Tessa said, “Maybe he’s busy. Katherine, whether it’s for your own benefit or for feelings, there’s nothing wrong with being a little more proactive. If he doesn’t reply, just reach out a few more times.”
If pride and principles were taken out of the equation, Tessa did have a point.
But Katherine could not bring herself to be that shameless.
After she got home, she was taking off her clothes and getting ready to shower when Mark finally replied.
‘What do you want?’
Katherine stared at the message for a while.
The way he asked made it clear he thought she was after something.
But she was.
Katherine walked into the bathroom while calling him. Once he picked up, she said, “My mom’s treatment will cost six hundred thousand altogether.”
He said nothing.
It was as if he were calmly weighing whether she was worth that price.
Katherine felt humiliated, but she still forced herself to continue. “I don’t know if what you said about arranging my mother’s surgery included the cost. If it doesn’t, my family can try to put together four hundred thousand. For the remaining two hundred thousand, can you lend it to me first?”
Mark said, “I’ll transfer it when I’m free.”
“Then I’ll let you get back to work,” she said reflexively.
“When was that photo taken?” he asked casually.
Katherine paused.
Then she realized he was talking about the bikini photo, and heat crept into her face.
She answered honestly, “Two years ago, on a trip to Hawaii.”
“Mm.”
But he did not offer even half a word of comment.
“I have a meeting,” he said.
Katherine knew better than to keep him, so she ended the call and told Tessa the money had been settled.
Originally, she had been planning to ask her friends to help her gather the funds.
Tessa asked whether Mark had said the photo looked good.
Katherine said, “He only asked when it was taken.”
Tessa’s eyes lit up. “If he asked about the photo, that means he liked it. Besides, with your figure, how could he not? He’s still a man.”
Katherine quickly said, “Stop teasing me.”
But Katherine didn’t have much experience with relationships. She couldn’t pretend his attention didn’t affect her at all.
Deep down, she liked the idea that he might find her attractive. Maybe that was vanity, but she was human.
“To be honest,” Tessa suddenly said seriously, “if you can win him over, things will be much easier if your mom has any other problems in the future.”
Katherine froze for a moment and said nothing.
The next day, before going to the hospital, she received Mark’s transfer.
Exactly six hundred thousand.
Katherine sent him a special message to thank him.
As usual, he did not reply.
She figured that was just his personality. He probably did not like responding to meaningless messages.
Her mother’s surgery went smoothly, and Katherine felt lighter than she had in a long time.
She went shopping with Tessa for a while.
Neither of them expected to run into Mark and Isla.
Isla was walking ahead of him, her eyes very red.
Mark followed behind her in silence.
A moment later, he quickened his pace and seemed to reach for her, but Isla stepped away before he could touch her.
There was a trace of helplessness in his expression, along with a softness Katherine couldn’t quite name.
He still followed behind her.
It was nothing like the polite but distant way he usually carried himself.
Tessa glanced at Katherine.
And that tiny bit of vanity Katherine had felt, that small feeling of wanting to look good for someone, was shattered completely by the scene in front of her.
She turned and left.
She did not want things to become awkward if Mark noticed her.
Tessa said, “You’re the one who’s married to Mark. Why are you the one hiding?”
Katherine did not answer.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean something is going on between them,” Tessa said. “Maybe they’re saying goodbye, and Isla can’t accept it. This is exactly the kind of situation where you should find a chance to ask clearly. Besides, everyone has a past. As long as it’s handled properly, it’s fine.”
Katherine said quietly, “He came back, and I didn’t even know.”
So there was no point talking about whether they could build a life together.
If he had even the slightest intention of making this marriage real, he would not have kept his whereabouts from her.
Tessa fell silent.
“It’s fine to keep it as a transaction,” Katherine said. “When the time comes, we can part on good terms.”
“Are you still thinking about Calvin?” Tessa asked sharply. “Don’t tell me that once Calvin comes back, you’ll forget everyone else.”
Katherine wanted to deny it.
But the words would not come.
In the end, she left only one sentence, as if trying to convince herself.
“People have to move forward.”
...
When Calvin came out of the research institute after finishing his work, he saw a stray dog searching for food.
It was not afraid of people. The moment it saw him, it came over wagging its tail, without the slightest sense of caution.
Calvin’s heart clenched.
It ached in a sour, heavy way.
Just like his little puppy.
She had never guarded herself against him. She believed every word he said.
He regretted never telling Katherine the truth about his family.
He regretted taking that money too.
He crouched down and stroked the stray dog’s head.
The dog gently licked him, as if trying to soothe the wounds in his heart.
Katherine had been the same.
She had always tried to heal the barren places inside him.
All at once, Calvin became certain.
He had to go back.
He sent Mark a message.
‘I’ll pay the eighty million and return it to the Winter family. I’m coming back.’
Back then, he had left for money.
Now, he wanted none of it.
He only wanted his little puppy.
Masuk
