Chapter 187: Moving Out and Moving On
“What do you mean you came over because I was already asleep? Stop twisting the facts!” Ellis closed her eyes briefly, trying to stave off the darkness encroaching on her vision. “I don’t want to waste my words on you. Get out, now!”
Seeing that Ellis wanted nothing to do with him, not even for a second longer, a profound sense of irritation swept over Easton. He felt adrift, like a lone soul floating endlessly in the ocean, unable to pinpoint what was wrong.
Easton didn’t move or speak, but Ellis couldn’t afford to be late for work. She ignored settling scores for now and got ready at lightning speed, swiftly finishing her morning routine.
By the time she was about to leave for the office, the “deadbeat,” as she thought of him, had vanished from her home. Had he left? Any more delays and she’d be late. With Easton’s presence still fresh in her mind, she hurried out the door.
In fact, Easton hadn’t left the neighborhood of Sunshine Estates. He sat in his car, parked by the roadside, watching as Ellis rushed to hail a cab. His gloom subsided, replaced by a vague longing he couldn’t quite grasp.
After work, Ellis dragged Maya to look at houses, which puzzled Maya. Ellis had only been living in her current house for four months, with a year-long lease. Why think about moving now?
Handing Ellis a bottle of water she’d bought on the way, Maya reminded her, “Breaking the lease means losing your security deposit! Can’t you stick it out for a year and get your deposit back?”
“I can’t stand it for another day!” The deadbeat had once remarked that her place wasn’t safe, which Ellis had shrugged off. Today, she felt it was indeed very unsafe.
“Did you end up with a nightmare neighbor?” Maya instinctively thought troublesome neighbors were why Ellis wanted to move. In modern residential buildings, where people live stacked on top of each other, poor soundproofing means even minor noises from neighbors can penetrate one’s home. If unfortunate enough to have nightmare neighbors, noise disturbances become a daily torture, quickly driving anyone to anger.
“It’s not the neighbors; it’s my shameless ex-husband.” Mentioning Easton, Ellis’s face twisted with anger, recounting the morning’s events to Maya with visible rage.
After listening, Maya was first silent, then dumbfounded, incredulously asking, “Your ex broke into your house in the middle of the night to sleep beside you?” It sounded like something out of a legal drama or a sensational news story!
Ellis rolled her eyes uncontrollably. “Yes, he’s that crazy.”
“What the heck! Aren’t you supposed to never see each other again after a divorce?” Maya had never seen such behavior in real life. “What was his purpose?”
“I have no idea what he’s up to; it’s utterly bizarre.”
“Does he have any other behavior that’s out of the ordinary?”
“The man’s a complete nutcase.” Ellis couldn’t make sense of Easton’s antics. Thinking back over the month since their divorce, every action of his seemed off. “Could he actually be mentally ill?”
“Having an ex who could snap at any moment, aren’t you in danger?” Maya said, somewhat concerned.
“It doesn’t seem very dangerous; he’s never harmed me physically.” Ellis was annoyed by the deadbeat sticking to her. Can’t he see that I want nothing to do with him? No, he knows exactly what he’s doing; he’s definitely clinging on to bother me on purpose. “Still, you should be careful,” Maya looked Ellis up and down, thinking her friend was no match for Easton. If he had…
Ellis was momentarily stumped. Is there no place in this world safe from Easton?
“How about I stay with you for a while?” Maya couldn’t stand the thought of Ellis living alone. She was her best friend from childhood; she couldn’t just ignore her friend’s distress.
“Sure,” Ellis hugged Maya. “You’re the best to me.”
“Who else is going to be if not me?” Maya poked Ellis’s smooth cheek. “Come on, let’s find a place with really good security.”
After two days of house-hunting, Ellis successfully rented a new place next to the Tate Group. The house had two clear advantages: it was convenient for walking to work, and the community was high-end with seemingly impeccable security measures—at least to the naked eye. The only downside was its steep price. The cost of living skyrocketed—all thanks to Easton’s antics!
Moving involved packing and transporting loads of stuff. For Ellis, who could only rest for one day this weekend, she felt a compelling urge to march over to the Hudson mansion and slap Easton.
Busy with a new case, Maya was stuck in a cycle of overtime and couldn’t help Ellis move. She stopped by Ellis’s new place while gathering materials, instructing, “Stay here for now, I’ll move in a few days. Be careful.”