Chapter 22

Early the next morning, Emmanuel awoke to a cold gust of air blowing against his skin, causing his body to tremble profusely. He absentmindedly ran his hand across the goosebumps on his arms. Sneezing twice in rapid succession, he realized he was lying on the hard, cold floor.

"Did she seriously leave me lying in the corridor outside the house?"

Fortunately, he was on the seventeenth floor, the only unit on the top floor. Had there been more, anyone passing by would have been amused by his peculiar situation.

"What a cruel woman!"

Emmanuel hurriedly got to his feet and recalled what happened the previous night. It was obvious Mackenzie had left him to his own devices outside. That wasn't all; he also discovered shoeprints on his clothes. The size of the prints perfectly matched Mackenzie's shoes, so he was pretty sure she had done this to him.

"I just helped her complete a mission. How could she do this to me? What an ingrate! Is she a cold-blooded animal?"

Click.

The door opened, revealing Mackenzie, prepared for work even though it was only half past six in the morning. Their eyes met. Mackenzie feigned nonchalance and walked past him. Emmanuel immediately gripped her wrist. Her skin was so smooth that he nearly lost his grip.

"Do you have a death wish?" Mackenzie shot daggers at him. How dare he touch me? He must be tired of living!

Emmanuel quickly released her wrist and retorted angrily, "Do you even have compassion? Even if I'm a pig, shouldn't you take care of me, considering I'm obviously in need of medical attention? It's just a few more steps to get inside the house. How could you abandon me and leave me to sleep outside all night? What if my injuries become more serious?"

He seemed really upset, but Mackenzie burst out laughing at his comparison to a pig.

"Serves you right!" she said.

She didn't bother explaining and turned to leave. A vortex of anger swirled inside Emmanuel. Even though I have an aversion to hitting women and had promised Mom to take care of my wife, I was tempted to take action against her when she provoked me!

"Wait up! When will you come home with me?" Emmanuel asked hurriedly before she stepped into the elevator.

"Early next month, I think," Mackenzie replied as the elevator doors slid closed.

It was a long time away, but at least she had agreed to a meeting. Emmanuel marched back into the house, seething with anger. He was looking forward to a hot shower to soothe his aching body when Roselynn called.

Emmanuel had promised Roselynn the previous night to let her know the exact time he would be returning with his wife. He had no idea she would call him at seven in the morning. I don't understand women at all.

"Hello, Roselynn."

"Manny, has your wife confirmed when she'll be coming home?"

"Early next month!"

Anger swept over Emmanuel when he recalled Mackenzie's earlier attitude. He was worried she would remain poker-faced when visiting Alessandra, leading to a disagreement between the two. This was a common phenomenon, as mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were often at odds.