Helen’s POV:
“NO!” Despite my refusal, George insisted on walking me home.
“Are you sure you‘d rather stand there all the time?” With no other choice, I decided to let him escort me
home. When I opened the door, he was left stupefied by what he saw.
“What‘s going on? Where‘s all your furniture?”
Ignoring him, I turned on the lights in the apartment. My apartment had become empty. The sofa, coffee
table, TV cabinet, and the dining table and chairs in the living room had all gone. Since there wasn‘t any
furniture, it looked like I had just finished renovating the place and hadn‘t started living here yet.
“Helen, where‘s your stuff?” George asked with a stern expression.
“Keeping the furniture here is pointless, so I sold them.” I decided to tell him the truth. In truth, when
there were still furniture in my apartment, I always felt like there was a blind spot that I couldn‘t see. I
never felt safe in my own apartment because of that. And whenever I was home alone, I‘d feel like
someone was staring at me from a corner that I couldn‘t see.
Honestly, it was good that my apartment was empty now. At the very least, I could see everything at one
glance. It was kind of weird talking to George in the empty living room, so I wanted him to leave as soon
as possible.
“I‘m already home. You can leave now.”
“When did you sell all your furniture?” he asked with a straight face.
“Last month.”
“Does Lucy know about this? I told her to take care of you for me.”
“She‘s been busy lately. Your newly–established business development unit has been recruiting a large
number of people, so it‘s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Was it Phil who drove you home earlier?” he asked again. I shot him a glare and replied, “It‘s getting
late. I think you should leave now.”
George held my hand and dragged me out of the empty apartment.
“You can‘t stay here. Come to the hotel with me.”
The touch of his palm felt so warm. I started to panic and tried my best to break free from his grasp. Was
he insane? We hadn‘t seen each other for so long, and the first thing he did after coming back was to
judge me? He had no right to do that. Why on earth should I listen to him anyway? George seldom ever
got angry with me, but this time, he seemed very serious about this.
“Take a look at yourself, Helen. Your face is sickly pale. If you take good care of yourself, I wouldn‘t force
you to do anything! Don‘t put on a brave facade in front of me. I can tell whether you‘re really fine or
not.”
It was true. I was sick. During the day time, I was a serious, professional lawyer, but as soon as I got
home, I‘d look around the apartment like a God forsaken lunatic. I even suspected that there were
people hiding inside my fridge and closet! 1 Even as I lay on the bed, I couldn‘t help but feel scared. And
every time I closed my eyes, I‘d hear all kinds of noises; crying, laughing, and eerie giggling. The noises
didn‘t stop until dawn.
The next day, my miserable life would start all over again. His words wounded me.
“It‘s none of your damn business!” I grunted. No matter how scared I was to be home alone, I wouldn‘t go
to the hotel with him!
“Fine. If you don‘t wanna go with me, I‘ll stay here with you.” George seemed adamant in his decision, so
I didn‘t stop him anymore. With him by my side, at the very least, I felt safe and secured.
Sadly, I didn‘t even have a sofa in my apartment. We‘d have to share the only bed inside my bedroom.
After entering the bedroom, I felt a little embarrassed.
“You can sleep on the bed, but you‘re forbidden from touching me.” George eyed me up and down and
smirked.
“You‘re so frail and sickly right now. I‘m worried I might break you into pieces if I lay a finger on you. Don‘t
worry. I won‘t touch you.”
Though it was a joke, I still took a look at my body. Indeed, I had become thinner than before, and the
clothes that used to fit me well looked a lot looser. For a moment, I was unsure if I should get mad or be
happy. I lay down on the bed angrily. I had adjusted the position of the bed, placing it right next to the
wall.
In the evening, I often leaned against the wall, huddling myself up. It was the only way I could feel a little
safer. Now, I was near the wall and George was sleeping on the other side of the bed. I felt so much
more relieved than before.
“Are you going out with Phil?” he asked abruptly. I looked at him, but didn‘t answer. What was he thinking
about? If I had fallen in love with Phil, why would I be lying in the same bed with him? Did he think I was
a loose woman or something?
“Answer my question, Helen.” Suddenly, George leaned over, grabbing my shoulders with both hands.
He made me face him and stared at me with burning eyes.
“Think whatever you wanna think!”
How could he act so domineering and yet so fucking stupid? George tightened his grip on my shoulders.
He was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my face.
“Helen, are you doing this because you think I won‘t touch you?” My shoulders began to hurt because he
was gripping me tightly. I wanted to push him away, but I wasn‘t strong enough, so I just shot him a glare.
George let out a sigh as he loosened his grip on my shoulders and embraced me.
“Forget it. Just close your eyes and sleep.”
With him by my side, all the fear I normally felt went away. Even so, I still couldn‘t fall asleep Quietly, I
adjusted my position in his embrace. All of a sudden, George opened his eyes. He wasn‘t asleep either.
He had just gotten back from abroad, so he probably still had jet lag.
“Helen, I went to the headquarters to arrange Jane‘s work. I‘ll try my best to keep her abroad from now
on.” I looked at him in surprise and replied flatly, “Got it.”
“I‘m sorry, Helen. I still can‘t sever all my ties with Jane. You know, she‘s a co–founder of Zhester
Technology, and she‘s also my partner and friend. Besides, she‘s more than qualified for the job. I know
that there‘s an irreconcilable grudge between you and her, and I respect your choice to not be civil with
her. For that reason, I‘ll make sure that you‘ll have as minimal contact with her as possible from now on. I
myself will try to do the same.”
“You don‘t have to promise me anything.”
I wasn‘t that nervous anymore when it came to Jane. After talking about the recent situation, I drifted into
sleep. Although I didn‘t sleep that long, I hadn‘t been able to sleep as soundly as I did today for a long
time. However, in the middle of the night, I dreamt of my father jumping off a building. I saw him standing
on top of the building, ready to jump to his doom. I watched the scene in horror, wanting to rush to his aid
and save him.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from behind me. I turned around and saw George. I immediately
shouted at him, “Hurry up and save him! He‘s gonna jump off the building, George. He‘s going to jump!”
George approached me and looked out the window. He seemed surprised, and he was rooted to his
spot. Flustered, I grabbed his hand and begged, “Look! He‘s on the rooftop of the building across the
street. He‘s standing there, ready to jump. Go and save him! Hurry up! Please, George. I‘m begging
you!”
“Helen? Helen, wake up! No one‘s gonna jump off a building.” George nervously rattled my shoulders
and gently patted my face while calling my name over and over.
“Why do you keep patting my face? Save him, George! Save my dad. He‘s my dad! He‘s going to jump
off the building!”
All of a sudden, I stopped, woke up, and stared at George. Dad? Wasn‘t he dead already? It turned out
that what happened just now was merely a haunting dream.
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