Chapter 166


    years


    Chapter 167 Her First Man


    As soon as Troy thought about the possibility that it might be true, he was quickly caught up in a


    whirling vortex of emotion.


    Veins pulsed on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, struggling to stop himself from losing his temper.


    He and Imogen couldn’t have a child together.


    Yet, she had a child with another man!


    He thought, “Who is that man? Was he her first man? He actually let Imogen give birth alone and didn’t


    take responsibility for her? If I know who he is, I swear I will tear that person into shreds!” Then, he


    recalled Imogen’s wish to go abroad with Liam all along, so he wondered if that man could be Liam.


    He thought, “Do they have a home together abroad? Have they been together since she was in her


    junior year?”


    mes of anger red in the corners of his heart, its mes burning more fiercely with each. passing


    moment, almost consuming Troy’s sanity.


    All the while, Lane leaned against the wall outside the ward, as still as a statue, quietly perking up his


    gars to listen carefully.


    There was no sounding from the ward.


    It was as if there was no one inside.


    Lane thought to himself, “Mr. Marshall must be very sad right now, silently reminiscing about the past,


    licking the wounds in his heart, and digesting all the bitterness.”


    “Bang!”


    Suddenly, a deafening noise echoed from the ward, causing Lane to shudder.


    Following that came a series of crashing sounds.


    If one listened closely, one would be able to distinguish the thud made by a table being overturned, the


    friction of a sofa being moved, the sharp and piercing sound of ss shattering, and the ng of


    something dropping to the floor…


    Lane cringed in fright, thankful that he hade out.


    He could vividly imagine Troy kicking over a table in a fit of


    rage.


    The ward fell into silence once again following that cacophony of noises.


    After what felt like an eternity, a hoarse voice finally came from inside, “You can go back now.”


    The voice sounded rtively calm, but with careful listening, one could detect a hint of weariness and


    bitterness beneath the surface.


    Lane nced at his phone. It was already eleven at night.


    Given the situation, he figured Troy wouldn’t be getting any sleep at all.


    Lane arrived at the hospital ward early the next morning.


    Upon entering, a heavy smell of cigarette smoke filled the air, so thick that it was suffocating.


    The room was inplete disarray, with the table overturned, the sofa moved, and everything


    scattered on the floor.


    Troy sat on the armchair, leaning against the backrest. His legs were crossed, his arms rested on


    the armrests, and his eyes, which were tightly shut, had dark circles underneath.


    It seemed that he was in the same position when Troy left the day before.


    The floor in front of him was covered in a thickyer of cigarette ash.


    Cigarette butts were strewn everywhere, too numerous to count.


    Lane sighed and walked to the window across the room, opening it to let in fresh air.


    After a few seconds of silence, he approached Troy slowly. “Mr. Marshall, would you like to change to


    another ward? I can have this ce cleaned up for you.”


    After a long while, Troy, with his eyes closed, spoke in a hoarse voice as if there was sandpaper in his


    throat, “All right.”


    Seeing that Troy didn’t bring up the idea of leaving the hospital anymore, Lane felt relieved.


    He was truly worried that if Troy insisted on leaving in his current condition, his body wouldn’t hold up.


    He really felt for Troy.


    While assisting Troy in dealing with the aftermath of the car ident, he checked the


    surveince footage.


    If it weren’t for Imogen, Troy wouldn’t have sustained such serious injuries only to find out about that


    kind of news.


    Fate could be quite cruel.


    Lane went out for a while, and when he returned a few minutester, he said to Troy, “Mr. Marshall, you


    can go to the neighboring ward for now. Someone wille to clean up here shortly.”


    “Sure.”


    Troy slowly opened his eyes.


    His gaze was dull and lifeless, calm and still as water in a bottomless pit, while his eyes were


    bloodshot.


    Due to not having slept all night, the folds of his eyelids were even more pronounced. His brows were


    twisted into a deep frown as he exuded a fierce aura that was filled with resentment.


    He stood up, stepped over the debris on the ground, and walked straight to the neighboring ward. Lane


    followed closely behind, pouring him a ss of water before cing it on the table in front of Troy and


    asking, “Mr. Marshall, is there anything you need me to do?”


