Are you game?

Chapter 2 Nothing happened again

See, she has always been an outsider without fitting in. Emma thought he was hers, and sooner or later, so was his heart. All she wants is a home with him, no matter how other people think about her, but it turns out to be just a delusion on her part.

“You don't need to come back to this house in the future, you don't need to please anyone anymore.”Austin's voice comes from behind.

Emma turns around and sees Austin standing in the shadow of the maple tree. Yes, the maple tree. Emma’s favourite plant.

The cigarette in Austin's hand flickered and dimmed. Only when he takes a deep sip of the cigarette, could the flame light up his deep eyes. It Looks like he's been smoking a lot more lately. His addiction to cigarettes is getting deeper and deeper.

Emma's tone is determined:“I'm not trying to please anyone.”

It had once occurred to her that after marrying him, she would please his parents, his sister, his relatives. She would be the perfect wife. Yet no matter what she does, she can never satisfy them.

Finally, she understood that some people's hearts were always as cold as an iceberg, which could never be warmed. It took years for her to realize that some people just do not like you, never have, never will. She is giving up on him and this one-sided love.

Austin stubs out his cigarette and approaches her. His handsome face is gradually illuminated in the light and looks like a model in a magazine, yet his expression is cold and far from the gentleness she has always expected.

Austin:“Let's go.”

Emma gets up:“ I'll get my bag.”

Austin follows her and says :“I'm not going back home tonight.”

Emma lowers her eyes, hiding her emotions: “All right, I will ask the driver to send me home.”

Austin: “He left. I asked the driver to be off duty earlier.”

Emma: “.......”

She takes out her mobile phone:“ Do not worry, I can grab a cab by myself.”

Austin takes away the mobile phone from Emma's hand ,and lifts his chin slightly toward one direction. Emma traces his lead, follows the line of sight, and sees the grandmother looking at the two of them who are leaning close together with a satisfied smile on her face. Her eyes are warm with contentment as she is watching the pair of their bodies inching closer in a picture of intimacy.

Austin slightly bends down, leans close to her ear and whispers:“we are both staying here tonight. We will go to work tomorrow together.”

Going to work for what? Emma has resigned. Doesn't he know about it as the boss?

Looking at the grandmother's expectant expression, Emma hesitated for a moment, then she gently nods.

Emma and Austin have shared the same bed for around two years, but now even sharing a room has become difficult and awkward. Emma gets ants in her pants listening to the sound of showering coming from the bathroom.

When Austin comes out with a towel wiping his head, and his gaze falls upon Emma. She is sitting upright on the sofa. Her posture reminds him of a model camp attendee, a well-behaved obedient student.

A subtle upturn at the corners of Austin's mouth reveals his amusement. Without hesitation, he strides over, gradually leaning against the adjacent table, and drops the towel in his hand beside her. His movements are fluid and deliberate with a meaning of teasing.

Emma's heart skips a beat as she looks up. Austin is wearing a bathrobe with a half-open neckline revealing a large portion of his muscular chest, and the straps are loosely tied with the possibility of falling apart at any time adding an unexpected element of excitement to this moment.

His hair is not completely dried yet, a few drops of water are dropping down from the tips of his hair, sliding down his charming cheeks, chin, the knot of his throat, and disappearing into the strong muscles that could not be seen with the bathrobe's cover.

Damn! It's really hard for Emma to avert her eyes and not look at such a scenario.

Austin laughs:“Seen enough?”

She used to be afraid to see him naked due to shyness. Now she feels nothing as they have agreed to the divorce. She knows clearly that nothing is going to happen between them.

“ Well, your figure is good, but not enough.”

Austin raises his eyebrows. He says nothing with his tongue topping the place where his lower groove teeth are.

Emma walks over and opens the wardrobe. After rummaging through a few times she is just stunned. The original conservative pajamas with long sleeves and long pants are all gone. Only a few sexy halter dresses left.

No one else would have done such a thing except grandmother. They all couldn't wait for the two of them to separate as soon as possible except grandmother, So there is only one possibility: It is the grandmother who has arranged all of this for tonight on purpose.

The crazy thing is that Emma feels these sexy lace nightgowns are pretty gorgeous as a designer. Emma couldn't imagine that an eighty years old grandmother seems to have a great taste in sexy nightgowns.

Seeing her standing in front of the wardrobe for ages without moving, Austin walks over:“What's wrong?”

Emma steps aside and generously shows him the nightgowns from the wardrobe.

