Carlos called Dixon and quickly made some arrangements. After getting everything in order, he hung up the phone and stared at Evelyn's bedroom door, deep in thought.
After dinner, Evelyn finally plucked up some courage to call Sheffield.
However, to her disappointment, his phone was switched off. "Sorry, the subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable."
Evelyn tried calling him a few more times after that, but to no avail. In the end, she gave up.
Ever since Evelyn was pregnant, she stopped going to the company. Carlos gave no explanation as to why she suddenly decided to quit her job.
As such, people's imaginations ran wild, creating baseless narratives, one stranger than the other. Some guessed that Evelyn was so devastated by what Calvert did that she decided to go on a soul-healing vacation.
As time went by, Evelyn's whereabouts became a mystery. Despite all the media reporters' best efforts, no one could tell where she was.
Two years later, in Leafside Village, D City
The entire village was home to a bustling population set against the backdrop of the ruins of dilapidated houses.
A gray-colored, seven-seater minivan slowly stopped opposite a small clinic at the entrance of the village. Without rolling down the window, the woman in the car stared at the shabby clinic.
Sitting in the back seat of the minivan, she squinted her eyes to get a closer look and found a doctor examining a crying child with his stethoscope.
The doctor's white uniform looked relatively new. Neither his clothing nor his temperament fit in well with this run-down village.
Having noticed what was wrong with the child, the doctor began to write down the prescription on paper. "Give him Western medicine first. Then switch back to Chinese medicine after he's better."
"Okay, okay. Thank you, Dr. Tang." The plainly-dressed woman, who was holding the child in her arms, looked at him with gratitude.
He was the most skilled and handsome doctor in all the nearby villages. He could easily draw a long queue of patients from here, all the way to the opposite side of the road. It was already past noon, and this child was his last patient for the morning.
Any outsider would simply assume that he didn't have many patients, but the truth was that Sheffield had a lot of patients on his waiting list this afternoon.
A woman in a nurse's uniform came out of the inner chamber with medical equipment and smiled sweetly at the man. "Sheffield, my mom's calling us in for lunch. Let's go before she gets mad at us again."
"Okay, I'll be there in a bit," he said, smiling back at her.
"You can find this medicine in the town pharmacy, and the others will be available in the next room," he said, passing the child's mother a piece of paper.
"Okay. Thank you very much, Dr. Tang!"
Soon after, the woman left with her child.
Suddenly, a girl ran into the room holding a tattered toy in her hands and said, "There's that car again, parked just outside, Sheffield."
Sheffield paused for a moment but didn't look up. He asked the girl in a soft voice, "What car did you see and where?"
"I'm not sure what car it is, but it looks new and expensive. I think the people inside the car are waiting for someone. It's over there."
The little girl stretched out her hand and pointed to the minivan just across the road.
Following the direction she pointed at, Sheffield caught sight of the minivan.
This was the third time he had seen the minivan outside this clinic, but it was the first time in this month. Although Sheffield was aware of it, he didn't seem to care enough to probe into the matter too much.
Not far away stood many villagers; some were holding bowls of rice, while some were just passing by. Their curious eyes fell on the minivan, which didn't seem to fit in with the environment here.
Sheffield looked away and started to pack his stuff. "Have you had lunch?" he asked the little girl.
"Not yet. Grandpa hasn't finished cooking."
Sheffield washed his hands, took off his white gown and hung it on the rack, before he walked out of the clinic with the nurse who had also changed out of her work attire.
As soon as they walked out, the gray minivan turned around and stopped right in front of Sheffield.
As the window slowly rolled down, a familiar face revealed itself from inside the car.
Her long hair was tied up into a knot. She wore a light coat with just a dash of makeup on, nothing too fancy. On the bridge of her nose rested a pair of sunglasses, and her lips had a reddish-brown glaze.
As she took off her sunglasses and peered into Sheffield's eyes, she calmly said, "It's been a while."
Indeed, it had been a long time since the last time they had seen each other. In just ten more days, they would have been separated for two whole years.
The man smiled and remained silent, standing still.
The nurse beside him looked at the woman with puzzlement and whispered to him, "Is she your friend, Sheffield?" 'She looks like a movie star! She must have come from a big city. I've never seen someone so beautiful in these parts before!' she thought to herself.
Much to her surprise, Sheffield replied, "No, she isn't."
"All right," said the nurse, shrugging her shoulders.
Evelyn glanced at the nurse and thought, 'They seem to be quite close with each other.'
She clenched her sunglasses and asked him expressionlessly, "Are you planning on staying in this village for the rest of your life?"
After looking around, Sheffield nodded and said in a relaxed tone, "Why not? The villagers here are simple, the girls are beautiful, and the children are adorable. Without the clamor and fast-paced life of the cities, I can get some peace in this place."
'What really matters is that the girls are beautiful, right?'
Evelyn thought bitterly, as she looked away and put on her sunglasses. "If that's the case, then I wish you a happy life," she said coldly.
'He knows that I have been looking all over for him. He's seen the minivan before, but he didn't reach out. What a jerk!' she cursed inwardly.
Evelyn rolled up the window and told Felix, "Let's go!"
As the minivan drove further off into the distance, Sheffield curled up his lips.
The nurse asked again, "Sheffield, is she really not your friend?"
"No, she's not." Sheffield wanted more than that.
The nurse breathed a sigh of relief. "Then why did she come to you?" she asked again.
"Because she... misses me." This time, he wore a hearty smile on his face.
"What? Is she one of your admirers?" There were many women who wanted to be with Sheffield. Even the widows in the village wanted to get close to him.
'One of my admirers?' Sheffield didn't deny it. "Yes," he replied with a smirk.
"Well, do you like her?" she asked, holding her breath in expectation.
As Sheffield took out his phone, he replied, "No, I don't."
His answer certainly relieved the girl's worries. Fortunately, she still had a chance to be with him.
However, what Sheffield didn't tell the nurse was that he didn't want Evelyn to be just his friend. Never. He denied liking Evelyn because the word "like" wasn't strong enough to describe his feelings for her—Evelyn was the only woman he had ever loved so dearly.
Soon after, Sheffield sent Joshua a message. "Hey dude, do you miss me?"
The man responded almost immediately, "Yes, I do. I miss you so much that I'm about to cry."
"Well, it's time for me to come back," replied Sheffield with a bigger smile.
It had been two years and it was time to settle accounts with some people.
In the Huo family manor, Y City
Evelyn got out of the minivan and walked into the villa in her high heels.
In the living room, Carlos was holding a baby girl in his arms. "Gwyn, I'll put you to bed when you are full," he coaxed her. The baby was Gwyneth, Sheffield and Evelyn's daughter.
Debbie heard the noise of Evelyn's high heels and stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Evelyn, you are back! How is it going?"