He Frowned When I Told Him to Be Safe

Three years into reconciling with Vernon Cumming, he cheated again.

His mistress was the same woman from three years ago.

When we ran into them at a restaurant, he lied and said she was a client.

The next moment, he shielded his client behind him, watching me with defensiveness and wariness.

I knew he was afraid I'd lose my temper again and hurt the woman he held dear.

But I simply stepped forward, straightened his slightly crooked tie, and said gently,

"Alright, I understand."

"Don't get too drunk. Remember to use protection."

After saying that, I suddenly felt my admonitions were unnecessary, so I changed my mind.

"Or don't, it's fine."

I considered myself gentle and considerate enough.

But for some reason, Vernon's face darkened anyway.

1.

The restaurant was quiet. Even conversations were deliberately hushed.

Only occasionally could one hear the faint clink of cutlery against plates.

The decor was thoughtful, with roses being the only flowers visible.

Of course, those dining here were lovers.

Perhaps some were like Vernon.

But both sides were discreet, playing the part of a loving couple.

As if I hadn't noticed Vernon's darkening face, I gave the lady he was shielding a slight nod and turned to leave.

My friend, walking with me, whispered, "Why aren't you angry?"

Angry?

It seemed I genuinely wasn't.

Perhaps I had been before, but it hadn't done any good.

And I had paid a heavy price for it.

Such a price, for the current me, was one I couldn't afford a second time.

I smiled calmly. "There's nothing to be angry about. He's just meeting a client."

My friend looked at me silently, her gaze complex.

I knew what she was thinking.

But I couldn't tell her that this was the first lesson Vernon had taught me:

To learn to turn a blind eye to his affairs.

When dinner ended, Vernon was waiting for me in his car outside the restaurant.

Seeing the long queue on the ride-hailing app, I didn't refuse. I opened the back door and got in.

Sure enough, the passenger seat was occupied.

She turned, smiling at me with a reserved yet haughty air. "Excuse me, Mrs. Cumming, I get carsick."

"Vernon felt sorry for me, so he let me sit here. No other meaning, don't misunderstand."

Vernon opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, and explained casually,

"It's just a seat. If you mind, I'll have Selena switch with you."

I nodded gently, still appearing kind and understanding. "It's alright, I understand."

"I have motion sickness patches. Miss Quinn, would you like one? It might help you feel better."

Selena Quinn didn't speak.

Vernon also fell silent.

The car instantly returned to quiet.

Outside, it had started raining at some point, and it looked rather cold.

My friend texted me, asking if I had gotten into a car, or if she should pick me up.

I looked down to reply, not noticing Vernon gripping the steering wheel tightly.

After a long moment, he finally started the car before the rain grew heavier.

Selena spoke again. "Drop Mrs. Cumming off first. Her place is closer."

Hearing this, Vernon and I spoke almost simultaneously. "Okay."

"No need."

I paused, then understood Vernon's intention and quickly interjected,

"Indeed, it's too late today, and raining heavily. It would be too much trouble to go back and forth."

"Why don't you stay over? I just texted the housekeeper to prepare both the master bedroom and the guest room"

Before I could finish, Vernon suddenly slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the asphalt.

My forehead hit the back of the passenger seat hard.

Before I could even register the pain, I heard Vernon say in a low voice, "Get out!"

I realized I had once again misread his mood, so I shut my mouth.

Then I decisively took a folding umbrella from my bag, opened the car door, and got out.

The rain was heavy, and the folding umbrella couldn't cover me completely.

I was soon drenched.

Vernon drove past me, and the splash from the puddles soaked my pants.

I looked down, and when I looked up again, even the exhaust fumes were gone.

Finally, I had no choice but to sheepishly text my friend, asking her to pick me up.

My friend appeared quickly.

She looked at my soaked self, her eyes filled with frustration. "You deserve this!"

I forced a smile. "Clara, thank you."

"I know you mean well, but I can't. I can't leave him."

It wasn't that my emotions prevented me from leaving him.

It was the harsh reality that forced me to stay.

2.

I finished showering. When I emerged from the bathroom, Vernon was back.

He sat on the sofa, head bowed, smokinghe had probably been at it for a while, as the living room was thick with smoke.

My motion of wiping my hair paused. I suddenly felt this scene was a re-enactment of three years ago.

That was the day before our first divorce.

He chain-smoked, cigarette butts nearly filling the ashtray.

Finally, shrouded in a haze of smoke, he handed me the divorce papers, his expression resolute and cold.

I walked over somewhat stiffly, smiling as I gently removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Don't smoke so much, it's bad for your health."

Vernon looked up, his eyes holding a complex emotion I couldn't decipher.

I forced a smile, trying my best. "Don't worry, I haven't misunderstood anything about you and Selena."

"If you say she's a client, then she's a client."

"You already had plans with her. It was only right to have her in the passenger seat and drive her home. I was the unexpected one."

"Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble for her."

I was considerate and generous, thinking from Vernon's perspective.

But for some reason, Vernon still looked displeased. His lips were pressed into a tight line, his face incredibly grim.

I grew anxious, almost panicking as I told him, "If you want to bring Miss Quinn back, I don't mind."

"If she finds me annoying, I can move out"

"Enough!"

Vernon suddenly spoke, his voice sharp, cutting off my words.

He gripped my hand tightly, staring at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Since you're so gentle and considerate, why don't you just give up the title of Mrs. Cumming?"

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain in my wrist, and looked at Vernon, asking, "Then will you stop my mother's medication?"

