Chapter 239: Cover-Ups and Close Calls

Maya, without looking up from her laptop, said, “No results. I wasn’t into them, and they weren’t into me either.”

Ellis feigned indignation. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

“With your crazy ex breaking into your house at night and my workload, it just seemed like a minor issue. Didn’t think it was worth mentioning.” Maya wasn’t intentionally keeping it from Ellis; it was just that the unsuccessful date had been lost in her busy schedule and didn’t seem important enough to bring up.

“Fair enough.” Ellis sat beside Maya. “But you have to tell me when you start dating!”

“I don’t have time to date!” Maya turned to face Ellis. “Between your issues and my work, there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to handle everything, let alone date. People can only focus on so many things at once,” and Ellis realized that if Maya did start dating, her attention would naturally shift more toward her partner and less towards their friendship. Imagining this scenario, Ellis felt a mix of happiness for Maya’s potential happiness and a twinge of loss.

It wasn’t that she felt their friendship was deteriorating; rather, Maya had been the kindest person to her since her parents passed away. No one compares to Maya!

She had hoped for a love where someone would see only her, where they would treat her well in every way, dreaming that Easton would fall in love with her so they could grow old together in blissful companionship. Instead, she left the marriage covered in emotional scars, realizing Easton had never cared for her even a fraction as much as Maya did. But looking back, she acknowledged her growth since leaving that sad marriage.

She stood up, advising, “Don’t work too late, I’m going to bed.”

“Go ahead,” Maya briefly glanced away from her computer and then suggested, “Why don’t you put a hot towel on your face before you sleep? It might swell up more by morning.”

“I won’t bother; it shouldn’t get any worse,” Ellis was too tired to fuss with her face and just wanted to sleep.

The next morning, Ellis regretted not following Maya’s advice as she stood groggily at the bathroom sink. The girl in the mirror had a face noticeably more swollen than the day before, resembling a puffy-cheeked chipmunk. She cursed her decision not to use a hot towel last night. Facing a day at work with her swollen face, she left her room disgruntled.

By chance, she ran into Maya, also ready for work, who burst into laughter upon seeing her.

“What’s so funny?” Ellis covered her face, embarrassed.

“Your face! You look like a squirrel storing nuts in its cheeks, kind of cute!” Maya tried to suppress her laughter. “Or like you’ve just had your wisdom teeth out. If anyone asks what you did over the weekend, just say you had your wisdom teeth removed.”

Ellis didn’t feel like talking, but Maya’s suggestion was a good cover. Considering her vanity, she grabbed a face mask to cover the swelling. After ensuring the mask hid her puffy cheeks well enough to avoid drawing attention, she headed to work.

As soon as she arrived, a colleague asked, “Ellis, are you wearing a mask because you’re sick?”

“I had my wisdom teeth removed,” she responded naturally.

The same question came from several more colleagues throughout the morning, and her response remained the same. Each inquiry added a little more to her growing resentment towards Easton.

Her frustration colored her morning, and lunch was a dismal affair. Chewing inevitably strained her injured cheek, and when she absentmindedly used that side, the pain was sharply unpleasant. As she ate, some less observant colleagues even joked about her swollen face. In that moment, her urge to teach Easton and Victoria a harsh lesson was incredibly strong. Her colleagues laughed and chatted while she responded politely and distractedly checked her phone.

A message from Morty popped up on WhatsApp. “Is your face feeling any better? Did the police station contact you?”

Her face was worse, not better! Those two jerks had only slapped her, and the property management had intervened in time, so the police could only hold them for seven days on a public disturbance charge. Ellis silently answered Morty in her mind but couldn’t muster the energy to type out a response.

Morty wasn’t the first man to show a protective stance towards her; Easton had done so too. But transient protection proved nothing. If such small acts of kindness were enough for her to accept Morty’s feelings, then all the pain she endured during her three-year marriage to Easton was for naught, and frankly, Morty hadn’t made a good impression either.