Chapter 22 Living Together
Luke finally told Melinda that his father was on a business trip. He and his father had been video chatting in the beginning, but since Luke had a bad temper, they had stopped talking altogether. Melinda had been keeping him company and Luke had forgotten about his father.
Melinda was glad about meeting Luke. Otherwise, she would have been lonely in the hospital.
Kent was busy with work and couldn't stay with Melinda all the time.
"Luke, your father must be having a lot of problems to deal with. He perhaps misses you and wants to talk with you. He will be upset if you ignore him," Melinda said.
Luke frowned.
"Really?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.
"Yeah. I think you should call your father and tell him that you miss him. He'll be happy to hear from you."
Melinda smiled. She could understand what Luke's father must have been going through, and she somehow wanted to reunite them.
Luke listened to Melinda and finally called his father. Melinda watched the two of them interact happily with a small smile on her face. Luke had missed his father terribly and his anger disappeared in an instant He was telling his father about what he had been up to and even mentioned about Melinda.
"Melinda, Dad said that he'd be coming to see me today. He has even brought a toy for me," Luke said, clapping his hands excitedly.
Melinda wished she were a child too. Children led simple lives. They could forgive and forget easily. Life got complicated when you grew up and you had no choice but to survive through the storm.
Luke's father arrived at the hospital in the evening. Although he looked tired, the resemblance between him and Luke was uncanny.
He had brought a fruit basket for Melinda as Luke had been talking nonstop about her.
"Dad, Melinda is a writer too. She is brilliant!"
Luke loved his new toy and enjoyed playing with it. He was explaining about Melinda's short stories to his father, which surprised Melinda a little. She didn't know that he had been paying attention to her all this time.
Jack Zhou was shocked by his son's words. He turned his head to look at Melinda who was smiling politely.
"Miss Mo, what kind of stories do you write?"
Jack Zhou asked.
"I write novels. It's very satisfying to write about people and create a world with words."
Melinda had written several novels. Writing was a means of escape for her. She could forget all her problems and trouble by weaving a story of her own.
"Have you published any of your work?"
"You mean on the Internet? Well, I was planning to do it in the beginning. But with my friend's help, I finally gathered the courage to publish my work in a magazine."
Jack Zhou became interested in Melinda. They continued to talk about her writing journey. He made a note of Melinda's short stories and asked his assistant to arrange them for him to read.
Jack Zhou helped Melinda create an official account on the website of Grand Culture Company. She was soon invited to attend the party. Melinda was finally happy to see good things happen in her life. Luke was oblivious to what was going on and was casting curious glances at Melinda. He recognized the logo of Grand Culture Company and understood that his dad had been helping her. His heart swelled with joy.
Melinda had a lot of ideas in mind. Jack Zhou understood her potential and directly arranged for an editor to communicate with her.
A lot of bloggers recommended Melinda's works and she soon became a popular writer. Luke had been constantly raving about Melinda to Jack Zhou. He realized that Melinda was an honest, sincere, and hardworking woman, and therefore, he quickly arranged a contract for her to sign.
Melinda was reading an article about her and her books. She read all the comments and appreciation from her fans on the website. She promised herself never to disappoint her loyal fans. Kent was thrilled to witness Melinda's success. When Kent praised him, Luke grew very happy.
Melinda was gradually recuperating. The doctors said that she could go back home, so Melinda finished all the discharge formalities and was ready to leave. But part of her wanted to stay back because of Luke. Melinda had developed a strong bond with him and was upset about leaving him.
"I will come and see you every day, I promise," she said, ruffling his hair. "I'll bring all your favorite food, but you should also be a good boy and listen to what the nurses and doctors say. Only then will you be able to recover soon."
She had seen Luke throw tantrums at people but he had always been kind to her and listened to her advice.
After the nurses found out that Melinda was going to leave the hospital, they became worried about feeding and taking care of Luke. They were especially concerned about how he would react when they administered the medicines as Luke was afraid of needles and injections.
Once Melinda was discharged from the hospital, Kent took the day off to take care of her. She didn't carry many things, so she packed her things in a small bag, and left after saying goodbye to Luke. "It's windy outside. Put your coat on."
Kent slipped her coat across Melinda's shoulders, knelt down, and buttoned her coat. The coat was long and came down till her shin. Melinda's cheeks turned red with embarrassment as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Kent secured the final button and smoothed her coat.
"Thank you, Kent."
