Chapter 185: The Night Rider

“Just a few thousand dollars; it’s chump change,” Morty mused, staring at her. “After your divorce from Easton, you walked away with nothing, right? You seem pretty broke, plus, since you’re Maya’s godmother, consider this a little charity.”

Ellis’s expression gradually hardened. That damn scumbag Easton, was he spreading the word that I walked away with nothing? Damn his loose lips!

She didn’t bother being polite with Morty and accepted his second transfer, her face expressionless. “You’re right, I walked away with nothing and I’m broke as a joke. Next time you need me to walk the dog, I’ll confidently raise my rates so I don’t lose sleep over being so broke.”

Under the night sky, Ellis spoke earnestly, and Morty couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing Morty’s laughter, Ellis’s face soured. “What’s so funny?”

Morty’s smile faded as if he had never been amused. “Laughing because…”

Seeing him stall after one word, Ellis knew he was making it up on the fly.

Morty, picking up Maya, who was eagerly trying to cuddle with Ellis, scanned the area and said, “You don’t have a car, and you always take a taxi here? It’s a bit of a walk to the main road from here. Let me do a good deed—shall I have my driver give you a lift?”

Ellis was tempted by the prospect of not having to walk to the main road to catch a taxi. After a long day, every step spared was a comfort to her body. But the offer was coming from Morty, and she didn’t quite trust his generosity.

Thinking it over, it was just a short ride to the edge of the neighborhood; Morty probably wasn’t planning anything sinister, so she nodded. “Thanks.”

“Just a moment.”

As Morty carried Maya inside, he quickly instructed his driver.

Seated in Morty’s car, Ellis relaxed against the back of the seat, easing her muscles.

“Ms. Harper, where do you live?”

In the quiet of the car, the driver’s voice made her glance up in confusion.

“Morty asked me to take you home; I need your address,” the driver clarified, seeing her puzzled look.

Wasn’t he just supposed to drop me off outside the neighborhood? After a moment, Ellis gave her address to the driver.

Since she was already in the car, riding all the way home seemed fine, and it would save her the taxi fare.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of Sunshine Estates.

As she got out, Ellis suddenly felt she couldn’t quite figure Morty out. Just considering their recent interactions, he seemed decent enough. But she wasn’t easily fooled by appearances and worried he might be plotting something behind her back.

Once home, Ellis went straight to freshen up. After washing up, she lay in bed and played with her phone to wind down.

Upon opening WhatsApp, she saw several new messages—all from Morty.

“Got home yet? No reply. Did you go to sleep? My driver said he got you home safe; at least tell me, okay?”

2:14 PM

Her reply was perfunctory, but Morty sent another message with an image.

“Okay, goodnight!”

The image was a meme made from a full-body shot of Maya, which made Ellis look a few times more.

It made sense that Morty’s social media was filled with pictures of Maya; she had great camera presence and was impeccably groomed by Morty, a true beauty of the dog world.

She picked a ‘goodnight’ meme from her collection to reply. This wasn’t for Morty but for Maya. After sending it, sleepiness overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes, ready to meet the Sandman.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Stonebridge at the Hudson family home, tossing and turning, Easton found it hard to fall asleep. Insomnia had eased only a few days ago, but now it was back, making him incredibly irritable.

Amid his irritation, there was an unsettling unfamiliarity. Memories of sharing a bed with Ellis, her smiles and laughter, and a longing he had never felt before surfaced uncontrollably. He missed how she clung to him in bed, sticking to him. Even when he pretended to push her away, she would cling stubbornly, cooing, “Honey, no! I just want to sleep holding you!” All those moments had evaporated since Ellis filed for divorce. How long has it been since we’ve shared a bed? Four months? Indeed, it has been four months. But why think about these things? Why reminisce about the sleepless nights spent together?

Pulling his thoughts back, a slight headache began to form as Easton irritably rubbed his temples. His gaze unintentionally fixed on a wedding photo on the wall; seeing Ellis’s radiant smile, he felt an impulsive urge to find her, to share a bed with her once more.