Novel Square
Chapter 184
Estrella didn’t know what Jason was up to yesterday, but Bryce knew all too well. Jason was at the hospital accompanying Holly.
Jason’s own wife had taken a nasty fall and ended up in the hospital, and he was impossible to reach by phone.
Lying in the hospital bed, Estrella saw Bryce’s complexion sour as he smashed his cellphone to bits. She tried to console him, “Let it go, having you and Jesse by my side is all I need.”
Bryce shoved his hands into his pockets and plopped down onto the chair beside the bed with a stony face.
Catching Bryce’s mood, Estrella chuckled, “Just yesterday, you were telling me to keep my cool, saying men are the least of our worries. So, why are you the one losing your temper now?”
Her face was still pale, and her voice lacked its usual strength. That tumble she took really did a number on her.
Bryce remained silent. Estrella grabbed a pillow and playfully tossed it at him. “What, you think just because I’m laid up today I can’t handle you? You’re gonna ignore me now?”
Bryce moved closer, shimmying onto the edge of the bed. “I brought myself over so you could hit me.”
Estrella smiled. “It’s nothing serious.” She paused, then added, “It’s actually better he didn’t
know?” show up. Gives me more reason to convince myself, you
Bryce ruffled her hair with a bit more force than necessary. “Damn, not worth it.”
Estrella lightly said. “So why are you still mad?
Bryce pinched her cheek affectionately. “Once you’re back on your feet, I’ll set you up a decent guy, make Jason, that son of a gun, green with envy.”
“Deal,” Estrella agreed.
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She might’ve seemed nonchalant, but how could she not be hurting inside? Yesterday, she had cried out in the yard yesterday to no avail, her heart colder than the snow outside. But maybe it was for the best. Now she could let go completely, without a single shred of longing left.
Bryce’s anger hadn’t subsided, so Estrella said, “Bryce, don’t tell my Dad about this, okay? I’ll probably be discharged in a couple of days.”
“What about Jason? What if he still won’t agree to a divorce?” he asked,
Estrella replied. “His agreement isn’t necessary
ון
08:35
Assured by her response, Bryce relaxed a bit.
Later, when Bryce stepped out to take care of some paperwork and make payments, Estrella picked up the new phone Jesse had given her that morning. It was flooded with pictures of Jason, who had spent the entire previous day and night with Holly at the hospital.
She exited the messenger app with a sardonic laugh. Her mood remained unchanged and undisturbed.
When Jason returned exhausted and didn’t see Estrella, he immediately called Marie over. Marie was none too pleased. “Ms. Estrella’s your wife, why are you coming to me? You didn’t handle it well from the beginning, and you stood her up, making her wait for so long. If I were her, I’d be furious and wouldn’t stick around either.”
Before Jason could get a word in, Marie continued, “Mr. Jason, if you keep this up, you just might lose Ms. Estrella for good.”
Rubbing his temples, Jason reached for his phone to call Estrella, only to find the battery dead. After charging his phone and powering it on, he saw that Estrella had called him the previous afternoon. He dialed her number without a change in expression, but no one answered.
Just as he was about to try again, Drew called to inform him that the executives had arrived at the office. Jason decided to deal with work first. He’d sort things out with Estrella at Waterfall Acres later.
In the following days, Jason was swamped with work. He even accepted Holly’s invitation to visit her new library, where he sipped on a cup of coffee.
It had become routine for him and Estrella to go long periods without contact. Early i their marriage, they once went three months without a single message between them.
One evening, after a business engagement with Grayson, the topic of his relationship wi Estrella came up. Jason realized it had been a week since Estrella returned from her business trip.
A full week with no contact, and she hadn’t come looking for him.
Snuffing out his cigarette in a nearby trash can, Jason simply said, “Same old, same old.”
Grayson advised calmly, “Sort out your issues sooner rather than later. If you can’t let go of Holly, then let Estrella go.”
Jason looked at Grayson, wordless. Truth be told, his relationship with Holly wasn’t what people thought, and he had no intention of rekindling anything with her.
Staring at Grayson for a moment, Jason announced he was heading home and left.
08:35
As the car started, Jason dialed Estrella’s number.
“The number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again later.”
“The number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again…”
After several attempts, each met with the same automated message, Jason tossed his phone aside and floored the accelerator toward Waterfall Acres.
“Estrella.”
“Estrella.”
He stood at the door and knocked, but Estrella didn’t come to open it, and there was no response from inside the house. When Estrella didn’t answer her phone or the door, Jason casually keyed in the passcode and let himself in.
“Estrella,” he called out again as he entered, to no response. The house felt like it hadn’t been lived in for a while.
He checked the bedrooms, which were immaculate-not a speck of dust, and all of Estrella’s belongings, even her toiletries, were gone. Suddenly, Jason felt a pang of alarm. He pulled out his phone and tried calling her once more, only to be met again with the message that the phone was switched off.
At that moment, his mind raced to Bryce and he whipped out his phone to give him a call. Just as he punched in the digits, the front door swung open.
In the living room, Jason subconsciously looked up and saw Bryce coming over, wearing a long black down jacket. Without a second thought, Jason hung up the phone and cut to the chase, “Where’s Estrella?”
Bryce felt an inexplicable burst of irritation, especially when he recalled the day Estr fell and Jason was at the hospital staying with Holly. It fueled Bryce’s annoyance eve
more.