After both of them were done with their meals, Irene talked to Claudia about health and children. A while later, Claudia left to deal with matters regarding the paint exhibition.
Irene and Edward were alone in the ward once more.
"Irene, have you made up your mind about our child's name? Or do you want to use the name I suggested?" Edward said something to fill the silence between them.
"The name you've chosen is a good name. Let's name her that," Irene answered calmly.
Hadn't he already settled on a name? Why was he asking for her opinion?
"Okay, how does 'Charlotte' sound? Do you like it?"
Still, Edward wanted to talk to Irene. He didn't want them to sit in silence when there was obviously things to be said. Otherwise, he could feel the distance between them growing steadily.
It wasn't one of physical distance, but of their feelings.
"Sounds good—I like it a lot," Irene's answer was curt.
Edward felt quite upset about it, but this was nothing. At least she was still talking to him. He would slowly rekindle the dying embers of her heart.
Things were silent once more.
If either one of them were unwilling to communicate, silence would easily creep its way in. Such was the case of Edward and Irene.
Irene decided to shut her eyes for some rest, and Edward continued to read his documents. Silence fell between them.
"How are you, Irene?" Millicent had visited her with some fruits. Although she didn't want to see Elio take care of Irene so meticulously, she still wanted to see her friend.
"Millicent, you're finally here. Come talk to me—I'm very bored," Irene said, happy to see her best friend. She had a lot of things to talk about with her.
"Millicent, you're here. Come have a seat," Edward greeted her politely. He felt that she was a kind person.
"Okay. Edward, you can continue with your documents. No need to bother with me, I'll be fine. Anyways, I've come over to chat with Irene—you know, girls always have a lot of things to talk about," Millicent said jokingly.
She could feel the awkwardness between both of them the moment she set foot into the ward. Irene's cold demeanour towards Edward was obvious.
Edward understood the tacit implications in her words. It seemed that Irene also wanted some alone time with Millicent, so it was best for him to give them some space.
"Mm, you two have a good chat. I'll return to the company to deal with some things. Irene, I'll be back later," Edward said tactfully, giving them some privacy.
...
There were times where things couldn't be forced and needed to be taken slowly. That applied to their current relationship. As time passed, they would eventually be able to resolve this misunderstanding and restore their bond.
"Okay. Don't worry too much, Edward. After all, Millicent's here with me," Irene said calmly. This seemed to be the longest sentence she had spoken to him.
Edward packed up his documents and drove to the company after making some arrangements.
"Irene, what happened between you guys? You seem a bit distant when you talk to him, and you aren't as happy as you were before either," Millicent asked Irene with great concern.
She knew that Irene really cared about Edward, and she loved him dearly. Otherwise, she wouldn't have married him without hesitation.
"Yeah, Millicent. I just don't have it in me to chase after him as madly as I did back then. My feelings for him are diminishing," Irene said bluntly.
Her heart throbbed uncomfortably. She had endured it all this while, and she felt rather exhausted. Now, she could finally say it to her best friend, Millicent.
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The readers' comments on the novel: Infatuated with my Ex-wife