Chapter 7
Harrison was a stickler for his personal stuff, especially private items like underwear. He never let the housemaids wash his undergarments, and wouls toss them in a specialized washer and dryer that sterilized his stuff. And even when they were all dried and ready to go into the closet, he wouldn’t let the maids lay a finger on them.
Roxanne turned around and said, “I saw you didn’t wash them, so I did it for you.”
She added, “Don’t worry, I used a new basin, hand-washed them myself, and even separated your clothes from the rest,”
Still, Harrison was a bit miffed. He snatched his underwear back with a gloomy face. “You don’t have to wash them for me. Don’t touch my stuff from now on.”
“All this help and you don’t appreciate it,” Roxanne grumbled under her breath.
But she wasn’t mad. She just wouldn’t touch his stuff next time.
“I toasted some bread and fried some eggs. There’s milk in the fridge. Help yourself. I’m heading to work.”
Despite the slight unpleasantness, nothing beat making a living.
Roxanne headed to the office with a spring in her step. Around 10 o’clock, she was about to head out for some errands when Chloe called her, wanting to meet up at Starbucks.
No replies or calls for two days and now she wanted to meet out of the blue?
Roxanne found it strange. “Chloe, what’s up?”
“Anne, let’s talk in person. I’ll be waiting for you at the Starbucks we usually go to”
When Roxanne arrived, she only saw Chloe.
“Why didn’t you bring Austin?” she asked as she sat down.
“I asked my mom to watch him for a while.” Chloe pushed a coffee in front of her “I ordered your favorite latte.”
Roxanne was taken aback. “You put on makeup today?”
It’s been years since she last saw Chloe wear makeup. This was a rare sight indeed!
Chloe gave a bitter smile. “Even with makeup, I can’t hide my pallor, can I?”
“No way, you’re naturally gorgeous,” Roxanne reassured her, not having the heart to tell Chloe that her makeup was a bit too heavy. It might also have been because of age, Chloe’s skin was not as youthful as before, and the makeup made her look a bit older. After all, she was already a mother of two.
But Chloe was beautiful even without makeup. “What brand of makeup are you using? It seems a bit patchy, did you apply too much?” Chloe didn’t even know what brand of makeup she was using.
With two young kids and a husband to take care of, she hardly had time to apply makeup, let alone sleep properly. She thought her hard work was worth it with a successful husband, a talented daughter, and a cute son. But when she overheard Oliver’s conversation with Roxanne the other day, she realized how miserable she was.
Looking haggard, with no ambition, she was feeling left behind by society, and her husband was no longer interested in her, only thinking about her best friend.
Each word was like a crumbling rock, hitting Chloe’s fragile heart hard, and causing unbearable pain.
Chloe had been holding a grudge against Roxanne for the past couple of days. Why did Oliver have to have feelings for Roxanne, her best friend?
So, she didn’t respond to Roxanne’s messages or calls. But after careful consideration, she regained her composure.
How could she blame Roxanne? It was Oliver’s fault. Even if Roxanne wasn’t there, it would be someone else. She almost lost her best friend due to her pain and anger.
Maybe Roxanne rushed into marriage because of Oliver’s harassment. Otherwise, Roxanne, who had been single for seven years and had always been resistant to love and marriage, wouldn’t suddenly get married. Maybe it was for her.
She almost lost a good friend who truly cared for her because of a man’s provocation.
“Anne, I’m sorry. I was too tired taking care of the kids these past few days and wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t reply to your messages. I didn’t even properly congratulate you on your marriage,” Chloe apologized sincerely.
She then asked Roxanne about her marriage.
Roxanne casually answered while showing more concern for Chloe’s health. “Are you okay? Did you see a doctor?”
Chloe brushed it off and said, “Anne, I’m really lucky to have a friend like you.” If it was anyone else’s friend, they would have betrayed her for a handsome and charming man like Oliver.
“Chloe, why are you suddenly saying all this? Are you troubled by something?”
“No, nothing. I’m just really glad to have a friend like you!”
The two friends looked at each other, each with their own worries, yet neither one broke the silence.
“Anne,” Chloe suddenly said. “I want to go back to work.”
“You’ve always prioritized your family and children, and whenever I encouraged you to go back to work, you were always reluctant.” Roxanne was puzzled.
“I just feel like working now.”
“Did you and Oliver have a fight?”
“No.”
Chloe didn’t even have the energy to argue. Even without the confession to Roxanne, there was nothing left to talk about between them. Every day, Oliver would come home, complain about how tired he was from work, and then just collapse on the couch, giggling at his phone, not even bothering to help her with the kids, let alone do any chores.
If she said anything, Oliver’s relatives would join him in criticizing her, accusing her of being an ungrateful wife. She tried arguing, but it was useless and only made her more exhausted and irritable.
Instead of wasting energy arguing with them and getting herself worked up, she’d rather just finish her tasks quietly and take some time
to rest
Oliver’s tender care for her before marriage had long gone in the mundane marital life.
Chloe never revealed this to Roxanne, let alone dared to tell her own family. So no one knew that her marriage was actually very tough. She hid her sadness and casually laughed. “Anne, you’re right. Women should have their own careers and social life, and above all, we should be financially independent to play other roles well.”
Why was it that after years of persuasion, she suddenly took her advice this time?
Roxanne was suspicious. Did Chloe know about Oliver’s confession to her? But she dared not ask. If this was made public, it would be a double blow to Chloe.
Smart Roxanne noticed something but didn’t break it. She looked at Chloe sympathetically and relieved. “Chloe, I knew it. You could definitely be yourself again and reclaim your life.”
“I’m kinda scared to go back to work. After all, I haven’t worked for seven years. I’m out of touch with society.”
Chloe’s fear was real, but she also decided to move forward. “But I still have to take this step. Otherwise, if Oliver completely abandoned her one day, she wouldn’t even have a source of income. How could she provide a stable and happy life for their child? These days, Chloe also realized the truth. If your partner was unreliable, you had to tap into your inner strength.
Thinking of this, Chloe said again, “Anne, when we three set up the company at the beginning, the legal person and the beneficiary of the equity should not have been given to Oliver.”
It was not time to break up with Oliver yet. If they really broke up, Chloe was really afraid that she and Roxanne would end up with nothing.
Roxanne seemed to see through Chloe’s thoughts. “Are you afraid of breaking up with Oliver and then getting into a dispute over interests?”
Chloe felt that this matter needed long-term planning. I’m just talking, don’t take it to heart. Anne, rest assured, if that day really comes, even if I suffer, I will never let you get hurt.”
Roxanne had been worried about this two days ago. She was more and more convinced that Chloe knew about Oliver’s confession to her.
“Chloe!”
“Hmm! What’s up?”
“Do you.” Even the decisive Roxanne had times when she couldn’t ask a question.
