Chapter 388 - 368: Rushing Back Impulsively (1)

Georgia Thorne was unhappy. She couldn’t reach Elliot Sheridan, and she had no idea where he’d gone.

She put Nina to bed, but Elliot still hadn’t returned.

She filled the bathtub with hot water. Soaking in the bath, she wondered if he had even seen her.

’How could he not have seen me? I’m a whole person, right there in the bed. He’d have to be blind.’

Too bad Elliot Sheridan wasn’t blind. On the contrary, his eyesight was excellent.

That left another possibility: he was pretending not to have seen her.

’He must still be angry about my training.’

The water gradually grew cold. Georgia’s mind was in turmoil, racing with possibilities but settling on no answers.

Lost in her own world, she was completely unaware of Elliot outside.

When Elliot returned and pushed open the bedroom door, he didn’t see Georgia.

The room was silent. Nina was already asleep. The only light on was in the bathroom.

He pushed the door open. The bathroom felt chilly. Georgia was slumped over the edge of the tub, her back to him and her head tilted to one side. She seemed to be asleep.

’The water must be freezing.’ The anger he had just managed to suppress surged back. ’Is this how she acts when she’s away, too?’

She’d let his words go in one ear and out the other again.

He plunged his hand into the water—ice-cold, just as he’d thought. Furious, he gripped her shoulder.

Georgia wasn’t asleep at all. The sudden hand on her shoulder startled her. She whipped her head around to meet the man’s furious dark eyes. "Elliot!"

She cried out, her voice full of grievance. Immediately, he seized her chin, forcing it up, and crushed his lips to hers in a fierce kiss.

It was another nearly sleepless night. No matter how angry Georgia was, she had to grit her teeth and endure it.

’She was the one in the wrong, after all. She had to put up with it.’

After he’d had his way with her until dawn, it was Sheridan’s turn to wear her out.

Fully sated, Elliot was in high spirits. He handed their daughter off to Georgia and went downstairs for a run.

Georgia, lacking his energy, was run ragged by their daughter for over an hour. She was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open.

Eventually, Elliot’s conscience must have gotten the better of him, because he took the baby away, finally letting Georgia get some real sleep.

Georgia had only rushed back because she missed Elliot and Nina so desperately; she hadn’t requested leave or notified anyone.

Which meant she had to go back that very afternoon.

This time, Elliot saw her off at the airport, though his expression was still sour.

His face was cold as ice. "If you had to go back anyway, why did you even bother coming home!"

Georgia, holding their child, snorted. ’He’s the one who got what he wanted, yet he’s acting like I’m the one who owes him.’

’It felt like she’d rushed back just for him to get a freebie.’

’And somehow, he’d bewitched her into becoming a willing participant.’

The memory of their wild, debauched night made Georgia’s head ache.

She shoved the child into Elliot’s arms. "I’m heading to my flight!"

She turned and walked inside. The closer she got to security, the heavier her steps became.

’Is he really not going to ask me to stay?!’

Georgia walked as slowly as she could, wishing she could turn into a turtle. ’Just give him a little more time to think. Would it kill him to ask me to stay?’

In the end, when Georgia passed through security and looked back, he was still standing right where she’d left him, holding their child.

’How ruthless. After all, we just spent a passionate night together.’

Perhaps from being manhandled by Elliot all night, Georgia, right on cue, came down with a cold.

The night she returned to her hotel, she started running a fever.

The next day, a female colleague found her burning up and took her to the hospital.

Georgia was extremely drowsy, but she could still feel the frightening sensation of the needle entering the IV tube.

She dozed off groggily, then was woken up by a lot of noise around her.

Nearby, a small child, who also had a cold, was getting a shot from a nurse.

The parent held the child down as the child BAWLED.

That afternoon, the colleague who had brought her to the hospital came to visit, bringing some hot porridge.

The aroma made Georgia’s stomach GROWL. "How did you know this is my favorite!"

The colleague smiled sheepishly. "Your husband told me. He specifically asked me to go buy it."

’Elliot? He knows I’m sick?’

"Georgia, you never told me you were married!"

Georgia took a sip of porridge and gave a dry laugh.

Most of the people here didn’t know each other.

No one here knew who Georgia Thorne was, nor what her connection to Elliot Sheridan was.

"Your husband is so good to you! As soon as he heard you were in the hospital, it sounded like he wanted to teleport right to your side!"

Georgia chuckled again. "He just spoils me."

After the IV drip, her fever broke, and she was discharged that afternoon.

She rested in her hotel room for the afternoon, lying limply on the bed, feeling weak all over.

Burrowed under the covers, she soon fell asleep.

