Chapter 7

Shannon was puzzled. Thomas hardly ever texted her, let alone called—yet there were dozens of missed calls now. She returned in her confusion. One of the maids, Anna Gardner, greeted her gleefully. "You're finally back, Mrs. Ford! Mr. Ford wasn't acting like himself while you were gone. None of the meals we prepared seemed to suit his tastes!" Hearing that, the doubt in Shannon's mind cleared up. It turned out that Thomas just wasn't used to life without her cooking. But he'd have to get used to it eventually. After all, there would no longer be anyone going out of their way to perfect his favorite dish. Shannon changed her shoes and walked into the living room. Thomas sat frowning on the couch, the mood seemingly down around him. He looked upon hearing footsteps. Although his eyes showed clear signs of exhaustion, they lit up the moment he saw her. Thomas then got up, his gaze tinged with frustration as he asked, "Where have you been? I called you so many times. Why didn't you answer?" Shannon walked over to sit on the couch. She then said, "I was admitted to the hospital. I just got discharged today." Thomas was taken aback. He'd been so busy taking care of Laura that he almost forgot about the car accident. Back then, he had believed Christopher's words and truly thought Shannon was just acting out of jealousy. He assumed her injuries were at most minor, never imagining she could be seriously harmed to the point of being admitted into the hospital. Guilt welled up in Thomas' eyes as he nervously said, "I hope you're not angry about what happened back then. I didn't expect your condition to be so severe. Laura's illness could be life-threatening without urgent treatment, so I had no choice but to leave you behind." Shannon couldn't help but feel bitter upon hearing his words. He had ignored her multiple scrapes and even bleeding, but Laura's mere hemophobia was treated as life-threatening. But she quickly came to terms with it. When love ran deep, differences like these were bound to happen. Besides, their relationship was nothing more than an agreement. Shannon hummed indifferently. Just as she was getting up, Thomas saw the manuscript in her hands and asked, "When did you become interested in writing?" Her gaze turned cold at his question. She had written him a poem every year during their wedding anniversary, but he always shrugged it off and tossed it into a junk drawer. It wasn't a surprise that he never knew she could write. Shannon calmly replied, "It's just something I jotted down." Thomas said nothing more, merely looking at her. "I haven't been eating much these few days. I want to eat the pepper steak you make." Shannon pointed at the fridge and replied, "There's no food left." Taken aback, Thomas quickly said, "I'll accompany you to go get some groceries." The next moment, Laura came down from upstairs with her suitcases in hand. Christopher followed her down. He grabbed her hand and said pitifully, "Can you not leave, Aunt Laura? Daddy and I will miss you so much!" "Don't be sad, Chris. We'll see each other again at the annual party tonight, won't we?" Laura said before turning to talk to Thomas. Christopher anxiously grabbed Thomas' hand. "Don't just stand there, Daddy—hurry up and drive Aunt Laura back!" A flicker of hesitation flashed across his face as he gestured toward Shannon. "But I—" Before he could finish his words, Shannon interrupted, "You should send Ms. Zimmerman back. She needs you." Panic surged through Thomas' chest, and he quickly pulled her aside. "Let's bring Chris to Brondyr this winter, okay?" His tone carried a rare softness. "Didn't you always say you wanted to go? We'll go together—as a family." Shannon glanced at the duo behind Thomas, who were happily playing with each other, as if they were a real pair of mother and son instead. She said indifferently, "We'll see." After all, she was leaving soon. There wouldn't be a chance like that anymore. Chris yelled for Thomas to get in the car. Thomas felt troubled and anxious, but he got in after some hesitation. Shannon stood in place, smiling as she checked the date on the calendar. She'd be able to leave the Ford family for good after tonight.