Leap OF Fate novel Chapter 68

After attending his meetings, Justin sat at his desk buried in a mountain of paperwork. He was back to his old workaholic self.

His brows knitted together as he focused on his computer screen. His fingers deftly flew on the keyboard as he composed an email in total concentration. Since their breakup, he buried himself with work. Exhaustion had been his friend. Serene could not invade an exhausted mind and body.

“Come in,” Justin said, not bothering to look away from his screen.

“Mr. Rain, the Security department sent this external drive containing the security audio and videos of your office for the past quarter. You can review it and let me know if we could delete them,” his secretary said in a single breath.

“Ok. Leave it here,” he answered and continued what he did.

The hard drive lured his attention. He plugged the device in his computer and scrolled over to the day he saw Serene and Bryan in his office.

He scoffed before hitting the play icon. Let’s see who’s telling a lie now.

In the video, his secretary ushered in Serene and advised her he’s still in a meeting. She obediently sat on the couch and played with her phone. Her brows knit tightly in concentration and would sometimes utter an expletive or squeal in excitement.

His chest tightened at the sight of her. He had been trying to suppress her memories in his mind for the past month. Seeing her now not only brought a fresh batch of pain but also longing and anger. His mouse cursor moved to the stop icon, but his finger did not click it.

After a while, Bryan came in and approached her. She’s still into her phone and did not notice him.

“You’re back!” Serene’s excited voice stabbed his heart. He missed that.

“Disappointed much?” Bryan’s familiarity with Serene never ceased to annoy him.

“The secretary said that Justin’s still in a meeting,”

“Yeah.” A fresh wave of rage fueled in him as he watched Bryan stare at Serene. Then from out of nowhere he said, “Shen, thank you.”

Justin inched his chair closer, his nose almost touching his monitor. He felt his heart kick into his ribcage and his hands suddenly turned cold. An ominous feeling wrapped around his heart.

“Chester and I talked things out. He’s no longer divorcing me. He told me you asked him out for coffee and talked some sense to him. Honestly, it surprised me you’d help me iron out the misunderstanding between us.”

“He said that you empathized with me.

You’re right, it’s tough being on our spot. We work hard to convince them about their place in our hearts, but it’s easy to have all of that thrown out of the window with just a single suspicion, baseless if I may add.

So, thank you for talking to Chester. All that you said somehow sank into him. Of all the people who would talk sense to him and ask him to give me a chance, it had to be you, the person whom we both hurt.”

Justin pressed on the pause icon. He took several deep breaths and pressed the space between his brows.

Serene empathized with Bryan. Both felt that they always had to defend their position, to prove their love, and a mere suspicion could make their partners throw all their love away.

His hands harshly gripped his hair. He had a bad feeling that Serene had not been lying all along. No, she must be. They were hugging each other. He saw what he saw. He clicked the play icon again, and the video continued.

“It’s fine, Bryan. As I have told Chester, I feel for you because I find myself in a similar predicament. I know your struggles. And I am happy that you and Chester have patched things up and would no longer pursue a divorce.” She smiled at him.

Serene’s eyes widened when suddenly Bryan lunged himself on her and gave her a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Shen. You don’t know how much it meant to me.”

Justin repeated the clip from the time Bryan came in to the time he hugged her. It was barely 10 minutes, but he had been playing it over and over for what felt like more than an hour.

His eyes watered from knowing that she told him the truth. Didn’t she say she was waiting for him so they could go home together? His tear silently rolled down his cheeks. Home. A bitter smile stretched his lips. Was that Magnolia Crescent?

Indeed, they made a beautiful home. He looked forward to coming home to her daily. But since she left, Magnolia Crescent felt hollow. All he saw were endless rows of cold walls suffocating him. She took away the warmth and the joy of the place when she left.

Taking a deep breath, he clicked the play icon, and the video played.

He saw himself come in the door and land a punch on Bryan’s jaw, startling both of them.

He zoomed on Serene’s surprised and terrified face. He scared her. She looked like a bunny cornered by a predator.

“What are you still doing here? Get out! Follow him!”