William went to put on his pajamas. Just as he fastened the last button, the phone rang again.
It was Yolanda again.
This time, William picked up the phone. “What’s up?”
Yolanda was laughing from the very beginning. “Nothing, I just felt a little bored and wanted to chat with you.”
William gave a noncommittal grunt, after which Yolanda pondered for a while before saying, “I actually went to the Constance Residence today.”
Sitting on his bed, he replied, “I heard.”
Yolanda gave a rational reason. She said, “You took care of me for a long time when I was injured, so I thought that I should visit and show my appreciation.”
After brief contemplation, William replied, “No, you don’t need to be so polite.”
Yolanda’s tone was still cheerful. “I saw Matilda and Sophia over there. That surprised me.”
The truth was that she was trying to sound him out. William naturally understood her underlying intention, but he was a placid man and wasn’t concerned about it. Hence, he simply went along with it and answered, “Yeah, the two of them will be staying here in the future.”
Upon hearing his reply, she uttered, “I suppose that’s for the best. Sophia is pregnant, so she’ll get better care there.” She chuckled and continued, “It’s normal. Definitely normal.”
Her self-comforting tone sounded somewhat reluctant.
With his brows pulled together, he sighed and said, “Yolanda, we haven’t kept in contact for so many years. But we know each other quite well, and I’ve always seen you as a good friend of mine. So, I sincerely wish for you to live a good life, and I wouldn’t like to drag you along.”
Suddenly, Yolanda fell silent on the other end of the phone.
William went on to say, “I don’t have any special feelings for you. It’s okay for us to be friends. But I think I’m not able to go further than that.” After some thought, he added, “Sorry.”
It took a long time for Yolanda to speak. “So, you choose Matilda.”
William replied with a sigh, “It has nothing to do with her. I just don’t have any romantic interest in you. She didn’t influence me.”
Chuckling in self-mockery, Yolanda pressed on, “Really?”
William had no idea what she meant by that, but she immediately continued, “So, do you like Matilda?”
William fell silent at once.
Do I like her? I suppose so, right? No matter how bad Matilda was, I couldn’t deny that we have feelings for each other after nearly three decades of married life.
As William didn’t speak, Yolanda understood what his silence meant.
There was some regret in her voice as she said, “Can you and her go back to the way you used to be? If you’re suitable for each other, you wouldn’t have gotten divorced. No matter how much one changes, one’s core character cannot be changed.”
William didn’t feel like talking about this. With regard to his relationship issues, although he acted indifferent and unruffled about them, he was actually very concerned in his heart. He said, “I won’t lie to you about my feelings for Matilda. I do like her, and as for divorce, it’s not all her fault. I was also responsible. As for how we’ll progress in the future, I’m not sure about it yet. I guess time will tell.”
Yolanda wanted to say something more, but William interrupted her, “Right, it’s getting late now. You should rest early.”
This meant that he wished for the topic to end here. Yolanda paused and only said, “Okay.” William then hung up the phone. He put it aside as a dazed expression slowly crept across his face.
On the other side, John was explaining what had happened throughout the time he had been outside. Sophia listened carefully, but she couldn’t quite understand how everything was related.
John didn’t want to let her know so much about the matter. After all, she was pregnant, so it was more important for her to take care of herself, for he could handle the mess single-handedly.
Therefore, when he finished speaking, he leaned toward Sophia and asked, “Sophia Gwendolyn, do you like me?”
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