Chapter 6

Bloomberg Group suddenly received a lot of orders for one of its overseas projects, so Timothy only came home the next day in a rush to pack some of his suits before leaving for his business trip.

He never mentioned a word about not coming back home the previous night to Madeline. And, just like that, she was left alone at home once more.

The second day after Timothy left, Madeline started preparing her paperwork. Too many cases had happened during the few days she'd taken off work, and they were now stressing her out. After a few back-to-back meetings in the morning, she'd then gone to every department to run through the cases with them one by one.

When she got home after work, Madeline removed her makeup, freshened up, and changed into a set of activewear. She put her hair up in a ponytail and went out.

She jogged along the path close to the forest garden, stopping occasionally to take in large breaths of fresh air, remaining calm all throughout.

She ran for a little over a mile before stopping at a stone bench to stretch and cool off. She even received a call from Timothy then.

He sounded like he was outside, and there was a lot of background noise too. She even heard a female voice on the line, and Madeline couldn't help but feel sensitive toward it.

She asked him, "Where are you? Who are you with?"

Timothy just answered, "I'm at the garment factory."

Madeline said nothing. She hated it whenever he answered her with perfunctory responses like this. He knew very well what she meant by asking that, and yet, he always pretended not to know.

Sensing Madeline's silence, Timothy changed the topic to something more lighthearted to cheer her up. "Miss me yet?"

She didn't bother humoring him. "You just left. I don't miss you."

"Really? You're not missing me?" he asked again, slower this time. He then quickly changed the topic and asked, "Are you outdoors? Nobody answered the phone at home."

Timothy changed the topic so suddenly that Madeline couldn't quite keep up with his train of thought. "No? I just came back from work."

Just then, a woman in pink knitted activewear was jogging in Madeline's direction from afar, with a Samoyed on a leash.

As soon as Madeline caught sight of her, she could feel her blood begin to boil. She got worked up at once, but amidst her heart beating more quickly than ever, she still felt unusually excited at the same time.

The rush of adrenaline had nothing to do with anything joyful—it felt more like she was actively anticipating something she was immensely curious about, even though she knew that it wasn't a good thing to happen.

Madeline gripped her phone a little harder and said in a hurry, "I'm jogging at the park near our place."

Hearing this, Timothy's tone suddenly turned stern and slightly anxious. "Don't jog anymore and hurry home."

Madelin didn't seem to hear him, however. She just stared as the woman and her dog came closer and closer to her.

Timothy was still going on and on about something on the phone, but Madeline wasn't listening to him anymore. She hung up on him and greeted the woman, who had slowed to a stop before her.

"Hi, do you know if there's a convenience store nearby? I just moved here, and I'm not too familiar with the neighborhood yet," she said.

Madeline looked at Lacey and the huge dog she was walking. Then, she smiled at Lacey and said, "Just go straight for one block and turn left."

Lacey was dressed up very youthfully today. She looked very much like a college student.

Her activewear jacket was only zipped up halfway, revealing her black sports bra and refined collar bones underneath. A heart-shaped pendant hung from her clavicle, the diamonds on it sparkling brightly under the light and looking eerily like a set with the bracelet Madeline was wearing.

Lacey thanked Madeline for the directions, but she still remained standing before her. "Are you living nearby too? We must be from the same neighborhood after all!"

The Samoyed in her hand wouldn't stop sniffing around Madeline's feet as soon as it saw her.

Madeline's smile remained on her face. "Possibly."

She then stared at Lacey for a long while, a half-smile on her face, giving Lacey a curious once-over from head to toe. She wanted to know what sort of tricks this woman was up to.

Lacey didn't seem like she wanted to move at all. She sat down on the stone bench next to Madeline and asked, "Are you out here jogging on your own? It's not safe for a woman to be jogging by herself. Why isn't your boyfriend with you?"

As soon as the words were out, she pretended to have just thought of something and apologized. "Oops, sorry! I just meant that you look like someone who should have a boyfriend, seeing how pretty you are. That's why I…"

Madeline didn't even bother exposing her. She replied in a low voice, "He's out on a business trip. What about you? Married? Or single?"

After all, when dealing with a hypocrite, Madeline couldn't appear to be just like them. Otherwise, their topic would soon digress, and she wouldn't be able to get the answers she wanted to hear. All she had to do was to be straightforward and catch her off guard instead.

Still, Madeline didn't know if her tactic would be effective in a situation like this. She was also testing the waters, trying to see how deep it went before throwing herself into it.

Lacey lowered her head and let out a melodious laugh. "I'm still single, but I do have a lover. Unfortunately, we aren't able to be together because of some circumstances, so I've been alone for the past few years."

She then raised her head and looked at Madeline. "Do you get what I mean?"

Madeline blinked. "I get it. So, are you still waiting for that lover of yours?"

"Of course! I've always been waiting for him. I believe that he will return to me one day."

Madeline looked at her. "What if he's already found himself a girlfriend? Maybe he isn't waiting for you anymore."

"It won't happen," Lacey said confidently. "There's still a place for me in his heart. We've been together since our college days. We were in Jadesville back then, and we always went to church together with his friends.

"After that, we would volunteer at the local shelter and care for the stray animals in need. We also worked part-time together. We love each other very much. Had it not been for… for some issues to rise, I believe that we would never have separated for the past few years."

Madeline felt her throat constricting. "How are you so sure that he still loves you?"

"Why wouldn't I be? He has been paving the path for my success ever since I came back home. He even rented a place for me to stay that's really close to his own home, just so that he could easily come and take care of me. If that's not love, what would that be?

"I came from a very ordinary household, and my family isn't rich or famous. If it hadn't been for him, I would never have been able to overcome the many years of being alone in a foreign country and become the person I am today.

"That's why I think that we were meant to be together," Lacey said lightly and happily, as if she was suddenly feeling a lot better after getting things off her chest. "Nobody will be able to keep us apart. We belong together. It's fate."

The cold evening air wasn't kind to Madeline at all. Gusts of wind blew around her until her hands and heart grew icy-cold.

She had thought that Lacey moved nearby on her own. She never thought that it was Timothy who brought her here instead.

So, she repeated herself. "What if he already has a girlfriend?"

Madeline's tone this time was stiff. Lacey could hear the difference in her voice and turned to look at Madeline with cold, indifferent eyes.

"What's that got to do with you?"

Madeline's eyes were calm, however. She kept quiet and said nothing, as if she really wanted to know Lacey's answer.

Lacey was unable to hold her gaze and shifted, looking away from Madeline. "So what if he already has a girlfriend? Even if he were already married, I have ways to get them divorced."

Her last line was both a provocation and a threat.

The corners of Madeline's lips upturned as she smiled silently. This was the first time she'd ever seen a woman admit that she was a side chick so proudly and confidently.

Madeline's gaze shifted to the Samoyed who had run off nearby and was having the time of his life. Suddenly, she shouted, "Mimi!"

The Samoyed heard his name and immediately came running toward them. He obediently circled around Madeline's feet, then stuck out its tongue and put both its paws in her lap.

Madeline held Mimi's paws and let him climb halfway into her lap. She then reached out and scratched the dog's chin. "Aww, you still remember me, don't you?"

Lacey's face turned stiff immediately. Her expression was one of panic, surprise, and being caught completely off-guard. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever expected something like this.

Meanwhile, Madeline had never felt any better. She continued petting Mimi's head and hugged him a few more times before gently guiding him back to the ground.

Lacey never uttered a single word the whole time.