Chapter 23: Growing More Dependent
530 Words
Keith had planned to keep his distance, but he’d craved her voice—hearing it had calmed the restlessness in his chest. Two days, forty-eight hours… it suddenly felt like an eternity.
Their conversation was brief, but Dora’s thoughts drifted to the housewarming dinner scheduled for Saturday. If he was coming back in two or three days, he’d miss it. A weight lifted from her shoulders, and her voice turned soft and tender.
“Darling, are you on a business trip?”
“Yes. City A first, then maybe City K on the way back.”
“You must be exhausted. Take care of yourself—eat breakfast, don’t drink too much…”
They chatted like any ordinary couple, not two people on the brink of divorce. When they finally hung up, Dora’s mood had lifted completely—but a sigh escaped her. A single phone call had cured her blues. Why was she growing more dependent on him just as they were ending things?
She tapped her forehead in frustration, then grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom.
Troubled thoughts and lingering excitement kept her up all night. The next morning at work, she’d just poured herself a cup of coffee when Jasper’s call came in. He harassed her nonstop all day. By 4 PM, when her phone rang again, Dora was ready to snap.
“Hello! What do you want? I said 5:30 after work, didn’t I? I’m not going to run away over a stupid watch, okay?”
Her voice was sharp with anger, but Jasper’s tone sounded wronged. “Darling, I have a meeting—I’ll be an hour late…”
Dora pulled at her hair, wanting to scream. “Fine! And stop calling me that!” She slammed the phone down.
At 6:30, she arrived at their meeting spot, her face dark with annoyance. She dragged Jasper straight to a street vendor. “Boss, how much for the cheapest watch strap?”
“Ten dollars!”
“I’ll take it.” Dora reached for it, but Jasper snatched it away. “Are you kidding? This watch is worth over a million! A single polish costs more than that!” He glared at the vendor—was she trying to humiliate him?
Dora smirked. “For something so expensive, the quality is terrible.
Are you sure it’s not a fake, Mr. Qi? I only agreed to get it repaired—not to splurge on it.”
“Antiques are valuable too—dare you fix it here?” Jasper shot the vendor a threatening look. He’d never hear the end of it if word got out he’d repaired a million-dollar watch at a street stall.
Reluctantly, Dora let him drag her to a high-end jewelry store in the mall. While the watch was being inspected, she wandered over to a display case. Suddenly, a hand appeared in her line of sight, holding a delicate diamond earring—a tiny hoop with a loose-set diamond, simple yet dazzling.
“What do you think?” Jasper asked.
Dora nodded honestly. “It’s beautiful.”
“Welcome, Mr. Fu!” A salesgirl’s excited voice cut through the air.
- Writer
