"It's none of your business! I did divorce her, but she is still Lisa's mother. Does she have to get your
permission if she wants to sleep here? Who do you think you are?" A muscle jerked in Colin's jaw. He
brushed over the corner of his mouth, and blood smeared his fingers.
"I think you are asking for death." Serge clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly.
"Get out of here right now, or I will call the police." The other man seemed so smug and self-satisfied
that Colin felt the need to threaten him.
"Call the police? Fine! Call the police now!" Eyes, clouded with contempt, Serge smiled scornfully. Their
expressions were stiff and tense, flawlessly in line with the air in the room.
Mandy was awakened from her sleep by the noise. She opened her eyes in confusion and seemed to
hear Serge's voice. Slowly, the woman became aware of her surroundings and sat up with a start. Why
was she here? Then she remembered putting Lisa to bed. Did she lull herself to sleep too?
She crept slowly to the door and pushed it open. The voices rose, shrill, and violent. Mandy hurriedly
ran downstairs and crossed the hall with its dark, forbidding atmosphere.
Standing in bewilderment, Mandy saw Colin had a cut on his lips, and his clothes were ripped. Serge
stood in front of him with a menacing aura. It soon became apparent that they fought just now.
But Serge was a strong adversary, and Colin was no match for him. He lost miserably!
"What's going on? Did you fight?" She blinked wildly and looked from one to the other.
As if by tacit agreement, no one spoke. She was not sure exactly what had ensued between them, but
she saw the bloody scene.
"Are you kids?" Serge, why did you beat him?" Mandy scolded and fixed her eyes on him.
The latter's face turned beet red under Mandy's stare. He felt thoroughly ashamed of himself, for he
was guilty. He bowed his head and crisped his lips in. "Mrs. Jin, it's half-past eleven. Mr. Jin has been
calling you for a long time. Let me take you home."
Mandy was instantly alarmed, and her heart skipped a beat. How could she forget about Nathan?
After bathing Lisa, she was so sleepy that she fell asleep with her. 'Oh, God! Has Nathan
misunderstood?'
"Let's go." She almost ran to the sofa and picked up her bag rushed through the door like a criminal
caught in the act.
"Mand." Colin saw her glance over her shoulder, and her movements were resolute. He wanted to
speak and moved toward her. Then, on second thought, he stopped.
"What's wrong?" Whatever he was on about, Mandy had no clue. She was holding her phone and kept
stabbing at the power button but to no avail. 'Why is this thing not turning on?'
"Nothing. Take care of yourself on the way." Colin averted his gaze. The old familiar feeling of
disappointment jabbed him.
Mandy stared at the screen for what felt like the millionth time, but the screen remained dark. Her mind
was in a mess. Scolding herself for her poor memory in considering Nathan, she mumbled inwardly, 'Is
my phone broken?'
"Okay," she said to Colin distractedly. Without another word, she marched off.
The night grew deeper. Serge's car was in front of the main gate of the Summer Villa. Mandy settled
herself into the front seat with a loud sigh. "What's wrong with my phone? I can't turn it on. Is it
broken?"
"I don't think so, Mrs. Jin. Maybe you need to charge it. Are you planning to call Mr. Jin? You can use
my phone." Serge took his phone out of his pocket and left the parking lot slowly. His eyes grew
dimmer in apprehension as he gave Mandy a sideways glance.
Mandy immediately called Nathan, feeling intensely guilty. He answered right away, but the line stayed
silent.
She could feel his wrath through the phone. Steeling herself, she said, "Nathan."
"Yes," Nathan responded indifferently. He had long suspected that Mandy was the one calling him.
Serge was a straightforward person who did not beat around the bush and had an unusual skill of
getting straight to the point. Only women would feel awkward when making a call.
"I... I fell asleep at Colin's house. I was a little tired after spending time with Lisa and fell asleep.
Nathan, please don't be angry." Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back on the seat, clutching the
phone tightly to her ear. She was dimly aware that her heartbeat had become erratic. She felt restless
all over, afraid that the man would be furious.
"Okay," Nathan answered and made his tone dismissive, even curt.
'Oh, Mandy. You promised me that you would ask for my consent before visiting Lisa. Were you only
coaxing me then? And now you're sleeping in Colin's house. You probably slept in the same bed with
him. Why are you pretending now as if nothing has happened?'
He sneered at himself and became more depressed. His heart was heavy and dead in his chest.
Nathan's response was so eerie and terrifying that Mandy's eyes snapped open. She dug her fingers
painfully into her thighs as a stab of pure panic rushed through her. Her voice raced through the phone
lines, "Nathan, it's not what you think. Nothing happened between us, and Lisa was with us all the
time."
"What will happen? What am I thinking? Where did you send Adrian?" Cold words came out from
Nathan like rapid gunfire.
Mandy became guiltier and guiltier as the three sharp questions shot through, silencing her instantly.
Before she could say anything, she heard Nathan say, "Think it over. Was it my fault or yours? Call me
once you figure it out."
Then there was a click. Nathan had hung up.
Mandy took the phone from her ear and stared at it as a reality check of what just occurred. They were
in love for so many years, but it was the first time for Nathan to hang up on her!
It seemed that he was really mad this time!
She nervously bit her lip, brows drawn. She stared absently in front of her, oblivious to the noises
around. Just then, the car slowed to a stop by the curb in front of the villa.
With her bag in hand, she jumped out of the car irritably and threw off her flat shoes by the entrance.
Once in the bedroom, Mandy switched on the light and charged her phone quickly. She took a lot of
photos with Lisa earlier, which drained her phone's battery. As soon as she turned it on, she found
plenty of missed calls, all from Nathan.
It was no wonder he was seething. Her head hit the pillows ruefully, and she tried to sleep.
She turned off the light and curled up. After a while, she shuffled over to her side, and her arm fell
across the empty bed. Grabbing his pillow and holding it close, she sniffed. She could smell his musky
scent combined with the faint fragrance of freshly washed linens. She missed Nathan so much at the
moment. Hugging it tightly, she reached for her phone. With a look of remorse, she mustered the
courage to call him. She took a few deep breaths and started tapping on her phone.
It rang! But it was hung up after three rings.
Mandy was flustered. Her head throbbed, and she had the urge to vomit. It was a common problem for
her. Catching a cold or being extremely tired would always trigger a headache.
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