She was woken by a call from Elliot, having broken out in a sweat.

She answered the phone lazily, murmuring, "Honey."

"Is your cold any better?"

"Much better, but my head’s still a little woozy," Georgia said, her voice turning coquettish.

’If only he were by my side right now.’

"Drink lots of hot water, take your medicine on time, and don’t sleep with the covers on. Don’t go back to training until you’re completely over this cold." Elliot was thinking the same thing as Georgia: ’If only I were there with her.’

Georgia never took good care of herself. It seemed she always managed to get sick the moment he wasn’t around.

She hummed, her voice thick and nasal. "Are you working?"

"Yeah."

"What are you doing?"

"Reading documents."

"Oh."

"..."

This was all too mundane. Georgia rolled over. "Honey, I just want to hear your voice."

"What do you want to hear?"

"I don’t know, just say anything!" Georgia thought for a few seconds. "Like how you talk to Nina!"

"You mean you want me to treat you like my daughter?"

"Well, I’m already over a decade younger than you, about the same age as Selena. And a niece is practically a daughter!" The words tumbled out before she could stop them, and by the time Georgia realized what she’d said, it was too late to take them back.

’She seemed to have prodded one of his sore spots again.’ She quickly tried to backtrack. "I just want to hear your voice, really. Just say anything."

"..."

The line went quiet for several minutes. Just as Georgia, assuming he wouldn’t speak, was about to say "forget it," Elliot’s voice came through. "Do you like listening to songs?"

"I do. Are you going to sing?" Georgia was slightly surprised.

’To be honest, she’d never heard Elliot sing to her before.’

’She was flattered beyond belief.’

But the moment Elliot started singing, Georgia’s mood soured.

It was clearly a children’s song, the one he usually sang to lull Nina to sleep. He was actually singing it to her.

’Does he really see me as his daughter?’

But Georgia listened quietly until Elliot finished the song. "I think I’m getting a little sleepy!"

"If you’re sleepy, go ahead and sleep for a while longer."

"Mm, okay, I’m hanging up then!"

Her phone felt hot against her ear. Elliot’s voice seemed to echo in her mind as she stared blankly at the screen.

After thinking for a moment, she sent Elliot a WeChat message.

It was a sticker she had just collected from someone the day before. She tapped it and sent it.

It was a "need kisses and hugs to sleep" sticker. She wondered how he would reply.

A reply came quickly. Elliot had sent back a single, dead-serious word: "Good."

Elliot didn’t use WeChat much. Basically, his account only existed to talk to Georgia.

He certainly didn’t understand the whole sticker thing. Frustrated, Georgia put down her phone.

’Whatever. I can’t expect him to understand the feelings of us 90s kids.’

She pulled the covers over her head. ’Better to just sleep!’

Georgia’s cold got better quickly. The next day, she resumed her training.

’Since I’m here, I should learn as much as I can and not waste time.’

Amidst the tense and busy work, the next month and a half passed quickly.

The night before the training ended, everyone decided to get together for a meal.

Georgia wanted to refuse but couldn’t, so she had to bite the bullet and go.

At the dinner table, people kept toasting Georgia, and she downed several rounds without complaint.

’These gatherings are kind of boring. I would much rather be packing my things, hugging my plane ticket, and going to sleep so I could head home at the crack of dawn.’

Georgia had told Elliot her return would be delayed by a few days, but she actually wanted to give them a surprise.

She had a high tolerance for alcohol. After several glasses, her face was only a little flushed, and her thoughts were still clear.

When the others saw this, they all tried to ply her with alcohol, determined to get her drunk.

As she was trying to refuse, a phone call rescued her from the bombardment.

The call was from her dear husband. "Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"Huh?" Georgia was a bit dazed by the question. Elliot continued, "What floor of the hotel are you on?"

A few seconds, or maybe a few dozen seconds later, her brain exploded with a BANG.

Georgia finally understood Elliot’s question. "You’re here?"

"Yeah. Tell me your hotel room number!" Elliot confirmed.

’Elliot actually came here? Didn’t he say he was busy?’

Georgia was so happy she could have jumped for joy, but then she remembered something important and said mournfully, "But I’m not at the hotel right now!"

"I have this work dinner I couldn’t get out of! I’m eating out right now!"

"Address!"

Georgia asked a nearby server for the address and relayed it to Elliot. "Are you coming over?"

"Stay there. Don’t move!"

After the call ended, Georgia was in a state of excitement. Back in the private room, she kept staring at her phone.

’He came all this way without even telling me. Honestly.’

Half nervous, half expectant, she couldn’t sit still.