Chapter 6

After Nathaniel took his medicine, his fever subsided in the afternoon. Not wanting to stay at home any longer, he returned to the hospital for work. He was set to leave in six days. Under normal circumstances, resigning from the hospital at this point would never be approved. But to his surprise, the resignation process went through incredibly fast. When he asked the hospital director about it, he was told that the organization had already taken care of everything for him. Knowing Louie might be staying over again that night, Nathaniel decided to take the night shift at the hospital. When he returned home during daylight hours the next day, he noticed a lot of furniture was missing. The television, the dining table, the desktop computer, and even the reclining chair were gone. He thought that the house had been broken into, so he grabbed his phone to call the police. After all, the furniture wasn't his personal property—it came with the government-issued villa provided through Shoretown's talent recruitment program. When the house was returned, the assets would definitely be inventoried. His departure plans might be impacted if it were noted during the inspection how many items were missing. Just as the emergency call connected, Yvonne and Louie walked in together. When Yvonne heard Nathaniel reporting a break-in, she quickly rushed over and grabbed the phone out of his hand. Just then, something clicked in Nathaniel's mind. He turned to Yvonne and asked, "Did you move the furniture?" Yvonne nodded. "We didn't need that stuff. Since Louie just rented a new place and is short on furniture, I gave them to him." Nathaniel stared at her. "Why didn't you talk to me before making that decision?" Yvonne's face turned cold at his angry expression. "Do I have to check with you about everything? Do I have no freedom in this house? Besides, it's just a bunch of old junk. Do you think Louie wants it that badly?" "I'm sorry, Nathaniel," Louie spoke up apologetically. "I didn't know you'd be upset. Even if you didn't need it, it was still yours. Don't blame Yvie. It's my fault. I'll return everything right now." As he turned to leave, Yvonne grabbed his arm. "Don't stoop to his level. He's just stingy because he grew up on a farm. I already said the furniture's yours. Take it," she declared. Nathaniel's whole body trembled when he heard Yvonne use his background as a personal insult. But he didn't argue. He only gave a bitter laugh. "Fine. My fault. Keep the furniture. Happy now?" He didn't want to keep fighting about it. Besides, Nathaniel didn't want them anyway now that Louie had touched those things. Sickened and furious, Nathaniel then locked himself in the guest bedroom. All he wanted now was for the organization to finish processing his documents so he could leave Yvonne forever. After his night shift, Nathaniel was exhausted and fell asleep shortly after lying down. Around noon, Yvonne knocked on his door. "Nathaniel, I'm hungry. What's for lunch?" she asked. Nathaniel pretended not to hear her, but Yvonne kept knocking relentlessly. Left with no choice, he opened the door. Yvonne approached him with a soft, pleading voice and took his hand. "I've already reflected on what happened this morning. I admit I was wrong, too. Let's just forgive each other and stop giving each other the cold shoulder, okay?" Nathaniel nodded upon seeing the hopeful look in her eyes. He didn't want the constant tension. After all, they still had to live under the same roof for a few more days. Yvonne visibly relaxed. "In that case, let's go to Ultra Mall this afternoon. You can drive." Nathaniel was about to refuse, but Yvonne said, "Please don't say no, okay? You've been acting so cold to me over the past few days. Do you not love me anymore?" To avoid making her suspicious, Nathaniel could only agree. He remembered there was a bookstore in Ultra Mall. He could use the trip to pick up some books related to Feacliff and start preparing in advance anyway. After lunch, they left the house. That was when Nathaniel found Louie already waiting beside his car. When he saw them, Louie cheerfully greeted, "I've been waiting for a while. Let's go!" Nathaniel looked at Yvonne, puzzled. She explained, "Louie also needed to do some shopping, so I invited him to come along." Nathaniel instantly understood that this mall trip was for Louie. He was just the extra baggage.