Chapter 63: I Broke Up With Him
Austin smiled at her and turned to leave. But, before he walked away, he turned back again to look at Selene.
“Why are you still here?” Selene smiled.
When Austin disappeared from her sight, she lowered her gaze and found that the pile of clothes and articles that had been strewn on the floor the previous night was gone.
She went back into her apartment. She headed for the bathroom, then brushed her teeth and washed her face. Looking at her own reflection in the mirror, she noticed that she was pale and her eyes were bloodshot. She then applied some makeup in an attempt to make herself look more normal.
After she finished breakfast, she went to her store. It was 10 am when she got there, and Mandy happily greeted her. “Selene! I have some great news! The JU Brand called. They’ve shortlisted you for a big designers’ competition!” The assistant blurted out excitedly.
Though Selene was not ambitious when it came to her design career, it was enough to lift her spirits after the previous day’s events.
“Really?” Selene smiled.
“Yes! I took a look online and found your name on the official shortlist for the competition.”
“Let me take a look.”
She walked towards the desk, opened the JU Brand website, and saw her name on the shortlist.
But, right then, she spotted a familiar name just below hers.
Jennifer Keller.
It really was a small world for fashion designers.
Selene smiled with contempt and closed the website.
Some customers then entered her store, and Selene stood up and greeted them.
During lunchtime, Clint took some food to the hospital when visiting his parents. When he arrived at the room where Anne stayed, he saw that his stepmother was fast asleep and Bradley was very close to her.
“I’ve brought you some food. I was worried that you wouldn’t like the hospital food.”
Bradley nodded and looked at his son. “Why do you look so tired and pale? Have you slept last night?”
“No, I haven’t.” Clint rubbed his eyes tiredly.
“What about Selene?” Bradley sighed.
“Maybe I was all wrong about this. After last night, I’ve accepted the fact that she will never consider being with me ever again. I just hope she won’t suffer too much because of it. I won’t contact her anymore, and hopefully, we will both get over this experience and move on.”
Seeing his son’s tiredness and sad expression, Bradley’s eyes teared up a little. “It’s me who hurt you.” He choked the words out.
“Dad, no, it’s not your fault. I knew who she was from the very beginning, but I still chose to involve myself with her. I just ended up hurting the both of us.”
****
Anne woke up and looked at Bradley and Clint, “Is… is Selene all right?”
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ve found her, and she is fine now. You should be more worried about yourself. If it turns out that something’s wrong with you, Dad will break down.”
“Yes, Anne. Would you mind not worrying too much? Selene’s not a child anymore. She can take care of herself.”
Anne closed her eyes, and tears ran down her face.
Bradley wiped his wife’s tears and sighed.
A few moments later, a knock came from the door, breaking the silence. Before anyone answered, the door was pushed open. It was Jennifer who entered the room. “Clint, you’re also here. I’ve heard that Aunt Anne is sick. I came here as soon as I could.”
“Jenni, please come in.” Bradley greeted her.
Jennifer came in with a bouquet of flowers in hand. She then walked in and placed the flowers by the bed. “Anne, what happened? You’ve always been so healthy. My parents told me that you were interned at the hospital yesterday, on your first day back in Houston.”
“Nothing serious. Anne will be okay in a few days.” Bradley said.
Then Jennifer noticed that the people in the room all had strange looks on their faces. She then turned to Clint. “Clint, what’s wrong? You look pale.”
“Nothing.” Clint shook his head.
“Really?”
“Yes.”Content is © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
Then Jennifer sat down by the bed and held Anne’s hand. “Anne, I’ve specially designed some wonderful outfits for you. I’ll bring them to you when you get better.”
“Thank you. Jenni.” Anne smiled embarrassedly.
“My pleasure.”
Clint frowned. “Thank you for visiting, Jenni, but my mom needs to rest. We’ll talk about this later, outside of the hospital.”
Jennifer knew the situation was not normal, and she easily detected Clint’s implication. “Okay. I’ll go. Aunt Anne, have a good rest. I’ll come by again when you’re feeling better.”
They then all said their goodbyes.
When Jennifer stepped out of the room, Clint followed behind. She waited until he closed the door before speaking. “What on earth happened? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Nothing, like I’ve told you. I’m just worried about my mom.”
Jennifer felt unsatisfied by that answer. “I know you don’t have any feelings for me, but why do you treat me so indifferently? We grew up together, and you’ve never acted like this to me before. Since Selene appeared in your life, you’ve been treating me like trash.”
Clint looked at her calmly. “I will always see you as a sister. Would you mind stopping thinking about me as anything other than a brother? I hate it when you imply that we’re anything more than that.”
He then paused for a while and continued. “Besides, I’ve never compared you to Selene, so don’t do that yourself.”
It seemed to irritate Jennifer. “I just wanted to warn you about Selene. She’s mean and lacks empathy. I don’t want you to be hurt by her.”
“Thank you for the warning.”
While Jennifer noticed his icy expression, she stamped her feet, turned back, and left.
Jennifer could not stand Clint’s indifference towards her, and she blamed this entirely on Selene. She thought it was Selene who had made Clint change his attitude towards her. She then drove her car directly to Selene’s store.