He carried his luggage downstairs, and Zoe, with delicate white fingers, gently tugged at the hem of his shirt. She was on the verge of tears.
Mason had no intention of relenting. After all, he didn't love Zoe.
Despite her pleas, he got into the car and left. He spent about a week in Hucksburgh, during which time Lilith underwent her first leg surgery. It was also the week when the media exposed Mason's relationship with Lilith, leading to the first rumors of an extramarital affair.
Upon his return from the business trip, Zoe made no mention of her family matters. She attended to him as she used to, packing his suitcase and preparing a bath.
After Mason bathed, he slept with her twice. It was the quietest intimate encounter they had had since marriage. Neither of them made a sound, and Zoe buried her face in the pillow, suppressing her body's pleasure, reluctant to make a sound.
She felt guilty.
After the lovemaking, Mason sat at the edge of the bed, smoking silently. Zoe softly mentioned needing money, and after observing her for a moment, Mason wrote her a check for 15 thousand dollars.
Over a year later, Mason still remembered the moment. Zoe's fingers trembled so much she could hardly hold the check.
Mason thought, perhaps from that moment, that Zoe no longer had any love or liking for him. It was from that moment onwards that she transformed from Mason's wife to Mrs. Lockwood.
There was a knock at the door, interrupting Mason's reminiscence. The housekeeper's voice echoed, "Sir, dinner is ready. Will you be coming down now?"
"In a little while," Mason responded.
However, his gaze remained fixed on the last line Zoe wrote in the diary, the last trace of her girlish heart, a simple sentence that echoed loudly in Mason's world.
"Mason will never like me again."
Mason read it repeatedly.
In the end, he pulled out a cigarette but didn't light it. He contemplated the emotions behind Zoe writing those words.
Outside, the housekeeper spoke again, "Sir, are you asleep? The house just called. Madam wants to see Mrs. Zoe. When will you bring her over?"
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