Austin glances at the closet and looks down at her: “Don't worry, I am not interested.” He opens his own wardrobe, takes out a T-shirt of his own and throws it to Emma.

When Emma comes out of the shower, there is no sign of Austin in the room. She dimes the lights and climbs into the bed. Later, in a daze, she feels a hot body pressing against her and a hot breath blowing behind her ear. She wakes up instantly, but she doesn't dare to move. However, the person behind her doesn't make any other movement, and just holds her in his arms.

“Austin.” Emma tries to wake him, but the person behind her is not moving at all, as if he is sound asleep. She gently pushes his arm away. Austin's arm rapidly wraps around her again, and he says vaguely: “I miss her.”

She doesn't move anymore, and lets him hold her. Love is in the details, so is disgust. Tears flowed silently from the corners of her eyes to the pillow.

When Emma wakes up in the morning after a sleepless night, her eyes are slightly swollen and there are two big dark circles under her eyes.

When Austin gets up and gets dressed in the morning, his eyes fall on her face for a long time with an unexplained smile. Last night was not the same as grandmother expected. Emma is afraid that someone would find out that they slept in the same bed, but nothing happened again last night, so she doesn't eat breakfast and sits in the car in advance waiting for Austin.

When Austin gets into the car, he throws her a piece of bread and a carton of milk :“It is from grandmother.”

With the pastry grasped tightly in her hand, Emma turns around and sees grandma standing at the door waving to her with a loving smile on her face. The realization that this might be their last meeting with each other hurts her heart, and her tears are about to spill over. Despite the ache within, Emma forces a smile and waves back to grandma with a tenderness that belies her sorrow. The old woman's smile, a blend of pride and affection, seems to encapsulate this moment, freezing it in time for Emma to cherish.

“I am getting off right here.” Emma says. There are two intersections away from the company.

Austin's jaw tightens, and he doesn't say anything until the car drives to another intersection: “Stop the car.”The driver steps on the brake instantly. Austin's words have always been more useful than hers. Waiting for Austin's car to disappear in sight, Emma turns around and walks in the opposite direction.

The boss has a gloomy look on his face early this morning, and everyone in the company doesn't dare to breathe. Several people in the secretary's office feel like they are walking on the edge of a knife, and even tiptoe when walking on the thick carpet.

In the office, Austin's two feet fold on the coffee table, his head leans against the sofa. His eyes don't open hearing the knock on the door:“Come in.”

The secretary pushes the door in, stands by the sofa and says respectfully:“Mr. Wells, there are ten minutes left for the meeting, and this document needs your signature.”

Austin takes it, quickly glances over it, and signs the document.

The Secretary hesitated for a while: “Mr.Wells, there is another thing I don't know whether I should report to you..... Mrs.wells has resigned.”

The nib stops right after writing the word “Austin. ”Austin raises his head:“When?”

“It was yesterday in the morning.” The Secretary cravenly answers. He is secretly checking his boss' expression. As a secretary, observing the words and expressions of the boss is a very important skill.

Austin frowns slightly, and there is obviously a trace of impatience on his face, and he taps his fingers on the table a few times.

Yesterday? I proposed divorce to her yesterday. She had just come to the company with me without even mentioning her resignation. Where was she going? What about her tuition?

For a family like Wells, the tuition of Parsons School of Design is really a piece of cake. However, Austin offered an easy position in his own company for her with much more salary than other companies could ever offer. On one hand, he could keep her in his sights and give her more freedom to balance the job and school. And on the other hand, he could preserve her self-esteem as he found that Emma has never used the black card he gave her to purchase anything, not even a book.

“Don't you need to hand in the resignation application over one month in advance according to the resignation process?” Austin glances at the secretary and asks.

Cold sweat is breaking out on the Secretary's forehead, and he nods: “That's true, but Mrs.Wells said there was something urgent at home. The Human Resources Department then accepted her resignation as a favor.”

Looking at Austin's expression, the secretary guesses that the HR must have made a big mistake.

Austin takes out his mobile phone and plans to call her . The first name in his address book is Emma. Before he placing his finger on it, a call comes in. The name Elizabeth” flashes on the screen.

Austin frowns and answers:“What's the matter?

Elizabeth's voice is as gentle as a kitten's : “Austin, are you in company?”

“Yes.” Austin asks impatiently:“What's the matter? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing. I called you last night, and you didn't answer the phone, um...” A muffled groan suddenly comes from the phone.

Austin asks in a deep voice:“ Then what ?”