Bary stood frozen in ce, like he''d been struck by lightning.
Morwenna got married? No, it was Stuart who got married?
Bary looked utterly crestfallen.
Morwenna thought to herself, Bary really cares about Adide.
Knowing that Stuart was married and that Adide was no longer an option, Bary''s heartache was clear.
Bary was so lost in his thoughts that he didn''t even notice his phone buzzing incessantly.
The caller seemed determined to reach him, dialing one call after another until Morwenna, unable to watch any longer, reminded him, "Bary, your phone''s been ringing off the hook. You gonna answer that?"
Without even ncing at the caller ID, Bary picked up the phone in a daze.
The next second, he was met with the scolding of a middle-aged woman on the other end.
"Bary! What have you done this time, blowing through a million bucks? Was it for that maniptive Adide again? How did I end up with such a blockhead for a son? Get back here this instant!"
Snapping back to reality, Bary quickly covered the phone''s mouthpiece, embarrassed that Morwenna overheard his mom''s tirade.
Morwenna cleared her throat and turned away, pretending not to listen, though she had heard every word.
And she couldn''t help but agree with Bary''s mom.
Adide was trouble, no doubt about it.
Bary shifted awkwardly, whispering, "Mom, I''ve got something to take care of, I''lle backter."
"What could you possibly be busy with? Running off to the Vaughn estate, dragging Fletcher along to treat Adide''s brother, right? Adide only had to give you a sweet look, and there you go, heart on your sleeve. Get yourself home now, or I swear I''ll go find Adide myself."
"Mom! How can you say that?"
"End of discussion! If I don''t see you in twenty minutes, I''m hunting down Adide."
The voice on the phone was so loud, Morwenna, sitting right next to Bary, could hear every word crystal clear.
With a sympathetic tone, Morwenna said, "You better head home, Bary. I''ll manage just fine here."
"How can I leave you here? What if that old hag gives you trouble?"
Morwenn? chuckled, "Do you really think she can get the better of me? Or do you think you''re stronger than I am? Go on, don''t let your mom worry."
Bary was at a loss for words. Indeed, he couldn''t even best Morwenna in strength. If anything happened, who would be protecting whom?
With a sigh that made him look like a deted balloon, Bary conceded, "Alright... I''ll head back then."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.
Mainly because if he didn''t, his mother might actually storm out in the middle of the night to confront Adide.
"Go on, then," Morwenna waved him off.
With Bary gone, Morwenna sat back down, alone.
Violet shot Morwenna a few venomous nces but was ultimately more concerned about her son to make a scene.
ncing at her phone, Morwenna noticed Stuart hadn''t reached out to her yet, so she sent him a message: "Stuart, I''ll be homete tonight." After waiting a bit with no reply, Morwenna assumed Stuart was still caught up with work, not giving it another thought.
After all, Stuart was known for histe-night work marathons, often sleeping in the mornings.
Intent on getting back to her writing, Morwenna''s phone pinged twice suddenly.
Expecting it to be Stuart, she checked her messages only to find a text from ude.
"Ms. Winslet, I finished the book you brought over the other day. Are you leaving again tomorrow? Could you bring me another book?" Morwenna was astonished. The book she had delivered was a hefty volume; how had ude managed to finish it so quickly?
Worried, she responded, "Did you
stay up all night reading? Your eyes aren''t in the best shape, and staying up like this is bad for both your eyes health."
and
No sooner had she sent her message than ude''s reply came through.
"I''m sorry, Ms. Winslet, I just got so caught up. I won''t do it again. So, will you bring me another book tomorrow?"
ude waited anxiously for her response glued to his phone. His reason for staying up wasn''t so much the enthralling content as it was his hope to see Ms. Winslet once more.