CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82: FORTUNATELY STILL MARRIED

"Then I should act like this." She repeated her expression, making an exaggerated look of surprise: "Oh my, Mr. Gardiner, you’ve gone through so much trouble flying over here in the middle of the night. You must be exhausted, aren’t you? Do you want to rest?"

Luke Gardiner just stared at her blankly, tightening his grip on the flowers.

"Luke, if everything you do is to expect something in return from me, then don’t waste your time on me." Florence Fuller said seriously.

"I don’t think I’m wasting my time, nor have I said I expect anything in return." Luke felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart: "But your reaction... isn’t it too indifferent?"

Is this her not liking him, not caring about his efforts?

He remembered the day Florence handed him over to another woman. He chased after her, watching as she drove away without a care.

The feeling of emptiness, sadness, and a heartache like fine needles piercing his heart.

He felt miserable.

He returned to SJ City alone, when he had originally come full of confidence, thinking he could bring Florence back. But in the end...

He came alone and left alone.

After returning, he chose to remain silent.

Clearly, from the beginning, his moods were often unstable because of Florence. He had to argue with her, as if talking more would make him happy.

But sometimes she was openly displeased with him, visibly annoyed by him, which troubled Luke greatly. He disliked the way Florence looked at him with that gaze.

Originally, he only approached this woman to fulfill the old man’s wish to have Florence bear an heir for the Gardiner Family, after which the old man said he wouldn’t intervene in his matters.

He agreed at once.

But why... did it develop into this?

He began to feel unsettled. Initially, he thought it was just his obsession with chasing her, imagining things. He believed he could find other women to distract himself from his unusual feelings for her, but he was wrong...

Florence wanted a divorce, from unwilling at first to him not wanting to hear those words anymore. He even strangely feared the mention of divorce from Florence...

Why was he unwilling...?

Why was he afraid...?

"Then why did you call her name when drinking?" Edward Renfield and Daniel Knight squatted in front of him, looking at Luke Gardiner holding a bottle of wine.

Ever since he returned from Cloudsea City he’s been acting differently, calling them out to drink in the middle of the night, only to get drunk and call out for Florence.

"I told you!" Daniel Knight clapped his hands: "I foresaw it like a divine intervention, he’s definitely fallen for her!"

"Well, it happens, man." Daniel Knight casually patted his shoulder: "A prodigal son returning is worth more than gold, if you behave well, surely she will see your sincerity."

Luke Gardiner gave a bitter smile: "She finds it annoying just to see me now, how can she see any good?"

Edward Renfield sighed, "Truly caught up in it, huh? It shouldn’t have been like this. Didn’t you say before that you felt something odd and returned to your old ways, and weren’t you fine again? I was going to introduce you to a..."

"Fine, what fine!" Luke Gardiner was frustrated with the feeling of having his mind occupied by someone else.

He wasn’t fine at all, even when surrounded by women who weren’t Florence, he kept thinking about her. He remembered the charity gala where he intentionally flaunted another woman in front of Florence to see what kind of reaction she would show.

But she was calm, very calm...

Peacefully so.

That wasn’t the reaction Luke Gardiner wanted to see.

If Florence had shown even a hint of jealousy or sadness, he could have immediately ditched the other woman to sit by her side.

But she didn’t, she calmly stayed until the intermission.

Luke found it unbearable.

Later he left, unable to keep up the facade.

Florence must have bewitched him!

Just like how now he’s worried about her with that pretty boy, yet he can’t even go find her.

Seeing his deeply involved expression, Edward Renfield scratched his head: "So what can you do now, luckily you’re still married. You can slowly develop your relationship."

Luke Gardiner was silent for a while, looking confusedly at Daniel Knight and Edward Renfield: "Truly... is there hope?"

Edward Renfield widened his eyes, surprised he actually took it to heart.

Not drunk after all.

"There is!" Daniel Knight said: "You definitely can’t keep wandering around out there. Cut off ties outside, show your sincerity to her."

"Right!" Edward Renfield echoed: "If you get on good terms and she beats you up, don’t come crying to us for help, we can’t."

He had seen Florence fight once, and really never imagined such a gentle and quiet woman could be so fierce when she fought.

Luke Gardiner’s luck for not being beaten up... Wait... he did get beaten up by Florence on his birthday.

Yet back then, Edward Renfield thought Luke Gardiner was secretly enjoying it.

You couldn’t tell by his face.

Recalling that scene, perhaps, Luke Gardiner chuckled foolishly: "If it’s true..."

If it’s true that he and Florence ended up together, even if he got beaten, he wouldn’t mind it.

"True what?" Seeing his slightly intoxicated and handsome face smiling somewhat ambiguously, Daniel Knight and Edward Renfield exchanged a glance.

What’s he thinking of?

Smiling like that.

"Nothing." He suddenly stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

He needed to sober up.

When he entered the bathroom, Edward Renfield turned to Christopher Somerset, who had been silently sitting on the sofa: "Do you think Luke is truly caught up with Florence?"

Christopher Somerset shook his head: "I don’t know."

Daniel Knight asked: "Do you think there’s hope for them?"

Christopher Somerset was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"You think there’s no hope." Edward Renfield said.

Christopher Somerset: "I don’t know."

Edward Renfield gave him an annoyed look.

Luke Gardiner emerged from the bathroom much more clear-headed, the water still dripping from his face as he looked toward Christopher Somerset: "We live nearby, give me a lift."

Christopher Somerset grabbed his car keys: "Alright."

"What are you spacing out for!" Florence furrowed her brows, saying he called her cold yet now he was daydreaming.

Snapping back to reality, Luke Gardiner saw Florence in front of him, gradually returning to his senses: "Ah... what did you say?"

Florence closed her eyes, intending to close the door.

Luke Gardiner held the door: "Can’t I come in for a glass of water? I came all the way from SJ, even helping you handle the Fuller Clan, can’t you show me a bit of sympathy for my troubles?"

Florence: "..."

She suddenly let go, causing Luke Gardiner, who was pressing against the door with force, to lose balance and fall forward onto Florence, their heads bumping together with a thud.

Florence held onto the entryway cabinet to steady herself, avoiding falling, but the head bump was so painful it brought tears to her eyes.