chapter103

Everett spotted her in no time and, with long strides, he started heading her way.

As he got close, Dorothy felt a sudden urge to turn and run. Nobody was accompanying him; he was all by himself. Everett came to a halt next to her, and the sudden intensity of his presence made it feel hard to breathe.

She saw him pressing his thin lips together, his brows slightly furrowed. The white bandage on his handsome face was conspicuous against his skin. He looked displeased, as if he were mulling over exactly how to scold her.

Sensibly, Dorothy reached out to grab his luggage first. Her face felt stiff, and she was uncertain what to say.

Finally, it was Everett who broke the silence.

“So, you will never call me if I don’t contact you first, right?”

Dorothy was taken aback by his words and found herself unable to offer an answer.

“Forget it. Give me the car keys.” Everett extended his hand, his tall figure completely blocking the light that should’ve been on her.

“Huh?”

“Do you plan on chatting with me at the airport all day?” he asked.

Dorothy quickly shook her head and handed over the keys. She ended up in the passenger seat with Everett driving. Wasn’t I supposed to be the one picking him up? she thought.

On the way back, there were moments when Dorothy wanted to say something. But in the end, she couldn’t find a starting point and swallowed her words. She didn’t expect their reunion to be like this. Why did it feel like... like Everett was more helpless than angry?

“Your mother’s surgery was successful,” Everett said, once again breaking the silence.

“Yeah. I really need to thank you for finding the doctor. The other physicians all said the success rate wasn’t high after learning about her condition.”

“Now you are thanking me. But your mother thanked Kenneth Nelson.”

“Uh...”

Everett glanced at her through the rear-view mirror. “Didn’t she?”

Dorothy suddenly realized that he seemed to care a lot about this. It felt as if he wanted to show all his cards and settle the score. No matter what, she decided to clear things up first.

“Let me explain. My mother... she found out about the agreement I signed with you. She misunderstood the nature of our arrangement and refused to have the surgery. I had no choice but to ask Karen’s brother to pretend to be my partner.”

“Uh-huh, that’s very plausible.” Everett’s voice was low and cool, devoid of any discernible emotion.

This only made Dorothy feel more anxious. “It’s true. I didn’t lie to you.”

“I know you didn’t lie to me. But you never thought about telling your mother the truth from the start, right?” You’d rather find a stand-in than reveal my identity, he thought bitterly.

“Of course,” Dorothy stated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Everett suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing them both to lurch forward for a few seconds before the car came to a halt on the side of the road. Dorothy looked at him in surprise, her heart racing, not understanding why he had stopped so abruptly.

The next second, Everett leaned over, his lips meeting hers in a sudden, overwhelming kiss. It was a silent rebuke, a mix of frustration and a longing he couldn't quite put into words.

Everything happened so suddenly. Dorothy only managed to pull back when the intensity of the moment left her breathless.

“What are you doing?!”

At this moment, Everett’s lips bore a trace of her lipstick, and his expression had shifted to one of weary restlessness. The air in the car suddenly became quiet, heavy with the words they hadn't said.

After a while, he spoke softly, his voice echoing in the small space, “Dorothy, what do I have to do to make you understand?”