The Day I Stopped Sending Him Sunsets Chapter 06
When I left the hotel, Jenna Brooks’ car was parked by the curb.
The moment she saw me, she got out and hurried over.
I smiled at her a little apologetically.
“Sorry for bothering you, Jenna.”
“Last time, because the procedure required anesthesia, you flew over the same day to be with me. This time, I made you come all this way to pick me up too.”
Jenna rolled her eyes at me.
Without letting me say anything else, she took the two large suitcases from my hands and stuffed them into the trunk.
“If you say stuff like that again, I’m going to get mad. Why are you being polite with me?”
Then she opened the door and pushed me into the passenger seat.
Her voice softened too.
“I never agreed with you staying so far away for Aaron. Your classmates and friends weren’t there. Other than him, you were all alone in that city.”
“If he hurt you, I couldn’t even get there fast enough to kick his ass for you.”
The car merged into traffic.
Jenna freed one hand and patted my shoulder.
“It’s okay now. You’re home.”
“If anyone bullies you again, I’ll be there in three seconds to send him flying.”
Looking at the street outside the window slowly becoming familiar, I leaned back against the seat.
My heart slowly settled.
The signal was a little unstable when my parents answered my call.
I briefly told them about my breakup with Aaron.
The other end fell silent for a few seconds.
Then came my parents’ anxious voices.
No questions.
No blame for being impulsive.
Only repeated reminders to take care of my body, not to overwork myself, and not to catch cold.
Not long after I hung up, I arrived home.
Mom had cleaned the house until it was bright and spotless.
Then she went into the kitchen and busied herself for most of the day.
By evening, steaming dishes covered the dining table.
They were all the comfort foods I used to love.
I sat at the table and looked at the hot soup in front of me.
The warmth of being remembered and carefully cared for spread from my stomach to every limb.
I picked up some food and put it into my mouth.
My eyes grew hot.
So life didn’t fall apart without Aaron.
On the contrary, without Aaron, my life would be better.
That afternoon, Aaron went to my company in a daze.
The receptionist lifted her eyes and recognized him.
Her expression turned cold.
“Nora? She resigned.”
Aaron froze, his pupils shrinking.
“She resigned? When? Did she say where she went?”
“A while ago, I guess.”
The receptionist finally gave him a proper look, her eyes full of undisguised mockery.
“Whether she said exactly where, I don’t know. Why are you asking me, an outsider? Aren’t you her fiancé?”
“Oh, right. I forgot. Your mind is completely on another woman now.”
“I guess you couldn’t be bothered with little things like this.”
Aaron was left speechless, his face shifting between red and white.
The receptionist had been pregnant before.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She slammed down her pen and stood up.
Her tone became blunt.
“She was pregnant, and you let her eat takeout every day. Fine. But you cooked for another woman and couldn’t even bring Nora one warm meal?”
“I truly don’t know if your heart got eaten by a dog.”
He opened his mouth, but couldn’t defend himself.
The receptionist took a deep breath and turned her head away, too disgusted to look at him.
“Mr. Whitman, if there’s nothing else, please leave.”
“We’re a small office. We can’t afford to have such an important man lingering here and affecting our work.”