’ll carry you out.”
“Don’t, Cedrick, put me down…”
“Ah… Cedrick, be gentle…”
Hehe!
Lucille pressed a hand to her chest.
She’d long known the pain wouldn’t return, but she’d expected at least some lingering disgust. To her surprise, even that feeling had vanished.
The two people opposite her might as well have been complete strangers.
Stepping away from that environment, leaving that person behind—it felt like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, becom- ing truly light and free.
“Lucille!
Come on, food’s ready!”
Aydan’s voice called from outside.
“Coming!”
She answered cheerfully.
“Lucille.”
Aydan called again from the doorway.
Though the door stood open, he rapped on it anyway. “Lucille, ready yet?
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Chapter 209
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Waiting for you!”
“All set, coming now!”
Lucille grabbed her phone and headed out, about to hang up the video call when Cedrick’s face appeared on the
screen.
He looked furious.
Having no desire to endure his glare, Lucille ended the call the moment he uttered “Lucille.” No matter how many times he called back, she ignored it.
Truthfully, meals thrive on atmosphere.
Instant Hot Meals and cheap convenience foods–normally unfit for proper dining–became a feast tonight. Surround- ed by kindred spirits, the sheer energy of the gathering set everyone ablaze.
This Late–Night Snack felt like Lucille’s first truly satisfying “banquet” in five years, surpassing any extravagant meal —even those costing thousands per person–she’d ever shared with Cedrick.
The lively gathering lasted almost till midnight.
Even with high spirits, it was time to part ways.
Back in her room, Ms. Meredith, preparing for bed, chuckled at the scent clinging to Lucille. “Saw their Instagram posts. Looked like a blast, didn’t it?”
“Absolutely!”
Lucille’s grin wouldn’t fade. “So much fun, really. Thank you, Ms. Meredith.”
Thank you for bringing me out. Thank you for bringing me back to everyone.
This was where she belonged.
Only among friends did life truly resonate.
Late night, silence settled.
Not wanting to disturb Ms. Meredith’s rest, Lucille turned off the light and lay down.
Yet the excitement inside her refused to quiet.
Scrolling through Instagram, she saw countless friends posting Day 2 highlights of their tour–rehearsals by day, gatherings by night.
Vibrant, uplifting energy radiated from every post.
This was living…
Reflecting on the past five years–each dull, lifeless day trapped in marriage’s cage–she felt a dreamlike sense of re-
birth.
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Chapter 209
Naturally, Cedrick’s messages bombarded her all evening.
They kept coming, unanswered. Even as she scrolled through posts, another arrived.
A photo of her and Aydan.
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God knew where he found it–probably Emma’s Six Degrees of Separation theory at work. There she stood beside Aydan, raising a drink in a toast with the group.
She hadn’t realized how brightly she’d smiled that night.
Cedrick’s message reeked of fury: Take a good look at yourself!
Have you forgotten you’re a married woman?
What kind of behavior is that?
Has all sense of decency abandoned you?
Lucille almost laughed aloud. So he knew about decency, of all people?
So, he knows what propriety is?
She just had a group dinner and got photographed, and that’s improper? But he, a married man, goes on a trip to an is- land with another woman, sharing the same room–where’s the propriety in that?
Where’s the morality?
Strangely, even though she found his words ridiculous, she had no urge to retort. She felt that his chat window was like a huge quagmire; every time she said another word to him, she sank deeper into it.