The Fifth Year of Marriage to Him novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“Did I wake you?” Cedrick asked, seated on the edge of the bed, looking at her in the light.

For a moment, her mind was a blur.

Cedrick stood up. “Aren’t you gonna pick out clothes for me?”

Lucille turned over. “Do it yourself. I’m sleepy.”

“You haven’t picked out clothes for me in two days. Mrs. Maynard, you’ve neglected your duty,” he said behind her.

She turned back to get up, only to find he was standing by the bed, fully dressed.

“Cedrick, you…” She didn’t know what to say.

Cedrick fastened his tie. “There, there. Don’t be mad. I’ll come back early tonight. I won’t keep you waiting.”

Purchase completed

What he didn’t know was, she wou want for many more.

“Say something,” he urged. She had hardly said a word.

“OK,” she replied flintily.

“That’s the spirit.” Pleased, he added, “Some guests are coming for dinner tonight. Be cheerful. Or they’ll think my wife is angry at me.”

So, that was what he was up to.

He had been trying to mollify her to spare himself humiliation.

“Who’s coming for dinner?” she wondered. In their five years of marital life, they had never entertained guests at home.

“You’ll know in the evening,” he said mysteriously. “It’s a surprise for you.”

She didn’t know what surprise it was. The night before, he’d mentioned they didn’t visit her parents. Were her parents coming over?

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Chapter 13

288 (Vouchers

She asked no more questions. She just hoped Cedrick and Mylee would get out of the house soon. The buyer was coming for the watches later. At 10 a.m., Mylee left the house as usual.

At 10:10 a.m., the buyer called. Lucille let her come up.

It was a fashionable young girl whose username on WhatsApp was Vivian.

She was professional and candid.

She authenticated the watches efficiently and transferred the money to Lucille.

Afterward, she said frankly, “Luckily, you kept the receipts and purchase details. Otherwise,

I wouldn’t have dared to take them.”

Lucille got it.

It wasn’t about authentication. Who would’ve bought ten identical watches?

One might think they were stolen.

“All right. I’ll take them. If there’s anything else you wanna sell next time, contact me. Be it purses, jewelry, or anything else.” She put the watches into a big bag.

“No problem. Thanks.” Lucille had received the transfer notification on her phone. Money gave her a sense of security. Always had. The gifts Cedrick bought her had been traded for money. They were not worthless, after all.

After Vivian Gentry left, Lucille picked up her phone and deleted the notification from the bank.

There was a large sum of money in her account.

Honestly speaking, Cedrick was generous, although he was unfaithful. Lucille had spent little in the past five years. She saved up. The money was enough to cover her tuition.

She opened a new notebook and wrote, “30 days to go before leaving Cedrick. Dispose of gifts.”

Then, she began preparing the materials needed for her visa application.

Since she was gonna go with Meredith’s troupe, she had the materials printed and had them delivered to Meredith, along with her passport.

Just like that, another day went by.

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Chapter 13

288 Vouchers

At dusk, she was gonna go to bed after surfing the Internet a bit longer. Out of the blue, she saw Maricela’s update.

It was a photo of her sitting in a shopping cart.

The person behind the cart wasn’t in the picture. There was only a pair of hands and sleeves.

That sufficed.

At a glance at the hands, Lucille knew it was Cedrick.

She used to pick out clothes for him every morning. She knew his cufflinks best. The old cufflinks weren’t pretty, so she had a new pair customized for him. They were unique.

The caption went, “The happiest thing in the world is that someone still dotes on you after many years. Thank you for being there, my prince.”

So, this was the surprise for her from Cedrick.

How thoughtful.

The only time Lucille went to the supermarket with Cedrick was soon after they got married.

He was finally home that weekend. She wanted to create a happy familial atmosphere, so she suggested they go to the supermarket together.

Back then, she had sincerely craved a happy marriage, dreaming of them cooking together, shopping together, going home together, enjoying a drink together at sunset, and watching sunrise together every morning.

Sadly, a dream remained a dream, however beautiful it was.

That time, at the supermarket, they bumped into an acquaintance of Cedrick’s. Probably an elder to him. Lucille wasn’t sure. The person called him by his first name. Cedrick’s first reaction was to keep an arm’s length from Lucille.

The person said, “Ced, fancy seeing you here.”

Cedrick replied, “Yeah. I suddenly felt like shopping alone.”

Alone…

That word stung like a thorn.

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