Love the Second Time Around

Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Enduring It

Livid, Dominic’s face turned into a stony grey.

He deserves it for being so mean. Argh, he drives me mad!

After a while, he let out a skin-deep smile and asserted, “You’re right, it’s none of my business. However, it’s important for me to remind you not to bring back any diseases.”

F*ck you! You’re the one who’s sick. Your whole family is sick!

I’m not surprised if Dominic has been taking classes these few years to master spewing hurtful words without cursing. Everything that comes out from his mouth gets on my nerves!

Refusing to be verbally abused by him, I turned away and strode toward my room.

“Where are you going? Hurry up and cook. I’m hungry,” he uttered indifferently.

I rebutted without looking back at him, “Please go ahead and request for someone who’s staying in the pink of health to cook for you.”

Does he expect me to prepare dinner for him after insulting me? Hah! Dream on!

“Fine. Since you no longer want to play your role as the caregiver, you can pack up your bags and leave my house right now.”

Provoked, I turned around. “Sure! Do you really think that I love being here?”

Is that a threat? I’ve been wanting to escape since day one. It’s never my will to stay.

Casually, he continued, “Before you go, let’s settle our scores one by one. First, call up Galaxy Corporation and inform that the author refuses to sell the copyright.”

I was dumbfounded. Wait, isn’t this tantamount to breach of contract?

Gah! I should have known better. He’s definitely not the kindhearted type who will let me go so easily. Upon hearing his first statement, it already made my knees weak.

As if that was not enough, he was urging me to do as he had ordered, “Time is ticking… So you’d better pick up the phone and call them now. Then, we shall continue with other items.”

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to hold it together. I must endure this.

“Mr. Hartnell, please tell me what you would like to have for dinner, and I’ll cook for you right away.” I had to pinch myself when saying so.

Seeing that I caved in, he smirked wickedly. “Why? Have you decided not to leave anymore?” That man knew how to push my buttons.

“Why would I do that? It’s my utmost honor to serve you, Mr. Hartnell.” I plastered a grin on my face.

“All right, I’m not a calculative person. Just make me a five-course meal.”

Staring at him feeling smug after his win, I wanted to give him two tight slaps so badly.

Ironically, I went to prepare dinner.

While cutting the vegetables, I visualized I was actually cutting Dominic up to pieces in order to make myself feel better.

As soon as dinner was served, Dominic attempted multiple ways to show his disgust and find faults with me.

Annoyed, I was extremely close to screaming at him at the top of my lungs.

After eating, I cleaned up the dining area. Finally, it was all peace and tranquility when Dominic went back to his room.

It had been quite a challenge to live with him under the same roof.

After that, I left a lamp switched on in the living room and made my way back to my room.

Opening up my laptop, I planned to complete the illustration soonest possible.

The only good thing that Dominic had done for me ever since I moved in was gifting me with a laptop.

Otherwise, I would never be able to work.

I tried to draw for the past one hour, but things did not go well for me. All thanks to Dominic, his harsh words kept playing in my head.

Dreading the mess that I was in, I was so perturbed about the divorce.

I persisted for another hour and could only come up with something that I was not satisfied with.

Achieving nothing for the entire day, I turned off my laptop and retired for the night with the hope that tomorrow would be a better day for me.

The alarm clock woke me up in the morning. Routinely, I made breakfast and then returned to my room to avoid meeting Dominic because I had nothing to say to him.

Suddenly, I heard him knocking at my door. I can’t completely avoid him, can I?

Reluctantly, I opened the door with a sigh. Calvin was standing behind Dominic, who was on the wheelchair.

As soon as I saw them, I faked a smile. “Good morning, Mr. Hartnell.”

He gave me the once-over while asking suspiciously, “Why? Do you loathe seeing me?”

In my mind, I answered in affirmative.

However, I lied in reality. “Why would I be? Anyway, I’m having a tummy upset, so I couldn’t eat breakfast with you.”

However, he did not buy my excuse. “There’s nothing I can do about it even if you don’t want to see me around the house. I allowed you to leave yesterday, but you’re determined to stay on. Who is to blame for this?”

His response almost made me faint in exasperation.

What did I do to deserve this? If this continues, I’ll meet my maker sooner or later.

“I’m going on a business trip for a few days. You’d better tidy up the house and report to me in advance wherever you go. You’re not allowed to stay out at night. In case of a burglary, you’re fully responsible for all the losses incurred.” Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

I was over the moon when I heard the news, but the second half of what he said made me feel dejected instantly.

He was implying that I had no freedom despite his absence. Why should I report my daily activities to him? Is he scared that I’ll run away?

Clenching my jaw, I acknowledged and sent them off.

The smile on my face melted off swiftly once the door was closed behind me. It was such a chore to put on a happy face.

After that, I could finally draw peacefully without his presence.

Other than drafting the poster, I also planned to retrieve the video from Julius’ house tomorrow afternoon.

I recalled him having to work on Saturdays, whereas Coraline had to attend activities organized for the elderly at the community center. She usually hung out there till the evening.

It was the best time to enter the house when no one was around.

That night, my phone rang when I was having my dinner. It was Dominic.

He first asked me where I was, to which I replied honestly that I was at home. Feeling dubious, he requested me to switch on my video to prove to him my actual location. After confirming, he hung up.

What an absolute lunatic!

The next day, I spent the morning working and only left the house after lunch.

Obliging Dominic’s request, I sent a text message to him and informed him about my plans.

I anticipated a response from him. Yet, he did not call or text me back. So, I kept my phone and went ahead.

Before this, I had it all planned out. There were not a lot of people in the residential area in the afternoon.

Standing at the entrance to my former residence, I knocked. Subsequently, I yelled a few times to check if anyone was inside.

Seeing that no one answered the door, I heaved a sigh of relief as I fished for the key from the mailbox.

One time, I went out without bringing my key. I ended up waiting at the doorstep for half a day because Julius and Coraline were not at home.

Since then, I placed a spare key in the mail box for emergency use.

The mailbox was there only for decoration purposes. Thus, I was very certain that no one had ever noticed the key inside it.

Thankfully, the Keatons did not change their lock, so I could enter the house almost effortlessly.

I headed straight to the study where my computer was kept.

Previously, I worked in the study in order not to disturb Julius’ rest time.

After turning on the computer, I went to the bedroom and looked for a bag to pack my stuff.

Right then, I heard the sound of the door unlocking from the outside.