Chapter 1411:
Lydia’s heart bled with equal measure. Speaking those crushing words felt like tearing flesh from bone. Agony rose within her chest, stinging behind her eyes. Refusing to display vulnerability, she turned away from his searching gaze. Her voice emerged muffled against the pillow.
“Leave me now. I can’t bear your presence today.”
Jeffry studied her turned back for what felt like eternity before rising without another word and departing the room.
As the door sealed shut, a single tear traced its path down Lydia’s cheek. She kept her eyes clenched tight, her face resembling marble in its stillness.
Below, Jeffry stood sentinel in the darkness, lighting cigarette after cigarette, unable to loosen the iron bands crushing his ribcage.
Beneath the oppressive night sky, harsh crows voiced their displeasure from skeletal branches, their cries echoing the darkness that had settled over his soul like funeral shrouds.
Dawn crept across the horizon while stubble shadowed Jeffry’s jaw, and his white shirt bore crimson stains from an earlier altercation, transforming his appearance into complete disarray.
He refused to leave until Lydia descended the stairs.
Back at their shared apartment on Sunray Road, Jeffry displayed every indication of a sleepless night. Bloodshot eyes betrayed his exhaustion, while defeat and despair weighed heavily upon his shoulders.
He approached the liquor cabinet, seized a bottle of whiskey, and drank deeply. When work beckoned, he ignored the call. Elvin telephoned, but Jeffry dismissed him curtly and severed the connection.
Louis arrived to investigate and immediately encountered the pungent aroma of alcohol.
“Jeffry, what are you doing? Drowning yourself in drink at home?”
Jeffry remained largely silent, positioning himself to block the entrance.
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“What do you need?”
Louis slipped past him the moment Jeffry’s attention wavered. Upon discovering the bottles littering the floor, his eyes widened with alarm.
“Jeffry, has our family fallen into bankruptcy? Or have you discovered some terminal illness? What has driven you to drink like this?”
Beyond social gatherings, Louis had never witnessed Jeffry indulge in such excessive consumption.
Jeffry scowled but made no effort to eject him.
Louis retrieved a nearly empty bottle from the floor and shook it experimentally. He placed a reassuring hand on Jeffry’s shoulder.
“Come now, share what troubles you. Perhaps I can offer assistance.”
Jeffry studied him carefully.
Louis struck his chest with confidence.
“Perhaps I lack your business acumen, but when it comes to affairs of the heart, I possess considerable expertise.”
“How did you deduce this involves affairs of the heart?” Jeffry inquired.
Louis grinned knowingly.
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