    He believed that after learning this news, Troy would make a move.


    Troy sat down on the sofa, crossing his long legs,zily leaning against the backrest. He pinched the


    bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, revealing the stainless steel watch on his


    wrist.


    He slowly picked up the ss of water and took a sip, his voice deep as he ordered, “Find someone to


    investigate what happened during Imogen’s third year of studying abroad. Make it as detailed as


    possible.”


    After sitting still in the ward smoking for the entire night, he finally managed to calm down andb


    through everything, pin–pointing several inconsistencies in it.


    First of all was something he had been suspicious of from the beginning. It was obviously Imogen’s first


    pregnancy due to how clueless and inexperienced she seemed. If she had really


    given birth before, she should have had some experience.


    Secondly, if Imogen had really given birth before, her child should be somewhere.


    “Did shepletely disregard the child’s existence, or did she have some connection with him?” He


    wondered.


    Troy was certain that during the three years of their marriage, Imogen hadn’t returned to the city where


    she studied.


    Lastly, after calming down, he realized that the child probably had nothing to do with Liam.


    Back then, they hadn’t even recognized each other.


    And considering Imogen’s concern for the child and her fondness for Liam, if they had a child together,


    she would definitely be with him.


    Even if Liam abandoned her in the end, she wouldn’t abandon the child to marry him.


    Troy hadn’t forgotten that Imogen had thought about divorcing him and raising the child on her


    own.


    So, all that was left was the question of who the child’s father was.


    That was what Troy wanted to know the most.


    In any case, everything was way too suspicious, and Troy couldn’t just let it go.


    He had to uncover the truth of the matter before he couldy his worries to rest.


    “Understood,” Lane answered.


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    “Please do it as soon as possible!” Troy urged in a stern tone.


    “I will.”


    After a short rest at the hotel, Imogen and herpanions, guided by Charlie, began their journey in


    Oslo.


    They had arrived just after a snowfall, leaving a thickyer of snow on the ground. However, that didn’t


    dampen their enthusiasm for exploring the city.


    Their first destination was Karl Johans Gate.


    It was said to be the busiest shopping street in Oslo.


    On both sides of the street, antique buildings stood, housing a variety of shops, including restaurants,


    cafeterias, shopping malls, and numerous luxury brand stores like LV, Chanel, and Hermes, among


    others, which reminded them somewhat of Sacia City’s famous shopping street.


    There weren’t a lot of pedestrians, and the three of them strolled leisurely along the street.


    Imogen had her hands in her pockets, stepping on the thick snow, asionally ncing around, her


    pace


    unhurried. She didn’t look like a tourist at all.


    Charlie was the most active among them, constantly using her phone’s camera to capture the scenery


    along the way, asionally stepping into a store to browse.


    The tax refund rate there was quite high, making luxury shopping very cost–effective.


    Soon, Charlie had her hands full of shopping bags, while Alex had also bought several reasonably


    priced items, intending to bring them back to give to his parents, rtives, and other friends. “Hey,


    could one of you take a picture of me?” Charlie stood in front of a building, waving the shopping bags in


    her hand.


    A Younger Boyfriend


    The building was in typical gothic style with towering spires, distinct lines, simple and bright, grand and


    magnificent. The round dome windows were adjacent slender columns, and two sculptures of figures


    stood on each side.


    Alex took the shopping bags from Charlie’s hand and pointed to Imogen, saying, “Let Imogen take the


    picture for you!”


    Alex was a professional photographer, but he could tell that Imogen wasn’t very enthusiastic. Thus, he


    wanted to engage her more and make her more active.


    “Imogen, take a picture of me!” Before Imogen could refuse, Charlie handed her the phone. Imogen


    reluctantly found an angle and took a few pictures for Charlie.


    Charlie looked at the phone and eximed, “Wow! This is great, Imogen! You made me look so


    beautiful!”


    Alex nced over and smiled. “Imogen, you have some skills. Maybe you should be our exclusive


    photographer from now on!”