Vernon's eyes suddenly widened.

Receiving no answer, I pressed on, unwilling to give up. "If I give up this position, will you still continue to pay for my mother's treatment?"

"Vernon, I can give it up, as long as you keep paying for my mother's medicine, okay?"

Vernon's pupils constricted, then he violently flung my hand away, standing up from the sofa with a dramatic movement.

He stared intensely at me, scrutinizing every expression on my face.

I wasn't lying.

It was all true.

I could give up my place for Selena.

Really.

Vernon didn't know what he saw on my face. He laughed to himself. "Still saying you haven't misunderstood?"

He walked over again, took my hand, and gently rubbed the spot he had just squeezed red.

"Selena is my client. I'm not lying, truly."

"Elara, don't be jealous. It's annoying. You know I'm not in the mood to coax you."

I looked down at the spot he was rubbing, wanting to say I wasn't jealous.

But it seemed pointless.

So I didn't defend myself at all. I simply followed Vernon's words and nodded gently. "Mm, I understand."

3.

From that day on, Vernon seemed like a changed man.

He suddenly stopped going out, returning home early.

In the mornings, he would have me see him off at the entryway. After he put on his shoes, he would turn back to kiss my forehead.

In the evenings, he would bring me a bouquet of flowerssometimes pansies, sometimes irises

Different every day.

Then he would kiss the corner of my lips and tell me,

"Today, I missed you very much."

Yet, the man who said he missed me spent his days shopping and going to spas with Selena.

He pretended to be in love, and I pretended to be in love, asking no questions, saying nothing.

Until Mrs. Cumming's birthday.

Vernon said he wanted to take me along to celebrate.

I agreed.

When he came to pick me up that evening, the passenger seat was already occupied.

It was Selena.

She smiled at me, completely unapologetic. "Excuse me, Mrs. Cumming, I get a little carsick."

Was this Vernon's test for me?

I smiled faintly, nodding gently, not caring. "It's alright, carsickness is terrible. I understand."

With that, I opened the back door, about to get into the car, when Vernon got out.

He opened the passenger door and looked at Selena. "Get out."

Selena's face changed. She tried hard to force a smile. "Mr. Cumming, I"

Vernon leaned against the car door, his face cold. "Don't make me drag you out myself."

Selena's face grew even uglier.

The atmosphere was tense. Just as I was about to speak to break the awkward silence, Vernon pulled Selena out.

"Either sit in the back, or call a cab yourself."

He said this, not looking at Selena's expression, but instead shielding me as I got into the passenger seat.

I felt a little awkward, but I also knew this wasn't the time to contradict Vernon.

So, I said nothing.

Selena didn't call a cab; she got into the back seat.

Once the car started, Vernon handed me a gift box, explaining simply, "It's for my mother. Give it to her later."

I hummed softly. Before I could speak, Selena interjected,

"It's an emerald necklace. I went with Vernon to pick it out. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I felt the gift box, smiling faintly. "Yes, it's very beautiful."

See? The man who said he missed me.

His body was always with someone else.

How could I possibly believe him?

4.

Mrs. Cumming's birthday wasn't a grand affair, just a few family members.

She really liked Selena, finding her articulate and endearing.

I heard that when Vernon and I first divorced, she had actively tried to set him up with Selena.

But Vernon hadn't agreed.

Perhaps he thought a secret affair was more exciting.

Today was no different. Vernon bypassed me, reaching directly for Selena's hand. "I've been waiting for you."

"You child, you rarely come to visit me. Without you, I don't even have anyone to confide in here."

She took Selena's hand, making her sit beside her.

She didn't spare me a glance the entire time.

Accustomed to this, I calmly placed the gift on the table. "Vernon's gift for you, chosen by Miss Quinn."

Mrs. Cumming, who hadn't looked at me once, unexpectedly glanced my way.

After a moment, she picked up the gift box, examined it, then had Selena put it on. "Your taste is so good."

"Unlike some people, not only do they have bad taste, they lack common sense."

"Such an eyesore."

If it were before, I would have certainly been unable to bear it and would have turned and left.

However, I simply stood by, listening quietly, reacting like a dead person.

Vernon frowned, suddenly feeling something was off.

It seemed that ever since that incident at the restaurant where Elara ran into him and Selena, she had been like this.

Overly calm.

Or rather... indifferent.

For the first time.

Vernon got drunk in his own home.

For some reason, Elara remained in his mind: standing to the side, head down, silent, seemingly indifferent to everything.

Was she truly... indifferent?

Vernon drank even more.

Unable to return home, he had to stay overnight at the ancestral estate.

Selena also stayed overnight.

In the room next to Vernon and mine.

A deliberate arrangement.

I understood Mrs. Cumming's intention.

So, when Vernon, fueled by alcohol, pressed me down that night, trying to kiss me, I pushed him away.

I straightened his lapel, smiling faintly. "Wait a moment."

Then I went out and called Selena over.

Under Selena's shocked gaze, I closed the door on her and Vernon.

Afterward, I drove away from the Cumming ancestral estate.

Ten minutes later, I received a call from Vernon. He suppressed his voice and asked me, "What do you mean by this?"

I looked at the road illuminated by the car headlights and said softly,

"Last time when you were drunk and held me, you called out Miss Quinn's name all night."

"I thought this time would be the same."

Vernon roared into the phone, "I didn't call her name this time!"

My voice remained soft. "Hmm, I know."

"But what if you did call her name midway? I was thinking of you."

The call ended. He never called again.