Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

XIX | Buried In One's Heart

Back in her room, she tossed her bag on the sofa before taking a hot shower. By the time she changed into a set of dry clothes, she was wide awake. She took out the luggage she had brought over to York Garden and, after entering the code, took out a small box. She brought it over to the carpet and opened it up.

Inside, the box was a mess. There were plane tickets, train tickets, and a few random 100-dollar bills.

Isabelle stared at the contents for a long while before reaching in to search for something. Soon, a sky-blue letter came into sight.

She caressed it several times before taking it out.

The letter was still sealed, even after so many years; the owner hadn't opened it.

But since it had been so long, the color of the envelope had faded slightly. The red star in the middle was nearly completely gone, showing patches of white.

A while after Isabelle had went up, Madam Mary returned back to her room. She went to the phone and dialed a number.

~*~

When his phone rang, Alexander's car was about to enter the highway. Due to the rain, the streets had few cars that were going at high speeds. Alexander had no intention of slowing down when he heard his phone ring. He turned his head to the side to get glimpse of his phone—it was a call from York Garden.

He hesitated before exiting the highway. He stopped his car at the side and picked up his phone.

There was a three-day break from filming, so he knew that she would definitely go back home and had instructed Madam Mary to prepare dinner ahead of time. He had also instructed Madam Mary to inform him when Isabelle came back.

Madam Mary didn't know that Alexander had sent Isabelle home so the moment he picked up, she informed him politely, "Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith is back, but she has already eaten outside so she went upstairs to rest."

Alexander acknowledged her with a light "mm", but just when he was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered that Isabelle's hair and clothes were slightly damp from standing by the road side while waiting for a taxi. He didn't hang up, but instead in a low voice instructed Madam Mary, "Boil some ginger tea for Mrs. Smith so she won't catch a cold."

"But Mrs. Smith said she wanted to rest..."

"Ginger tea can be made in a few minutes. If she is asleep, just wake her up and make her drink it before she sleeps." Without waiting for Madam Mary to reply, he continued, "Remember to adjust the room temperature later, I don't want Mrs. Smith to catch a cold."

"I understand, Mr. Smith."

Alexander thought for a bit more and after confirming that there was nothing else, he added a last line, "Don't let Mrs. Smith know it was instructed by me."

He then hung up.

After hanging up, Alexander suddenly realized that he hadn't asked the question that was bothering him the most.

How was Mrs. Smith feeling when she reached home? Was she still crying?

He took up his phone, but when he was about to call back, he hesitated and put his phone back into his pocket. He sat in the driver seat, his hand casually stroking the steering wheel as images of Isabelle's tear streaked face filled his mind. He had known her for about ten years and in those ten years, she had always been either all smiles or silent with her head lowered. Sometimes, when something upset her, she would clench her lips tightly. But it was the first time she had cried.

As he continued thinking, he could feel pain on the palm that her tear had reached. The pain made a beeline for his heart, hurting him to confusion. He started his car and turned back, heading back to York Garden.