Chapter 284: Cash Drop

Woken by Emma’s call, Ellis lost any remnants of sleepiness and found herself idly scrolling through her phone. With just one WhatsApp account for both personal and professional use, she received a flood of messages today—mostly mass-sent holiday wishes. She gave most a cursory glance without responding, focusing only on conversations with close friends.

Among the numerous notifications, one for a money transfer stood out conspicuously. It was from Morty, who had sent her 27,000 dollars with the note, “Happy New Year, some gift money!”

Normally, gift money was something children received, and the term made her think back to her time as Mrs. Hudson when Easton never really understood why she wanted him to give her gift money. During the holidays, she wanted to feel pampered like a beloved child, but Easton looked down on her with disdain. He never gave her a dime of gift money, saying, “Isn’t the credit card I gave you enough? Don’t be too greedy.” To him, it seemed like he was afraid of her being happy.

Spending even a little money to fulfill her modest desires was beyond his willingness. A man who had never respected her, never loved her, and had cheated throughout their marriage had the nerve to propose they remarry. His audacity extended to showing up at Emma’s place in search of her, an act that was utterly revolting.

She tried not to compare Easton to other men, but it was hard not to, especially since Marty openly pursued her and was also Easton’s childhood friend. Every interaction with him inevitably led to comparisons. Although Morty wasn’t pursuing her in a very serious manner, his attitude was much better than Easton’s. At least he let her feel whether his intentions were sincere, helping her remember that to love others, you must first love yourself. To be loved by others, you need to love yourself, and not to overflow with love for others—just as too much is as bad as too little, and overflowing waters lead to loss.

Shaking off these thoughts, she didn’t accept Morty’s transfer and responded with a casual emoji instead. He had helped her a few times, even saving her once, so she couldn’t be too cold. This was probably what they called maintaining dignity among adults.

As evening approached and she had scrolled enough on her phone, Ellis got out of bed and made a simple dinner. Eating alone, she couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last cooked. She only recalled that Easton never appreciated her cooking and always looked down on her culinary efforts.

The more she thought about it, the more it irked her. On this night of family reunions, she was alone, with the annual Spring Festival Gala playing on the TV, gazing out at the dark night sky. Ellis felt a twinge of loneliness. She was lonely, but not sad—just a bit bored. So, she went back to bed and played some games.

Meanwhile, at the Hudson family’s home, Easton couldn’t stomach the elaborate dinner prepared by the chef. He longed for Ellis to be there, not to dine alone. He couldn’t stop wondering what Ellis was doing, who she was spending New Year’s Eve with, if she thought of him at all, and if she missed their New Year’s Eves together as much as he did.

With a poor appetite, Easton ate little and felt a strong urge to see Ellis. No sooner had he thought about it, he acted on it, checking where Ellis was. Knowing she was still at Maya’s house, he drove there immediately. Parking outside the complex, he stared at Ellis’s building, unsure if he should go in and try to spend New Year’s Eve with her as they used to.

He wanted more than just to see her; he wanted her to run into his arms like she used to, with eyes brimming with tears, her voice soft and whining, hoping to get some gift money from him. But all that was impossible, and for once, he felt a rare bout of cowardice. Afraid to confront her directly and face her disdain, as if by avoiding it, he could temporarily forget that she was his ex-wife.

As time ticked by, Easton didn’t realize how long he had been standing by the roadside. Overcome with cowardice, he went into a convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter. Lighting a cigarette, he tasted nicotine after a long time. Now, he missed how Ellis used to scold him for smoking, hating the smell of it—an ironic twist to his previous annoyance at her complaints.

Easton’s actions outside the complex remained unknown to Ellis. She spent most of New Year’s Eve in bed, drifting off as the first day of the new year arrived. Not waking naturally, she was roused by her phone ringing. Lazily stretching, she slowly checked who was calling. Seeing it was Morty, Ellis hesitated on whether to answer. He had sent gift money the night before, which she hadn’t accepted. What did he want now?