Chapter 87 The Truth
Regina slowly closed her eyes, feeling the winter wind slice across her face.
Philip's eyes scanned her from head to toe.
She stood there quietly, with no sign of hysteria. Her calmness made him panic.
No matter if Philip tried to approach or withdraw, or even if he humiliated himself to salvage the situation, he knew it wouldn't change anything.
"Alright, I get it," Regina said, opening her eyes and looking at him calmly. "And just so you know, no matter what happened that night, there's no chance for us anymore."
Indeed, she was never coming back.
Philip watched helplessly as she walked past him, her steps uneven in the snow, moving farther away.
He wanted to grab her, but his last bit of rationality kept him frozen in that icy world.
In the "Post-Nuptial Passion" radio drama studio, producer Helen kept checking her phone.
"What's going on? We were supposed to start at nine, and it's already ten past. Regina's not here, and she's not answering my messages or calls. Did something happen?"
As Helen finished speaking, Douglas, sitting on the couch, suddenly looked up.
His intense gaze made Helen, who had her back to him, stiffen. She quickly turned around.
She hadn't realized how important this masked Douglas was, but his presence was so strong that even a slight movement made Helen instinctively lower her stance.
"Sorry, Dougal, for keeping you waiting," Helen quickly apologized.
Not to mention Dougal's status in the voice acting world, the fact that he was voicing this drama for free deserved their utmost respect.
"Maybe it's traffic. Regina might be stuck. I'll try calling her again."
"No need," Douglas, who had been silent for the past half hour, finally spoke. "Let's wait a bit longer, don't rush her."
"Oh, okay."
Helen kept a watchful eye on Douglas, occasionally glancing at his expression.
She noticed that he had taken out his phone and was intently staring at a chat window, waiting for someone's reply.
Half an hour slipped by like this.
Just as Helen observed Douglas finally starting to type on his screen, her own phone rang, breaking the quiet.
"It's Regina!"
Douglas' fingers paused, and he looked up at Helen, his deep eyes filled with restrained emotions.
"Hello, Regina."
"I'm sorry," came the hoarse voice from the other end, "I can't make it to the studio right now. Please ask Dougal to start without me."
"Did something happen?"
Regina's voice sounded off.
"I'm sorry," Regina repeated, "Something came up, and I can't make it to the studio right now."
"I see. May I ask what happened?"
Regina struggled to keep her cool. "I might've eaten something bad last night, and my throat's not feeling great."
As a pro voice actor, this shouldn't have happened, but Helen couldn't bring herself to be too harsh.
"Alright, I'll let Dougal know."
Hearing 'Dougal,' Regina gripped her phone tighter.
"Please apologize to Dougal for me."
Voice acting required both vocal delivery and emotional nuance, and right now, she seemed unable to adjust her state of mind on the fly.
She had spent a considerable amount of time preparing for this collaboration, but despite all her efforts, it was a shame she couldn't be there in person to stand before Dougal.
Helen hung up and walked over to Douglas.
Douglas wore a mask, so Helen couldn't see his exact expression, but his eyes looked intense.
"Regina said her throat's not well and she can't come today. I know you're busy. How about recording your part first?"
"Where is she now?"
"She should be at the hotel."
Douglas stood up. "Postpone the recording!"
Helen hesitated.
In reality, recording separately wasn't a problem at all. However, when they first discussed the arrangement, Dougal made a special request.
He mentioned that he had his own rhythm when it came to voice acting and, for the sake of authenticity, he wanted to record in the same space as Regina, at the same time.
So, Helen had to push back the recording until both were available.
Now that Regina couldn't come, Dougal lost interest in recording.
After getting Regina's hotel address from Helen, Dougal quickly left.
Douglas rushed to the hotel, calling Regina, but no one answered.
When he arrived, he found out Regina had checked out half an hour ago.
Standing in the lobby, Douglas felt his thoughts tangled and tightening.
After checking out, Regina was at a loss about where to go next.
She felt disoriented and uncertain, like a small boat drifting aimlessly on a vast sea.
Her phone buzzed incessantly with call after call. Seeing the constant stream of incoming calls, Regina felt as if she had lost her very soul.
She desperately wanted to answer Douglas' calls, to hear his voice, but her hand seemed to have a mind of its own, refusing to reach for the answer button.
Douglas: [What happened? Why aren't you answering?]
Douglas: [Isn't communication and honesty the most important thing between a couple?]
Douglas: [Tell me, where are you? What happened?]
Regina read the messages one by one.
Maybe she was too tense to notice the familiarity in those words.
She tried to ignore the painful facts, as usual.
But things didn't go as Regina hoped.
The more she thought about it, the more it hurt.
Until she got another message from Douglas.
Douglas: [I'm in Normon City, at the hotel you were staying at.]