Melinda smiled gratefully. She waited by the gate of the hospital as Kent went to bring the car from the parking lot.
The cold wind pierced her body and Melinda's teeth began to chatter as she hugged herself.
Jonas had come to the hospital to get Nelson's report and saw Melinda standing by the gate. Her face was pale and her cheeks were red. She was rubbing her hands to warm her body. Melinda looked puny under the enormous coat. Jonas was worried that she might get knocked by the force of the wind.
Holley was in the car too. She knitted her eyebrows when she saw Jonas staring at something intently. She followed his gaze and found that he was looking at Melinda. Anger rose from the bottom of her stomach. She pinched herself so hard that her nails almost pierced her skin.
"Mr. Gu, that woman is your ex-wife, isn't she?" Holley asked, emphasizing the word "ex".
Jonas ignored her and steered the car towards the empty space of the parking lot. Jonas glanced at Melinda again and saw Kent step out of the car. He opened a blanket and draped it across Melinda's shoulders.
Jonas was instantly annoyed by Kent's gesture.
"Kent, you're being overprotective. This is unnecessary."
Melinda shook her head and smiled. She felt warmer after she got into the car. It had been a long time since she had gone home. She decided to go shopping first to get the essentials.
Jonas got the inspection report and accompanied Holley to the mall as she wanted to buy something. Holley saw Melinda and Kent walk out of the mall happily. Kent was carrying the grocery bags like a doting husband.
"They look happy, don't they? I've never seen Melinda this happy before," Holley said.
Jonas's face was expressionless and she couldn't guess what was going on in his mind. But Holley knew that men always craved for things they couldn't have.
Although Jonas hated Melinda, she was his wife once. He was a proud man and hated to see her with another man.
"Looks like they've known each other for a long time. I mean, look at how close they are."
Holley's words were brewing a storm in Jonas's heart. His hatred and jealousy for Kent grew multifold.
"Look, you can go back home if you don't have anything to do. I'm busy and don't have the time to hang out with you," Jonas grunted. Holley pursed her lips and stared at him, but she was secretly enjoying his response.
"I think they're living together. That's why they've come to get the daily essentials. Honestly, I'm jealous of Melinda. She has finally found her true love."
Although Holley was trying to provoke Jonas, her words were true. She had always envied Melinda. She hated that everyone adored her.
Jonas was infuriated. He had suspected that something was going on between Melinda and Kent. Holley's words added fuel to the fire. The two of them were looking like a happy couple indeed. Jonas's heart sank. He felt as if someone had taken away his most prized possession. He couldn't let them have it. Melinda couldn't belong to anyone else and he wanted to destroy their relationship.
Jonas asked Holley to get off the car and drove back to his company. Holley would have been angry before, but now, she was pleased to see him like this. She was sure that Jonas would never bring Melinda back to the Gu family.
As soon as Jonas walked into the company, he instructed his secretary to send someone to monitor Melinda. The secretary was shocked but obeyed his orders. Jonas couldn't comprehend his feelings. Everything seemed confusing. He couldn't understand why he still cared for Melinda even after he had divorced her. Jonas told himself that he wanted to find evidence to prove Melinda and Kent's secret affair. Then he could show it to Nelson so that he wouldn't bother Jonas anymore.
Melinda was blissfully unaware of what was going on. Kent didn't allow her to eat outside as he didn't want her to fall sick again, so he made dinner for her. Jonas's informant clicked a picture of Kent serving food for Melinda.
"Kent, thank you. I'm sorry for all the trouble," she smiled.
Melinda felt better after the refreshing shower. She changed into a housecoat and plopped on the chair. The delicious aroma of food made her stomach grumble.
"If you think you're troubling me, start taking care of yourself," Kent said as he placed the dishes on the table.
Melinda loved Kent's cooking and began to clumsily gulp the food down. She was used to eating with him and didn't bother being elegant.
Jonas's body was shaking with anger when he received the pictures of Melinda and Kent having dinner together.
He ripped the photos and threw them in the air.
Jonas didn't expect Melinda to move on easily. He was used to seeing her follow him like a loyal puppy. He couldn't digest the fact that she was with another man now. "Boss, do you want us to continue monitoring Miss Mo?" the secretary asked cautiously.
Jonas's veins popped out on his forehead. He was furious and the secretary was afraid of pissing him off.
"Yes,"
Jonas said through gritted teeth.