Nathan seemed to realize that breaking down in front of me wasn’t the best look, so he quickly pulled himself together. “Sorry, I honestly haven't…”
“It’s fine. Sometimes you just need to let it out,” I said with a gentle smile.
Nathan stared at me, still dabbing at his eyes. “You’re so understanding. How come Jared can’t see what he’s got?”
“Maybe he’s just clueless,” I mocked.
Nathan couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes still red but a smile breaking through. “Then maybe you should pick someone who isn’t clueless.”
“Who knows,” I said. “Marriage isn’t as great as I thought it would be. Maybe I’m just not good at it. But I’ve seen plenty of couples stay in love their whole lives. Everyone’s got their own path, so there’s no point forcing it.”
Nathan’s face froze for a moment, then he let go of my fingers and said softly, “If there are good people out there, can’t you just not lose hope?”
Looking into his sincere, clear eyes, I nodded. Staring out at the beautiful night, I suddenly remembered the two Instagram captions Tracy had posted. Maybe I should share something too. After all, we should all stay passionate about life.
I picked up my phone and snapped a photo of the lush green plants outside, dotted with little specks of light. My caption read, "Everything’s growing. Maybe it’s time for us to be a little more mindful too."
Just as I posted to Instagram, my phone lit up with a call from Jared. Jared called while I was driving home, but I ignored it. By the time I got home, Jared had called three times. I ignored every single one.
Finally, Wendy spotted me as I walked into the living room and hurried over, waving her phone. “Mrs. Holcomb, is your phone out of battery? Mr. Holcomb’s been calling me instead.”
Sometimes, when one was just completely speechless, all one could do was laugh. I turned to Wendy. “Don’t answer it. I’ll call him back.”
But Wendy, always the soul, still picked up Jared’s call and told him I was home and would call him back. I headed upstairs, flopped onto the couch facing the big window, and finally pulled out my phone to call Jared back.
“Why didn’t you answer? What were you doing?” Jared snapped, his voice sharp with anger.
I replied lazily. “Why are you so worked up? Did you swallow a stick of dynamite or something?”
“Is your phone just for show? Didn’t you hear me calling?” Jared was pissed that I hadn’t picked up right away. To him, it was like I was ignoring him.
“I was driving. It’s dangerous to answer the phone while I’m behind the wheel,” I said, my voice calm and steady.
Jared was still brooding, but didn’t press further. Then his tone dropped, serious: “Who were you with tonight?”
I was honestly surprised since Jared rarely ever gave a damn about where I was. It was just that I used to stay home all the time. He knew I barely had a social life, and Melissa was basically my only friend.
I would always let him know before I went out, but all I ever got back was his cold, distant attitude. I still had our old chats on my phone.
Our calls never lasted more than a minute. I did all the talking, and he just gave me short, half-hearted replies. Times when he had asked about my whereabouts with such fury, like today, were really few and far between.
Honestly, men were just ridiculous. When I was head over heels for him, he couldn’t care less. But now that I was the one pulling away, suddenly he couldn’t stand it.
“I just went out for dinner. What’s the big deal?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Chapter 166
“Who did you have dinner with?” Jared pressed.
I replied lazily, “I didn’t even ask who you were with today. Why do you care so much about what I’m doing?”
Jared was left speechless, silent for a long time.
“Wonne wanted to go to Disneyland, and I happened to be free a couple of days, so I brought her along. Do you want to come?” Jared finally ended with that question.
I gave a lukewarm laugh. “Am I even welcome there?”