Chapter 69 Albert Left with Violet
Last night, Albert abruptly ended the call, so Violet came over to Albert's house early in the morning. She initially thought that Albert had simply drunk too much and accidentally hung up the phone while falling asleep.
When they were dating, they had agreed to resolve arguments promptly. Yesterday, the call was cut off before she finished speaking, and she was unsure about Albert's attitude, so she felt somewhat restless all night.
Now, with Yvette in the picture, she was already at a disadvantage. She didn't want her words to push Albert away in a moment of emotional turmoil, so she wanted to come and ease the tension as soon as possible.
This apartment was one they had picked out together before they broke up. At that time, Albert had already proposed, and their relationship seemed natural and smooth. This apartment was bought as their marital home.
The door code was her birthday, and Albert hadn't changed it since the breakup.
When she first came back to find him and discovered this detail, she was deeply moved. There were so many aspects of their life that represented Albert's love and attachment to her. She really shouldn't have doubted Albert.
But when she opened the door and saw Yvette, she was still hit hard.
Yvette was wearing Albert's shirt, which barely covered her hips, revealing the outline of her underwear. Below the shirt were two long, straight, porcelain-white legs.
Her loose hair and the white shirt created a stark contrast, carrying a seductive implication.
Even Violet, in all her naivety, understood what Yvette's getup signified.
They had spent the night in this house, or more precisely, they had made love in this house.
Thinking of how she had undressed yesterday only to be pushed away by Albert, and then looking at Yvette's appearance, the confidence she had built up overnight instantly crumbled.
Her grip tightened on the convenience bag holding her breakfast, her heart ached, and she struggled to maintain her composure.
Violet didn't want Yvette to see her disheveled state, so she took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice calm.
"What are you doing here?" Violet asked directly.
Yvette's expression froze when she saw Violet walk in.
Violet had walked right in using the door code, no prior notice needed. She could come and go freely from Albert's home.
The intimacy of their relationship was self-evident.
Yvette had been Albert's bed partner for over two years. She was now carrying his child. And yet, they'd been hitched for a good while before she even found out where he lived.
Yvette felt a wave of emotion. Looking up, she caught Violet's assessing gaze. She remembered then that she was only wearing Albert's shirt, with nothing on her lower body. It was indeed inappropriate.
Yvette instinctively tightened her legs, trying not to expose herself, and stood up straight, not wanting to appear as if she had been caught cheating.
Violet questioned her again, "What are you doing here?"
Yvette felt uncomfortable but didn't want to appear too pathetic, so she restrained herself and retorted, "Why shouldn't I be here?"
There was a hint of disdain in Violet's eyes. She frowned, her voice stern as she said, “This is not a place for you. Albert bought this apartment for me, as our marital home."
One sentence made Yvette's heart ache.
'Marital home.'
Yvette wondered, 'Had Albert ever given Violet something so beautiful?'
Yvette bit her lip subtly, not wanting to show vulnerability.
She pretended to be calm and said, "Albert bought this apartment for marriage, not for anyone in particular. After all, Albert didn't marry you."
Violet didn't back down. "He had already proposed to me back then, and we bought this apartment together. Don't you feel ashamed being here?"
Every word from Violet hit Yvette's most sensitive spots. She admitted that her strong demeanor was just a facade. She lowered her eyes slightly and said in a suppressed voice, "I don't care about your past. To me, this is just Albert's home."
To Violet, if Albert and Yvette had gone to any hotel, she could deceive herself into thinking Albert didn't love Yvette. But this apartment was filled with beautiful memories of them.
Albert bringing someone here tainted everything Violet had been guarding in her heart.
Violet's eyes gradually turned dark. "Yvette, you shouldn't be here."
Yvette clenched her hands, her fingers digging into her palms.
She said, "This is the home of my lawful husband. Shouldn't you, Miss Swift, be the one who doesn't belong here?"
Just as the two were about to clash, Albert's heavy and slow footsteps came from the end of the hallway.
Seeing Albert appear, Violet's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Her expression was intimate and girlish, the kind of look a girl gives her lover when seeking comfort after being wronged.
Yvette watched as Violet walked towards Albert, her hand at her side clenched tighter.
At that moment, she clearly realized the difference between herself and Violet.
The man who walked out was never her support, nor was he a comforting embrace she could run to when wronged.
Violet, like a hostess, questioned Albert, "How could you let her come here? How could you let her come home?"
Albert had just woken up, having spent the night hungover and feverish. He hadn't fully recovered, and his face still looked pale.
He tiredly surveyed the two women in front of him, his gaze falling on Yvette.
Feeling Albert's gaze, Yvette looked up. Perhaps she sensed it, or maybe it was because this had happened too many times before, she felt Albert wanted her to avoid the situation.
Every time it was her who backed down, she suddenly laughed coldly.
"Albert, is this a place where I don't belong?" Yvette, usually gentle, stared defiantly at Violet, then turned back to Albert, her gaze piercing, "Just say the word, and I'll leave at once."
Albert didn't say anything, but it was clear he had heard. He slowly and calmly met Yvette's gaze.
Then, he turned to Violet and said, "I'll walk you out."
Yvette stayed in the apartment, but Albert left with Violet.
On the surface, it seemed like she had won, but in reality, she was the one who lost.
Yvette laughed at herself. Why couldn't she stop humiliating herself?
Sitting alone in the empty apartment, Yvette looked down at the photo frame on the bedside table.
The intimate image of Albert and Violet in the photo seemed to remind her that she was just a clown.
She had just acted so fiercely in front of Violet. Why did she provoke her? Albert was probably holding her and comforting her gently now.
Why did she start competing with Violet? Why did she do something so futile?
At that moment, Yvette felt truly embarrassed.
