"Dad agreed?" I was even more surprised that my dad didn't get in touch, nor did he tell me anything about Russel.
Mom looked like she was past arguing with me. She replied coldly, "Your dad and I have said and done all we could. You're so adamant about not being with Russel, so what else can we do?"
I couldn't quite tell if I was happy or sad. If my parents stopped meddling in my affairs with Russel, it would lighten the load on my mind. But when I thought of their profound disappointment in me, I couldn't help but feel upset.
After saying her piece, Mom went to her room for the night without another word. I didn't stop her. I simply took a shower and went to bed with my children.
I thought Mom would leave after a while, but to my surprise, Norah informed me the next morning that she had already left.
"She left early this morning," Norah said as she brought in breakfast. "She asked me to take good care of the children."
Mom left without so much as a word. I felt a pang of sadness.
My phone was on the table. I wanted to call her to ask what was going on, but I decided not to. She was probably upset with me; perhaps some time apart would be a good thing.
At that moment, my phone rang. It was a call from Faith.
I collected my thoughts and picked up.
"Irene, I'm really sorry about last night. Hiram suddenly started fussing at home, so I had to go back. Did Neil take you home?" Faith sounded apologetic.
"He took me home, Faith," I replied.
"That's good. I asked him last night, but he didn't say anything. He even gave the driver a raise for some reason, probably because he was drunk and wasn't thinking straight. He didn't say anything to upset you, did he?" Faith seemed concerned.
I was puzzled. Neil gave the driver a raise last night?
Why?
Was it because he was good at hitting the brakes?
I couldn't quite wrap my head around it, but I assured Faith, "No, he was probably a bit tipsy, but he didn't say anything inappropriate. Don't worry."
Faith seemed relieved. "That's good. I've asked him to send your car over."
"What?" I was taken aback. "Is Neil bringing my car over?"
"Yes, no worries. You're friends even after divorce, right? If he bothers you, just let me know, and I'll handle it," Faith chuckled.
Being friends after divorce might work if both parties split amicably and there were no deep-seated grudges during the marriage. But that wasn't the case with Neil and me.
Our divorce was messy, and our problems were numerous. Not to mention my past life, where I met a tragic end. Neil was the root cause of my misfortune.
Before I could respond, Faith hastily added, "I have another call coming in, Irene, I'll have to take it now."
With that, she hung up.
I stared at the ended call on my screen, speechless.
Speak of the devil, it wasn't two minutes later when I heard a car honking outside. I reluctantly went out to see, and there was Neil, just getting out of the car. He was dressed casually today, probably not going to work. He wore a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of sunglasses, looking relaxed and refreshed.
Seeing me open the door, he handed me the car keys. "Here’s your car."
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