Chapter 49
Sullivan thought about it, and then he acted on 11. He squeezed into the cramped kitchen, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on Megan’s slender shoulder blade, tilting his head slightly to plant a tender kiss on the soft flesh behind her ear.
The sudden display of affection caught her off guard. Megan’s knees nearly buckled. She glanced down at the unwashed dishes in her hands, her voice barely a whisper, “Sullivan, you said you’d come up for a bowl of pasta, and now.. what is this?”
Sullivan tightened his embrace, whispering near her ear, “Megan, please come back to me!”
Megan stiffened.
For the first time, Sullivan wasn’t using a commanding tone to get her to come with him. It sounded more like a plea, and that subtle change tugged at her heartstrings.
She remained silent, head bowed.
Sullivan kissed her hair, looking up slightly. “Please, Megan… please?”
The abrupt ring of a cell phone cut through the moment.
Sullivan frowned slightly, reluctant to answer, but Megan was already coming back to reality.
“Answer it.” she said.
Sullivan glanced at the phone; it was Cressida calling. He dismissed the call and tried to explain, but Megan had already guessed who it was. As she continued washing the dishes, she said indifferently, “You should go! Don’t forget to wire me that $10,000
She acted nonchalant, and all she could think about was the money.
The Intimacy of moments before evaporated.
Sullivan took a step back, watching her silhouette. After a long pause, he asked softly, “Megan, is it that you won’t come back with me
no matter what?”
Megan’s silence was a clear rejection.
Sullivan had his pride; he couldn’t beg. He transferred the $10,000 to her right then and there. Then, he grabbed his coat from the couch and left.
Megan kept washing dishes. She heard the chime of the transfer notification on her phone, heard Sullivan leaving and the door vibrating softly as it closed. She forced herself not to care because she knew all too well where Sullivan’s tendemess had come from.
It was her value!
If she hadn’t landed Mrs. Lambert, if she hadn’t helped him secure that deal, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance, wouldn’t have stooped to visit her just for a bowl of pasta, and wouldn’t have spoken to her in such tender tones.
Because he was Sullivan, the Sullivan who was fierce and unyielding in the business world.
Their parting was not amicable.
Megan convinced herself she didn’t care, yet her eyes were slightly moist. She wasn’t made of wood, she had feelings.
Megan didn’t see Sullivan in the following days.
She felt relieved.
One day, she went to the hospital to visit Joseph. Not long after her arrival, she noticed Cora seemed off, as if something was weighing on her mind.
Sure enough, at lunchtime, Cora made the excuse that she was craving Cajun fish stew, something she couldn’t finish alone. Joseph, suspecting nothing, laughed and said, “Doesn’t Megan like it too? Invite her to share with you. You two can catch up.”
After fluffing his pillow and fussing over him a bit more, Cora left for the hospital cafeteria.
Before the Cajun fish stew arrived, Megan softly asked, “Cora, what’s happened?”
you know anything about her
Cora tried to hold back, but the words spilled out. She revealed to Megan, “That Cressida… Megan, do yo past?”
Megan only knew that Cressida used to be a nurse.
She shook her head.
Cora was livid, scoffing with disdain, “Cressida’s parents, they were nothing but the Quigley family’s former chauffeur and a cook! Your father and I never treated them poorly, but look what they’ve donel Their daughter shamelessly stole your husband! And now, here she is in the hospital, in a room Sullivan’s paying for, with the best doctors at her disposal. The irony of it all!”
