After that party, Emily usually invited Jonas to play with her. They would either go golfing or mountaineering.
Jonas led a monotonous life. He went for work and returned home; he had nothing else to do.
In the face of Emily's invitation, although Jonas didn't want to go, he couldn't refuse the offer. The two of them went to several places together. The outdoor activities made Jonas relax. He finally got back to his normal self.
"Jonas, there is a new French restaurant near your company. Would you like to take me there for dinner?"
Emily asked, picking clothes in a mall. Her cheeks turned red and she was blushing like a woman crazy in love.
"It's my honor to invite a famous star for dinner," Jonas joked as he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Don't make fun of me. You know I'm having a hard time."
Emily frowned and became sad. Jonas felt guilty for making an insensitive joke. He felt that Emily must have been going through some issues and wondered if he should invest in a new series for her to perform.
"Sorry, I was being stupid. I'm inviting you to have dinner with me so that I can apologize to you in person," Jonas said.
"Umm... I'll think about it,"
Emily said, pretending to be in a dilemma. Then they made an appointment and Emily decided not to disturb him further.
Emily had been happy lately as Jonas always accepted her invite. He never refused to come out with her unless he had important work to do. She could also see that Jonas's opinion of her seemed to gradually change. Everything was back to normal.
During dinner, the dining hall was empty. Nelson and Melinda were the only ones at the table. Nelson looked unhappy and Melinda didn't know what to say. She ate in silence, forcing the food down her throat.
Jonas hardly returned for dinner. He had been coming home late and went straight to bed.
"Did you fight with each other?"
Nelson asked. Jonas never stayed out late unless he quarreled with Melinda. Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "No, we didn't," she said, wiping her mouth awkwardly.
"You guys are married. You will have to spend the rest of your life with him. If you have any problems, talk it out. Don't keep everything in your heart by letting it fester. A healthy argument strengthens relationships but if you keep things to yourself, it will only make things worse."
Nelson took a deep breath and looked at Melinda. "I know you might not like what I say but this is the bitter truth. You cannot wait for things to change on its own. We need to communicate our feelings and emotions."
Nelson didn't want to blame Melinda but he wanted her to understand that Jonas could not always understand her feelings until she talked to him about it. He didn't have the heart to see them constantly fight with each other.
Jonas was a proud man. Melinda's ignorance would be a huge blow to his self-esteem.
"All right, it's late. Go back to your room and rest."
Melinda pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She thought about what Nelson said and realized that she had been arrogant too. Although Jonas was wrong, she felt that she should have talked to him about it.
On her way to the villa, Melinda was contemplating if she needed to talk with Jonas.
Melinda felt that something was bothering her but she couldn't find out what it was. Her phone blared with a call from Kent. She involuntarily picked the call and continued to walk in a daze. Kent was talking for a long time but Melinda couldn't hear a single word.
"Kent, do you think I should talk to him?" she finally said.
Kent was shocked for a moment. He stopped talking as he realized that Melinda had not been listening to him. Her mind was filled with thoughts about Jonas.
"Did you fight with each other?"
"Not really," she mumbled.
Melinda felt that things would have been much better if they had quarreled but the silence was killing her. She had been lonely and depressed lately. The feelings and emotions that she had suppressed in her heart came flooding out as she spilled her heart to Kent.
"Damn it! It's Emily again. She doesn't let you live in peace."
Kent sighed. Emily was a curse in Melinda's love life. Every time things got normal between her and Jonas, Emily always plotted a plan to make their lives worse.
"Yes, it is Emily again." Melinda laughed bitterly.
The thoughts about Emily made Melinda's blood boil. Emily was vindictive and always wreaked havoc in her life.
"I think your Grandpa is right. You need to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him. You'll be able to find out what he wants and make peace with yourself."
Melinda felt that Kent was right. If Jonas couldn't let go of Emily, she would quit putting an effort. She would walk out of Jonas's life as soon as he inherited the property.
But leaving Jonas didn't mean that she would let Emily off the hook. Melinda had lost her child because of Emily and would never forgive her for that.
She wouldn't let Jonas marry Emily as long as she was with him.
Melinda made up her mind and decided to wait for Jonas in the living room. Mary turned the TV on. The variety show was going on and Emily was the guest.
Melinda was annoyed and immediately changed the channel. She leaned against the sofa and watched TV. Her eyes became heavy and she was about to fall asleep.
It was eleven at night when Jonas returned home. He was surprised to see that the lights in the living room were on. A petite figure was curled up on the sofa and an advertisement was playing on TV.
"Mellie..."
Jonas slowly walked and sat on the sofa. Melinda woke up as a strong smell of perfume filled her lungs.
"You look happy," Melinda said, knitting her eyebrows.
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