On the other side, the next day, Lennox jolted awake from a nightmare. She shot up, gasping for breath, reflexively clutching the waist of the man beside her.
"Last night I had the most terrifying nightmare. I dreamed you wanted to leave me. I chased after you desperately from behind, but you never once looked back. Thank God it was just a dream. Thank God I opened my eyes and you're right here."
Becket Thorne was being held tightly by Lennox. At first feeling sweet inside, but hearing her call out that other name, his expression immediately hardened. Then he moved his hand up to her neck, his voice tinged with hurt. "Lennox, last night it was me beside you."
Lennox's usually gentle face suddenly froze. She bolted upright, pressing both hands hard against her temples. "Why am I here? Last night I clearly remember saying Summer and I had to go home."
Becket moved closer, leaning against her back. "Did you forget? Last night after dinner, you let me carry you to the bedroom."
Lennox shook her head violently. Only then did her mind begin to clear, and memories from last night came flooding back. Becket had pulled her into the bedroom, and in a moment of impulse she'd gone along.
Now she felt a pang of regret. Yesterday was their seventh wedding anniversary. How could she have been so foolish? Aaron was home alone. She didn't know how long he'd waited for them. She had to get home right away.
Lennox yanked her hand from Becket's grip, grabbing her clothes from the sofa, checking them carefully for any suspicious marks. Becket bit his lip hard, a flash of jealousy sparking in his eyes. He reached out to pull Lennox back, his face showing that familiar, vulnerable expression, looking at her with pitiful eyes. "It's still early. He's probably not even awake yet. Sleep a little more, then go."
But last night's nightmare kept replaying, clearer and clearer, in Lennox's mind. She could even vividly remember my resolute figure as I walked away. And the panic and pain she felt trying to chase after me. A vague sense of unease rose within her.
She pushed Becket's hand away, her eyes carrying a warning. "Since when do I need your permission to go home and find my own husband?"
Becket could only sit on the bed, watching Lennox with dissatisfaction as she carried Summer from the next room and left.
When she placed Summer in the back seat, the little girl groggily woke up. The first words out of her mouth were choked with emotion. "Mommy, last night I dreamed Daddy didn't want me anymore. Daddy was holding another little girl. That kid called him Daddy too. I told them they couldn't call him that, but they said Daddy wasn't mine. That I couldn't call him that anymore."
Those words made Lennox's heart, which had just begun to calm, immediately constrict. Why? Why had both she and her daughter dreamed of me leaving?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. It was only one night away from home. As long as she explained clearly to me, I would definitely understand.
Lennox gently soothed her daughter. "So, it was just a dream, sweetie. You're Daddy's daughter. How could Daddy not want you? When we get home, we'll apologize to Daddy properly. He'll definitely forgive us."
At the same time, she slammed down on the gas pedal. The car shot forward like an arrow, tearing through the wind as it sped down the road.
When passing a flower shop, Lennox suddenly hit the brakes hard. "Summer, wait in the car for Mommy. I'm going to buy flowers for Daddy."
With that, she walked into the shop. Lennox specifically requested my favorite flower, lily of the valley. The shop owner smiled warmly, pulling out a bunch of lily of the valley, meticulously wrapping it into a bouquet. "These days you rarely see a girl so thoughtful about giving flowers. Most just ask me to choose for them. You must really love your husband."
Looking at those fresh blooms, in her mind Lennox saw my face every time I received flowers, and the happy smile I wore then. Lennox's racing heart finally settled down a bit. She smiled back. "That's right. I love my husband very much. This bouquet is also to apologize to him."
The shop owner handed over the wrapped bouquet, then shook her head meaningfully. "Men, all they want is sincerity from their partner. As long as you haven't made an unforgivable mistake, as long as he still loves you, even if it's just a wildflower from the roadside, he'll forgive you."
Those words made Lennox's face visibly pale. She took the flowers, paid, as if wanting to escape from that place.
Back in the car, she checked one more time, hers and Summer's outfits, confirming nothing looked suspicious. Only then did she feel reassured enough to start the car and leave.
A drive that normally took forty minutes she cut down to twenty. The moment she parked, she took Summer's hand in one, held the flowers in the other, and walked straight into the house.
Opening the door, the mansion was still as quiet as ever. She glanced at her watch. It was still early. I was probably still asleep. She planned to gently place the flowers on the bedside table, so I'd be delighted when I woke up.
She lowered her voice. "Summer, let's put the flowers by the bed. Remember, don't wake Daddy."
Summer nodded obediently. Mother and daughter tiptoed upstairs, pushing open the bedroom door.
No one was in the bed. The blanket was folded flat and smooth without a single wrinkle. Lennox walked over and lifted the blanket. All she felt was bone-chilling cold, nothing like someone had slept there.
Summer saw Daddy wasn't in the room and anxiously tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mommy, where did Daddy go?"
Lennox, who'd been anxious the entire drive, now completely erupted. Too panicked to answer her daughter, she rushed downstairs to ask the household staff. "Did anyone see the master go out today?"
The staff looked at each other, then all shook their heads. "Ma'am, we haven't seen the master since we arrived."
"That's right. At this hour the master should still be sleeping. We didn't dare go upstairs and disturb him."
No one had seen me. So perhaps I was still somewhere in the house. Perhaps I was angry and deliberately avoiding them. Lennox tried to reassure herself, then pulled out her phone to text me.
Aaron, Summer and I are home now. Last night the company situation was really unavoidable. I'm sorry. I promise there won't be a next time, okay? Let's go to Hawaii for a vacation. That way no one will bother us anymore. The three of us can make up for our anniversary. Aaron, please don't scare me like this.
She sent message after message, but didn't receive a single response. Lennox couldn't hold back anymore, frantically calling me. But all she heard was that cold automated voice.
We're sorry. The number you have dialed is temporarily unreachable.
By now Summer could clearly sense it too, the unease in her heart growing more intense, seeing even the phone calls weren't going through. The little girl's voice trembled with tears. "Mommy, where did Daddy go? Is Daddy really mad at us? Could it be last night's dream was real?"
A thought that had never occurred before rose uncontrollably in Lennox's mind. Aaron had truly left them.
Impossible. Impossible. "Daddy's just upset. All we have to do is apologize." Lennox tried desperately to suppress her panic, comforting her daughter while frantically searching every room in the mansion just to find any trace of me.
But when she returned to the bedroom, she realized the belongings inside had significantly diminished. The closet that used to be packed full now only held a few of her outfits, hanging there alone and forlorn.