Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 359

"Really? Did I get it wrong?" Hanley frowned, genuinely puzzled. "That can't be right…"

"Let me help you look." Jared scrolled through Hanley and Cathie Marshall's chat history, quickly found a screenshot, deleted it, and handed the phone back. "See? Nothing there."

Hanley stared, baffled.

But if Jared said so, he must have his reasons. Maybe it was for Theo's sake. Well, if it's not there, it's not there…

"Guess I must've mixed it up…" Hanley mumbled, clutching his phone.

Theodore Whitman wasn't listening anymore. He stood up, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jared called after him.

Theodore didn't know. Truthfully, for the past five years, he'd avoided going home as much as possible.

Especially in those early days of marriage—he'd dreaded facing Emma Bennett, dreaded the overwhelming love she showed him, and dreaded, most of all, the sight of her injured foot. Guilt pressed on him like a mountain, so heavy he couldn't even bring himself to be her husband in the most basic sense. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was just that every time he saw her limp, that guilt drowned him, leaving him unable to go through with it.

And it became a vicious cycle—the more pressure he felt, the worse it got, and the worse it got, the more trapped he became by that pressure.

He'd even tried seeing a therapist, but it hadn't helped.

So, little by little, home became something to avoid. He'd linger at the office late into the night, always finding excuses—meeting friends, client dinners, but mostly, he blamed work.

To be fair, he really was working most of the time, often alone in the office, burning the midnight oil.

But no matter how late it was, some part of him always knew where he was headed—to that house. Home. Whether out of duty or something else, going home each night had become as automatic as breathing.

Jared rolled his eyes. "She's the one who's pregnant, not you. You sound like you're the one carrying the baby!"

But Hanley just waved him off, clutching his folder. "Talk to you later. I've got dinner waiting for me at home."

"Let's go," Jared urged Theodore.

"Go where?" Theodore frowned.

"To have some fun! Grab a drink, maybe find a couple of girls to sing karaoke with."

Theodore pulled his arm free. "No."

"Come on, don't pretend to be all virtuous!" Jared scoffed. "When you were with Emma, you never wanted to come out. Now you're single and still turning me down? Why bother making all that money if you don't spend it a little? What, are you just going to sit at home and count it for fun?"