Chapter 229 It Means I Still Have a Chance
Stuart gave a wry smile. "Josephine, please don't make fun of me."
"I'm not making fun of you," Josephine said, "It's late at night, and you're wandering around outside my building. I'm scared."
Indeed, doing this late at night could easily mistake him as a thief scoping out the place.
"Did you go out to buy something?" Stuart had no choice but to change the subject. "Be careful when you go out at night."
"I was very safe until you showed up," Josephine said, "Mr. Haustia, go home and rest. Goodbye."
"Josephine," Stuart called out to her, having no other option but to ask directly, "Do you really have a boyfriend?"
"We've been divorced for over five years," She said, "It's perfectly normal for me to have one or even get married again."
Hearing that she had a boyfriend, Stuart's first reaction was disbelief, and at the same time, heartbroken.
Now hearing her talk about remarriage, Stuart felt like his heart was shattering.
Josephine was about to leave, but Stuart couldn't help himself and grabbed her sleeve. "Josephine, I'm not asking you to forgive me right now; I just want a chance to show my sincerity. Even if you have a boyfriend, let me compete fairly."
Before he could finish, she looked down at his hand.
He quickly let go and added, "Since he's just a boyfriend, it means you're not talking about marriage yet, so I still have a chance."
Whether before or after marriage, he had always been domineering and self-centered.
heS rarely saw him so humble.
She couldn't help but think that maybe, if he was like this five years ago, or even had just a tenth of his current attitude, they wouldn't have ended up like this.
But there was no use of saying it now.
He had personally worn down the affection she had for him, bit by bit.
Now he wanted to change, but emotions couldn't only fade but also shift.
Five years ago, she might've still loved him, but she had already moved on.
She shook her head. "You should go."
He said with concern, "It's too late at night. Let me walk you upstairs."
Josephine couldn't be bothered to argue with him. The more she did, the more it seemed like she cared.
From downstairs to upstairs, she completely ignored him.
Stuart would've preferred her to say something, even if it hurt him.
He didn't want her to ignore his existence.
Josephine went upstairs, returned home, and slammed the door shut.
She suddenly craved instant noodles, so she went downstairs to buy a few packs. After boiling a pot of water and making the noodles, she was eating when she heard some noise outside.
She looked through the peephole and was surprised.
The apartment next door, which had been empty, was now bustling with people moving things in.
It was strange to move places in the middle of the night, but she didn't think much about it.
After finishing her noodles and taking a shower, she was about to rest when she heard a knock on the door.
It was quite late, so she definitely wasn't going to open it casually. She took a look and saw that it was Stuart.
"It's so late at night. Are you trying to disturb the peace?" She said rudely, "If you knock again, I'll call the police!"
Stuart showed her the box in his hand. "We're going to be neighbors now, so I brought you some fruits."
Josephine couldn't help but open the door, looking incredulous. "You're moving in next door?"
He replied, "The apartment next door was for sale, so I bought it. Don't worry; I won't bother you. I live next to you just to make sure you're safe. If you ever need anything, even in the middle of the night, just knock on my door, and I'll be there!"
She was speechless.
He handed her the fruits. "We're neighbors now. Let's look out for each other."
However, she didn't take it.
He added, "You're not the only one, you know. I got some for the other neighbors too."
Later on.
"He moved in next door and bought fruit for the other neighbors just to get me to accept it," Josephine said to Laura on the phone, "He's crazy!"
Josephine had just accepted the fruits and closed the door when Laura called, and she couldn't help but vent.
Laura laughed uncontrollably. "Just wait, he might come over later saying his shower is broken and ask to use your bathroom."
She said, "If he dares to come, I'll pour hot water over his head!"
"That sounds a little horrible." Laura laughed and then asked, "Are you really not moved at all? Stuart may not be a good person, but to be honest, he's handsome. He's pleasing to the eyes."
She smiled. "I'm not a twenty-year-old girl anymore. I'm way past the age of just looking at faces."
"That's good. I was worried you'd forget the pain he caused you just by his face. With your qualities, you can find any man you want. I'd rather you be with Rex than get back with Stuart!"
Laura was very dissatisfied with Rex.
The fact that she said this showed how much she disliked Stuart.
Stuart had done such terrible things that anyone who cared about Josephine wouldn't want them back together.
Laura was wrong, though. That night, Josephine slept well, and Stuart didn't come over to borrow the bathroom.
However, early the next morning, she heard a knock while showering.
It was Stuart.
He was holding a pot and tried to come in when she opened the door.
Josephine blocked him. "What's this? Another gift for the neighbors? Do the other neighbors have one too?"
He looked down at her. "I made this myself."
"You can cook?" She laughed. "That's surprising. I was married to you for five years and never knew."
"I didn't have the time or the opportunity," He explained before asking, "Don't you want to try it? I'm a pretty good cook."
She refused with no hesitation, "No."
Hearing her blunt refusal, Stuart's face darkened. "Why not?"
The way to a woman's heart was through her stomach, but Josephine's reaction didn't make sense.
She said, "I'm afraid you'll poison me."
He couldn't help but laugh. "How could I?"
"Stuart," Josephine said, looking like she was about to close the door, "Don't you get it? I don't want to eat anything you make. It's not about your cooking skills; I just don't want any contact with you. Do I have to spell it out?"
"Josephine." Stuart's eyes showed a hint of sadness. "Just consider it as me making up for my past mistakes. Give me a chance to to make it up to you, okay?"
She was about to close the door, but then thought for a moment and stepped back. "Come in."
