"Mom, I didn't!" Howard denied it.
"Eve, maybe Howard does have his difficulties." Although Amelia knew that Eve didn't like her, she couldn't help speaking up for Howard.
"Well, neither of you believe me. Look at this picture. You should believe me now!"
While she was talking, Eve found the photos she had taken on the phone. Two figures, almost overlapping, appeared in front of Patrick and Amelia.
Amelia's pupils narrowed at the sight of the woman. Wasn't that... the middle-aged woman Amelia had met when she went to the high street to buy a coat for Eve?
Could it be that... Amelia did not dare to think any further.
"Dad!" Patrick called out. Although he didn't say anything, the doubt and disappointment in his eyes were obvious enough.
"Patrick, I..."
Howard opened his mouth and was about to say something, but Eve interrupted him with tears in her eyes. "No wonder you're always not at home recently. I asked you where you have been. And you fooled me every time by saying that you're going to play chess. If I hadn't called every one of your friends playing chess, I would never know that you had an affair! Today I ran into you and that woman on the street. What about the other days I didn't? What have you been doing with her behind my back?"
The air was tense. Everyone was waiting for Howard's answer.
After a while, Howard said powerlessly, "Eve, I have never done anything unfair to you in my whole life, including what you have said today. I admit that I've been in contact with Jocelyn very frequently recently, and I did... go in and out of her apartment occasionally. But I did all of that because of you!"
"What? Because of me?" Eve blanked for a short while before she laughed with her face distorted. "This is the worst excuse I have ever heard in my life. Howard, you have always been a terrible liar since we first met. But this time, I hate you so much that you can't lie, otherwise, I might have a reason to forgive you."
Something complicated appeared in Amelia's eyes. Eve must love Howard so much. Otherwise, Eve's voice wouldn't have sounded so sad and depressed.
Patrick stared coldly into Howard's eyes. "Have you done it or not?"
In the face of his son's angry eyes, Howard sighed and said, "To tell you the truth, I met Jocelyn by chance. She is a senior psychiatrist. I was particularly tired of your mother's sudden change recently. I don't know since when she becomes so suspicious, jealous, and even unreasonable. So I found Jocelyn through online advertisements. At first, we only met at her office. Later, her office was being renovated and I went to her place. Most of my questions were related to how to improve your mother. And more or less, I told her my worries..."
"What else?" Patrick asked seriously.
Howard said frankly, "There's nothing else."
Patrick, Amelia, and Granny Hopper breathed a sigh of relief to various extents. Eve was the only one unable to let it go.
"Howard, since you are just doctor and patient, why didn't you tell Eve in advance?" Now Granny Hopper couldn't be partial to her son anymore, otherwise, she would be considered senile, wouldn't she?
Howard shook his head and said, "Mom, you know Eve well enough. If I admitted that I was going to see a female psychiatrist alone, Eve would have made a fuss about it again, wouldn't she? I was planning to learn a move or two from Jocelyn before I come back to help Eve. Well, I didn't expect to make a fool of myself!"
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