Dared to love のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Lorraine and Joey drove to the warehouse with an awkward silence between them. Neither of them had what to say after Joey hinted at his possible interest in Lorraine. She admired him as a colleague but never really paid attention to his features. Now with Joey's affectionate expressions, she saw him in a different light and found him attractive; with a strong jawline, dimpled cheeks, brown eyes, and dark curly hair, Joey had quite the looks, but she was tired of relationship problems. Frankly, she did not see herself getting into another one after her breakup with Clay, especially as she was still in love with him. As they reached the warehouse, and walked into the building, Lorraine saw a familiar profile, but couldn't believe it was him. Her eyes had to be deluding her, she thought; he had no reason to be here. But as he turned, she took several deep breaths and gulped, filled with distress. Standing in front of her in a navy blue suit and a firm smile was her ex-husband's assistan

The ride back to the company was silent once more. Lorraine couldn't stop thinking about Clay and hoped he wouldn't be so stubborn. While driving, she almost missed a traffic light, but Joey spoke up to check on her."Lorraine, you've been driving pretty fast. Can you slow down a bit?" Joey asked, snapping her out of her thoughts."Huh, what?" Lorraine asked, a bit startled."I mean, can you go a little slower, please?" Joey repeated. Just then, Lorraine's favorite summer song, "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles, came on the radio, providing a perfect distraction from thoughts of Clay. A few moments later, they reached her dad's company, and without wasting any time, Lorraine rushed to his office."Why, Dad, why?" she exclaimed as she walked into the room, leaving the door slightly open and slamming a paper on his table. Her father seemed unfazed but quickly addressed her tone."Watch who you're talking to, young lady", he instructed, and she instantly apologized, altering her tone to

Lorraine entered the house, wearing a beaming smile. It had been ages since she had a chance to dress up and go out, and tonight with Joey had been simply delightful. As she strolled through the living room, memories of the evening played in her mind and she almost didn't notice her mother and brother busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner."Lorraine?" her mother, Elaine, called out, snapping her out of her thoughts and startling her."Mom?" Lorraine responded, turning to meet her mother's gaze."Are you alright, sweetie?" her mother asked with concern, glancing at her, a wide smile stretched her lips"Oh, is it a date night?" her mother exclaimed happily. Lorraine hesitated for a moment, but the overwhelming joy she felt couldn't be contained any longer. The date had been perfect."Yes!" she exclaimed with excitement. Hearing this, her brother Jordan jokingly slammed his tray on the kitchen counter and stood up to grab a drink from the fridge."Great! If you could be any louder that'l

The following day, Lorraine woke up in bed again with Clay, but this time felt different. She didn't feel nervous or scared to face him in the morning. She opened her eyes with a smile, searching the room for Clay, but when she turned to his side, he was not there. Instantly, she got up and put on her joggers. Staring at herself in the mirror, a small sheepish smile stretched across her face as she recounted last night. Although seeing herself in a long-distance relationship was something she could not see herself in, she didn't mind, she would do anything to be with Clay. Lorraine walked around the room, admiring the executive Hotel suite Clay had rented and suddenly her eyes widened when they gazed upon her old painting "Dali Flumes" and immediately she was filled with questions. She walked towards the door, opened it and moved through the living room and down to the kitchen. Her boots made loud thudding noises against the hardwood floor as she hurried to find Clay, loud enough for

Five million dollars? The message kept playing in Lorraine's head. How on earth was she supposed to come up with such a huge amount of money? Could she even consider asking Clay for it? And was Shawn's threat even real? These thoughts raced through Lorraine's mind since she read that message. She tried to figure out what secrets Shawn might be talking about in particular as he didn't know about her marriage with Clay, but her mind drew a blank. She couldn't think of any career-threatening or life-threatening secrets she had.After much introspection, Lorraine began to suspect that Shawn might be referring to her marriage with Clay. She was determined to fight for her marriage this time."How did he find out?" she wondered, considering the possibilities. Only Celeste knew about her marriage with Clay, or so she thought. Doubts crept in as she questioned whether Celeste could be involved with Shawn. The uncertainty weighed heavily on her mind. She couldn't help but wonder why this was h