Chapter 623
The fact that she was a widow had bothered him at first, but now even Nancy was pushing him to consider second marriages. He thought, ‘A widow shouldn’t be a problem, right?‘ A small smile tugged at his lips.
The aroma of the cooking food filled the air, and Alex relaxed on the couch, draping Ellie’s jacket over himself. His eyes stayed glued to her as she worked in the kitchen.
When Ellie finally came out to call him for dinner, she found him fast asleep, her jacket still covering him. “Mr. Warren,” Ellie called softly, but he was fast asleep. She retrieved her coat and turned to leave.
After a few steps, she paused. She wondered, ‘He was texting me at 4 a.m. last night. What was he even doing up that late?‘ She glanced back at him, now sleeping soundly.
Noticing his bedroom door was ajar, Ellie went in to grab a blanket. As she pulled the thin comforter off the bed, something fell to the floor with a soft thud. She bent down and picked up a small red drum.
For a long moment, she just stood there, frozen. “That day at school, my daughter gave him a gift but didn’t let me see it. So this is what it was–this small drum, Ellie thought.
Memories flooded her mind–five years ago, when Alex had found out she was pregnant. He’d broken out of prison to see her, covered in blood, emerging from a baby store with this drum in hand.
He’d been completely out of his mind back then. In the end, he never got to meet her or their child. All that remained was this red drum. Ellie felt her eyes grow damp.
Back in the living room, she covered Alex with the blanket and left quietly. “Ellie, come home with me!” Alex murmured in his sleep. Startled, Ellie turned around sharply.
Looking at the sleeping Alex on the sofa, Ellie’s heart raced. ‘He’s just talking in his sleep,’ she thought, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the drum, and placed it quietly beside him before leaving.
The next morning, Alex woke up on the sofa. Seeing the blanket, he rubbed his head in frustration. He thought, ‘I finally got her to come over, and I fell asleep!‘
He got up and walked into the dining area, where the dinner Ellie had made for him sat untouched. He hit himself again for falling asleep.
Half an hour later, Alex was dressed and ready to go. He stood by his door, staring at Ellie’s. ‘She starts work at 8:30. It’s 7:30 now–perfect timing,‘ he thought.
When standing by his door grew tiresome, Alex moved to the elevator. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, occasionally checking his reflection on his phone to make sure his styled hair was still in place. By 8 a.m., Ellie still hadn’t come out.
‘Did she oversleep because she was tired from last night?‘ Alex wondered. He pulled out his phone and called her. Thankfully, she picked up.
“Ellie, you’re going to be late for work. Why aren’t you out yet?” Alex said, clearing his throat.
“Mr. Warren, I’m already at the hospital,” Ellie replied. Alex paused, realizing she had already left without him noticing.
