Fearing that Jack would figure out, Celine calmed herself down. "How did you get there? I'm currently in my parents' house."
Disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Why did you leave in such a hurry?"
Celine opened her mouth, shocked and nervous. "My mother called me, she wanted me to come home."
She just got out of bed, and her brain wasn't working.
In all honesty, she didn't really know what she was saying. "Well, you know, I haven't gone home in such a long time. I do miss them a lot."
Jack remained silent for a long time.
Celine made her way to the bathroom, her sweaty hand gripping the phone. When she entered, she stared at the pale woman in the mirror.
She had been drinking with them until midnight. She smelled her breath, it stank from the alcohol. Her hair was in a messy bun and her face was swollen.
Celine sighed and closed the bathroom door.
She felt her heart clench in guilt because she was afraid that Jack would find out.
Celine swallowed nervously and asked, "Do you want me to go back now?"
"No, you have fun." He hung up the phone without another word.
His reaction knocked her back to reality. All of a sudden, she wanted to explain everything that had happened. Flustered, she dialed again, but he didn't pick up.
Celine stared at her phone in a daze, not knowing what to do. She had a feeling that if she didn't come clean now, then her relationship with Jack would continue to go down.
She buried her face in her arms. She didn't know how to explain it to him. She groaned, regretting that she had kept the truth away from him.
Jack was not the type to be easily fooled.
They had been together for four years. He was well aware of her habits, her hobbies, and what she usually did if she lied.
Home?
She left many pretty dresses on the bed. She must have had a hard time choosing a dress before leaving.
Only when she was hanging out with friends would she choose her dress and shoes carefully.
Jack was furious. He could see through her weak voice that she was lying during the phone call.
He looked outside. His phone kept vibrating, but he kept ignoring her calls. Her voice was the last thing he wanted to hear right now.
He wanted to find out where she was, but after what she did, he cynically scoffed.
'Forget it,' he thought.
After dinner, Rachel asked Eric to go home. "I can sleep in the guest room tonight, since it's already been tidied up," he said.
"But it has to be cleaned first." She prevaricated.
Eric almost lost his temper. "The cleaning has been finished. I did it myself!"
Rachel patted his head and said, "Well, good job! You're great."
'What the hell?' Eric's veins were throbbing in his forehead. "Hey, don't do that. I'm no wimpy kid!" 'Did she just want to please me like this?'
Rachel thought for a while and said, "I will give you a sum of money and buy you some snacks later."
"Really?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I always stay true to my word." She nodded firmly.
Eric stood up and began to wear his jacket. "Alright, I'll get going now. Bye!"
Rachel chuckled as she watched him leave in such a hurry.
She couldn't believe that he was her cousin.
Rachel looked at the time. She didn't know when Jack would arrive tomorrow. She took out her phone and dialed his number, but he didn't pick up.
She placed her phone down and walked to the mess on the floor.
She packed up Mendes' things and accompanied him in watching cartoons. Children were so free. They could roam wherever they wanted and were easily distracted.
Mendes sat still as they watched the cartoon. When it was nine o'clock, she ushered him to bed.
The cartoon ended on time. Even though Mendes was reluctant to part with the television, he obediently followed Rachel upstairs. She was exhausted; she had never taken care of kids before. She had only taken care of Mendes for two days, but here she was, wanting to collapse in her bed and sleep forever.
Fortunately, Mendes was an obedient child. He just needed time to be convinced in following directions.
Before going to sleep, Mendes suddenly asked, "Rachel, when will my parents come home?"
Rachel's heart sank, knowing that she couldn't lie to him about this. In truth, she had no idea when his parents would come home. She couldn't lie that they would come back within the week.
It was so cruel to make a child hold expectations that couldn't be achieved.
She replied, "When you get up tomorrow morning, I will call your father to check when they'll be back, okay?"
Mendes nodded and said seriously, "Can you help me ask him when he'll be done with work? Or when I can see him?"
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