Chapter 261 She Disappeared for a Summer
Oscar effortlessly lifted her and murmured, "If you won't listen, I have no choice."
Pearl was annoyed. "You're forcing me!"
"I'm more rational than you!"
"I'm not acting on impulse!" Pearl shot back.
Oscar's eyes darkened. "Remember last time? You overworked and almost had a miscarriage. You've been running around all day because of Haley."
Pearl's eyes lowered. "This has nothing to do with me taking a cab home."
Oscar had already placed her in the car. "What if you get a stomachache again? I can't let you go alone."
His concern was clear.
Pearl thought, 'So he remembered.'
She pressed her lips together, silent for a moment.
She felt Oscar's worry but feared it was just wishful thinking.
She remembered his past actions and the pain they caused.
But he did care. "You just pulled me a bit. I'm fine. It's a one-time thing; it won't happen again. I've been careful."
Oscar still wasn't reassured. "You're here now. If you don't want me to carry you again, just get in."
Pearl looked into his eyes, seeing his determination.
Not wanting to lose face, she got in the car.
Harold, the driver, watched them. Despite the tension, he felt their bond had deepened.
He couldn't help but smile.
Pearl saw Harold in the rearview mirror and greeted him.
Harold smiled. "Good evening, Mrs. Brown."
Pearl pressed her lips together. "Oscar and I are getting a divorce. We've tried several times but haven't succeeded. We've even torn up the marriage certificate. This marriage will end; I just don't have the time right now. So, don't call me Mrs. Brown."
Harold, unconcerned, smiled. "You haven't divorced yet. You're still Mr. Brown's wife."
"When I have time, I won't be. When people are emotionally estranged before divorce, they're considered divorced by default, and the titles should change too."
Harold, still hopeful, said, "You two actually have a good relationship, just some misunderstandings."
Pearl tried to clarify her relationship with Oscar.
Harold's words made her retort, "What misunderstandings? This title really bothers me."
She had left the Brown family and wanted to shed the label of being Mr. Brown's wife.
"It seems you really don't want to be my wife."
Oscar heard her words, feeling like any association with him made her feel unclean.
"I don't want to now," Pearl said bluntly.
"When you married me, why didn't you say that?" Oscar said. "Being my wife isn't something you can choose at will."
Pearl looked up at him. "What do you mean by that?"
She feared Oscar might go back on his word.
Last time, when they tore up the marriage certificate, he had firmly said they would divorce, so she thought Oscar had made up his mind.
Some things shouldn't be dragged out; it just leads to more complications.
Oscar turned to her, scrutinizing her before saying, "To get what you want, you must have lied a lot."
"What are you talking about?" Pearl asked.
"To divorce me, you might even lie that the child is Adrian's."
Pearl could count her lies to Oscar on one hand. She never claimed the child was Adrian's. She never admitted it.
Pearl turned her head and retorted, "If the child is not Adrian's, are you suggesting it's yours?"
"Who exactly is Magee?" Oscar's eyes darkened. "Does this person even exist, or did you make him up to spite me?"
He had searched everywhere, investigated everyone she knew, but found no one named Magee. It could be a nickname, but there were no leads.
When he asked, Pearl's heart tightened, and she clenched her hands.
She thought, 'Should I keep this secret buried? If Oscar wanted to know, he'd figure it out. Even if I told him, it wouldn't matter. If he didn't remember, he'd forget forever.'
Pearl said, "He really existed. I didn't lie to you."
Her gaze met Oscar's, less resistant than before. "He saved me. When he shielded me from gunfire, he became a hero in my heart. I'll never forget him."
Oscar listened carefully, hoping for more clues about "Magee." But as he listened, he clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. "Enough!"
Hearing too much about her experiences with another man made him want to erase that man from existence. Then Pearl wouldn't yearn for "Magee" anymore.
Pearl didn't continue, obediently closing her mouth.
Oscar turned away, straightened his back against the seat, remained calm for a while, and then asked, "When were you kidnapped? Why didn't I know?"
Pearl was silent. If Oscar had really investigated her, he should know. Such a major incident, with several students killed, made the newspapers, and the school was closed for weeks.
How could he not know? Unless he hadn't tried hard and just wanted to learn from her.
Pearl smiled awkwardly. "You didn't know me back then, so you wouldn't know."
Oscar said, "You mentioned a gun. That must have caused a stir. Such a big event, even if it didn't make the news, would have leaked photos. Your family, friends, and teachers should all know. But I haven't found a single piece of news or clue about it."
Pearl was taken aback. It shouldn't have turned out this way. Unless he hadn't been thorough.
"However," Oscar continued, his tone deepening, "you disappeared for a summer when you were sixteen or seventeen."
Pearl looked at him, suspecting he had investigated someone else's life. "Impossible. I was in town during high school and never went anywhere."
Oscar looked at her with suspicion.
Pearl reconsidered. "So much time has passed. You might not have found everything, and there could be mistakes. Besides, I know my own life. I haven't forgotten any significant experiences from my childhood. You say I disappeared for a summer, but that's impossible!"
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