    “Huh?” Imogen furrowed her brows.


    Charlie chimed in. “Yes, yes, you should be our exclusive photographer! Don’t refuse. You’re here for a


    vacation and not taking photos? Then be our photographer!”


    “All right,” Imogen agreed.


    She figured that she should indeed distract herself with something else.


    For dinner, they chose a local restaurant based on various guides that Charlie had looked up, serving


    ssic dishes from the ce.


    ording to Charlie, some ssic dishes in such cold weather would be exceptionally satisfying. The


    restaurant was mainly filled with foreigners, and the waitstaff could speak a few phrases in their


    language.


    After ordering several side dishes, the three of them went to get drinks.


    Suddenly, someone bumped into Imogen.


    Turning her head, Imogen saw a young man with a slightly flushed face. He looked at her


    apologetically and then at her clothes. He quickly apologized in his tongue, “Sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t


    mean it.”


    Imogen looked where he was ncing and saw a spot on her clothes that got dirtied.


    In the local tongue, Imogen said, “It’s okay. Just be a bit more careful next time.”


    Imogen returned to her seat with her drinks, grabbed a few tissues, and wiped the dirties spot as hard


    as she could. Nheless, there was a stain that was quite noticeable against her white down jacket.


    The young man followed her with an expectant expression on his face. He suddenly spoke in her


    language, “Miss, are you from New York?”


    Imogen looked at him in surprise. “Yes.”


    “Are you here on vacation?”


    “Yes.”


    “Then, how about you add me on Facebook? Later, you can tell me how much it costs for dry


    cleaning. If it doesn’te off clean, I’ll buy you a new jacket.”


    “No need.” Imogen declined.


    She wasn’t usually in the habit of spending. Although the down jacket cost her three thousand dors, it


    wasn’t that expensivepared to her ie.


    The young man hesitated for a moment.


    At that point, Charlie came over to them and nudged Imogen. “Imogen, just add him. He’s being


    sincere. Besides, it’s not easy to meet a fellow countryman here. We might even want to hang out


    together in the next few days.”


    The young man nodded along, pointing to a nearby table. “We just arrived yesterday and haven’t had a


    chance to explore yet. How about you?”


    “We arrived this afternoon.”


    Charlie looked at the table where the young man was pointing at. Two other guys looking around the


    same age as him were seated there.


    Charlie curiously asked, “Are you guys college students?”


    The young


    young man smiled shyly. “Yes. We finished our senior year early, so we nned this trip together. Do


    you have any travel ns? If they’re simr, we can rent a car together. It’ll be much cheaper, and we


    can take care of each other.”


    ”


    Charlie smiled and said, “Let’s see. How about you add me on Facebook first?”


    The young man nced at Imogen, who didn’t seem inclined to add him as a friend, and was left with


    no choice but to add Charlie instead. “Sure, I’ll head back now.”


    He looked at Imogen again and said, “Miss, if your clothes don’te out clean, feel free to find me.”


    “Okay,” Charlie responded on behalf of Imogen.


    Once the young man left, Charlie looked at Imogen. “Oh my, Imogen, don’t be so aloof!”


    Imogen raised her head. “Was I?”


    “Were you not?” Charlie widened her eyes. “He was so sincere, but you’ve been expressionless the


    whole time. Isn’t that aloof enough?”


    Imogen choked on her words. “I just don’t think it’s necessary.”


    Imogen had long realized that about herself. Perhaps because she was used to being alone, she was


    rtively passive when it came to making friends unless they were clients she needed to


    maintain.


    To put it simply, while she might make her friends wee if they approached her, she wouldn’t be


    affected that much if they didn’t.


    She didn’t have a strong desire to make friends, avoiding unnecessary social interactions like the one


    just now as much as she could.


    In fact, she only became friends with Charlie and Alex because they worked well together in the


    office.


    As for Troy, he might be the only person she proactively maintained a rtionship with. Charlie said,


    “What’s the big deal? Just treat it as making friends while you travel. You hang out during the trip, and


    after returning home, you’ll part ways.”


    Imogen did find some truth in Charlie’s words.