"Why should you always be the one to treat me?"
"A relationship is a two-way street," Sylvia Jarvis quickly typed back. "I'm a little tired, so I'm heading to bed. See you tomorrow."
"Sweet dreams. See you tomorrow!"
The next day, Sylvia was so distracted at work that even her assistant, Milanda, noticed. "Ma'am, are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine," Sylvia said, snapping back to the present. "I just didn't sleep well last night. Could you get me a coffee, please?"
"Of course, right away!"
Once Milanda left, Sylvia took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. Now that she had decided to be with Eugene Winters, she had to commit fully. Even if that other man was back, it had nothing to do with her anymore. Whether he was in J City or C City was completely irrelevant.
That afternoon, she left work early to have dinner with Eugene, after which they went to see a movie. It was a new blockbuster, backed by a massive budget and a relentless marketing campaign, so the theater was packed.
Eugene had booked seats in the VIP lounge, which featured luxurious reclining chairs, attentive service, and a much smaller crowd. They sat in the third row, surrounded mostly by other couples who, at this point in the evening, were either kissing or wrapped in each other's arms.
As with most big-budget films, the visual effects were spectacular, regardless of the plot, and Sylvia found herself completely absorbed.
Watching her from the corner of his eye, Eugene leaned closer. In the flickering darkness of the theater, he reached out to take her hand.
Whether by accident or design, Sylvia chose that exact moment to reach for her juice, her hand neatly evading his.
Eugene pulled his hand back and looked at her.
In the quiet of the theater, Sylvia simply raised an eyebrow, silently asking him what was wrong.
Eugene shrugged off his coat as he headed upstairs. "If he wants to play, let him play."
"Should I inform your mother?" the butler asked in a hushed tone.
Eugene glanced back at him. "Do as you wish. But if she's not back yet, it means she's losing. I'm afraid you'll get an earful if you call her now."
The butler immediately bowed his head. "Thank you for the warning, sir. It's getting late. Please have a good rest."
As Eugene reached the top of the stairs, he could hear his brother and some friends shouting over a video game, the noise loud enough to carry all the way downstairs. His expression didn't change as he simply closed his bedroom door behind him, shutting out the world.
...

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Dear author Lucy, may we please have updates. Thank you....
There's a song currently playing via YouTube and TikToc by LowDii "Touch Me Softly" that makes me think of Norah and Xavier (Gonzalez). Please, I'm looking forward to updates. Thank you for your writing....
May we please have updates. Thank you....
As the plot thicken. Adrian is done for and he can't try to control Norah, so he'd probably tattle to Janice who's gone for two weeks. Thank you soooo much for the updates....
These updates were too funny. Thank you so much for the updates....
I forgot to add Amy to the group of pregnant women,since she was the first. Emily and Sylvia better be careful since pregnancy is in the air....
Wow! This is great, both Estelle and Magdalen are pregnant at the same time and I hope that Xavier is Norah neighbor. Thank you for the updates....
Author Lucy you're a blessing. Thank you so my for the updates. I hope that Norah's neighbor is Xavier she gets her memory back....
May we please have updates. Thank you....
Looking forward to reading your updates....