Chapter 263: Believe
I couldn't believe it!
But man, humans are weird. My brain was telling me to trust, but my heart was going into overdrive.
People always say girls have complicated thoughts, and now I totally get it. Once you put your real feelings out there, you get all mushy.
But Brad? He’s not the type to say one thing and mean another. No way I’d buy into any crap from others, especially not from Daniel, who’s even sketchier.
Even if I had doubts about where Brad was, I’d just ask him straight up instead of letting my imagination run wild and making things worse.
I heard someone calling my name from behind. I turned around and saw Yancy. He smacked my shoulder with a book, "What’s got you so deep in thought? I’ve called you like a million times and you didn’t even flinch."
I snapped back to reality and realized I’d wandered all the way to the school gate.
After grabbing groceries at the supermarket, we headed home, where Mia was already busy in the kitchen.
Yancy washed his hands and went into the kitchen. He took off Mia's apron, hung it around his neck, and gently pushed her out, making her lie down on the sofa and covering her with a light blanket. "I got this. You just chill. Didn’t I say I’d be home soon? Why’d you start cooking? Luna said you shouldn’t overwork yourself. You need to rest. From now on, wait for me to get back and handle this stuff. Don’t do it yourself."
Yancy’s constant nagging and care for Mia were kinda sweet.
Mia sat on the sofa, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
After changing my clothes, I plopped down next to her, winking and whispering, "Yancy’s pretty awesome, huh?"
Mia glanced at the tall, thin figure in the kitchen and smiled faintly, "Jane, quit teasing me and Yancy. I know you mean well and don’t want me to miss out on someone good. But if someone I loved for five years can change, how can anyone else promise they’ll stick around for life? Plus, with my weak body, I don’t want to be a burden."
"But you can’t let one jerk ruin your whole life. You just loved the wrong guy; it’s not like you did something unforgivable. Getting married and having kids is normal. Don’t tell me you’re planning to stay single forever."
She shook her head slightly, her smile faint. "At least for now, I’m not ready to start something new. I don’t even know if I can still love. Yancy’s great, but if I don’t love him, I won’t take it further."
Mia leaned back on the sofa, looking so empty and fragile, it broke my heart.
Her relationship with Benjamin had really messed her up.
Dinner was gonna take a while. Seeing Mia so tired, I gently helped her to the bedroom to rest, telling her to sleep until dinner was ready.
The phone rang; it was Brad. I took the phone to the bedroom to answer.
In countless calls with Brad, over ninety-nine percent were video calls. Today, it was just a voice call.
I answered, and Brad's deep, steady voice came through, making my ears warm.
"Brad." I called sweetly.
"Yeah," his voice was deep and resonant, "You home?"
"Yeah, I'm home. Brad, have you eaten?"
"Not yet. Got some stuff to handle first, then I'll grab a bite."
We chatted for about five minutes. I could hear some kind of number-calling machine in the background, but I had no clue where Brad was.
Even when the call ended, I couldn't bring myself to ask, "Brad, where are you?"
Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered if I asked; Brad would’ve told me. But asking felt like I was doubting him, and that just didn’t sit right with me.
After thinking it over, I decided to trust him.
Brad mentioned that Benjamin's engagement ceremony got postponed because Benjamin got seriously ill and almost kicked the bucket, but luckily, he pulled through. Brad didn’t know the details, and I didn’t press for more.
One reason was that Benjamin was out of our lives. The other was that the master bedroom and the guest bedroom were just a wall apart, and I didn’t want Mia to overhear anything she shouldn’t.
No need to upset her for no reason.
"Benjamin brought this on himself. He deserves it. He can do whatever he wants; I won’t tell Mia, and neither should you, Brad. Benjamin’s a jerk, and I don’t want Mia getting hurt by him again."
Brad was quiet for a moment and then said that Benjamin was actually pretty pitiful. Whether to tell Mia was up to me.
Up to me? Well, I wasn’t gonna tell her.
While talking to Brad, I wasn’t exactly whispering. To make sure Mia didn’t hear, I went to her room under the pretense of keeping her company.
Mia was super sleepy, barely able to keep her eyes open, so she probably didn’t catch any of it.
That night, I had a video call with Helen and played games with Lillian and Amelia until past eleven, so I woke up late.
After quickly getting ready, I was about to rush out without breakfast when Luna stopped me. She handed me a light blue lunchbox, saying that skipping breakfast would make me gain weight. Knowing I was in a hurry, she had already packed it for me and told me to eat it at school.
I only had one class in the morning, which ended at 9:30. I ran to Crystal House with the lunchbox and had just finished it when Brad walked in.
I checked my watch; it was 10:05. Did he drive back right after finishing his business? Otherwise, how could he be so early? It was totally unexpected.
I was stunned when I saw him.
Was this still my handsome Brad?
After just one day and night, he looked way more worn out. He was still well-dressed, but there was a clear fatigue in his eyes, and his thick eyebrows were furrowed, clearly troubled.
I walked up to Brad and gently touched his forehead, feeling heartbroken for him.
There were a few younger art students in the studio besides me, so to avoid disturbing them, we didn’t talk much. He just leaned back in a chair and closed his eyes to rest.
"Didn't sleep all night?"
"Less than two hours."
"Why push yourself so hard? Nothing’s more important than your health. Making money matters, but staying healthy is even more crucial."
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