I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Terrence’s gaze was unfocused. To keep Meredith from worrying, he said nonchalantly, “It’s nothing, just temporarily blind.” He himself didn’t know if he would ever see again in this lifetime. His intention was to not make the atmosphere too sorrowful; what had happened, had happened, and discussing anything else was pointless.

Hearing him mention his blindness, Meredith’s eyes welled up with tears that soon started rolling down her cheeks. She hugged Terrence, saying, “Let’s go home.” She had come to take him back.

Joy Chaucer had been apprehended by the police, and the drugs in Terrence’s system were overwhelmingly strong. Meredith’s touch triggered a flood of desire in him like a dam bursting. Noticing Terrence’s body go limp and warm, Meredith asked worriedly, “Why is your body so hot?”

“My voice hoarse,” he replied, “I’ve been drugged.”

This drove Meredith to desperation and anger. Terrence was in such a state, and Joy Chaucer had been so cruel as to drug him, attempting to overpower him. Going to the hospital might have been too late, but with Terrence in such a condition, any primitive attempt would mean a bloody struggle.

Fortunately, the doctor brought in by Joy Chaucer found a relieving medication. Under police interrogation, the doctor confessed and administered the antidote to Terrence as a way to atone for his actions. Meredith had these two doctors re-dress Terrence’s wounds. As the bandages were unwrapped and tended to, Meredith watched tearfully.

Her heart ached. His body was covered in wounds from shattered car glass. Azure, who was also present, felt a sourness at the tip of his nose watching the scene. During the wound dressing, the room was as silent as if engulfed by winter chill, and Terrence, weakened, felt the antidote start to work, gradually easing his discomfort and restoring his strength.

After the wounds were treated, Meredith washed his body with warm water and changed him into clean, new clothes before wheeling him home. On the ride back, Azure drove while Meredith and Terrence sat together in the back. Meredith leaned on Terrence’s shoulder, holding his hand. With him there, she no longer felt lost. Her heart was at ease.

Meredith had already shared the good news with Ravenwood. Everyone knew Terrence had been found. From his disappearance to being found, it had been seven long days, each feeling like an eternity for the Sterling family.

Because it was late, Meredith told the people at Ravenwood not to come over, suggesting they visit tomorrow instead. Back at home, Meredith took meticulous care of Terrence. In the deep quiet of the night, she lay beside him, unable to sleep. Tears streamed down her face; the fear of losing him and then having him back felt like a dream. Clinging tightly to his arm, nestled in his embrace, she whispered, “I thought I had lost you.”

She couldn’t imagine a world without Terrence. To her, that would be the end of the world.

Terrence could feel her anxiety. He held her tightly, kissing her forehead, “I made you worry. I can’t see now, but I’ll just stay home from now on, stay with you and our daughter, and go nowhere so you don’t have to worry.”

His tone lightened, trying to use humor to wash away her sadness. Both the trap at Mondale and this incident had made her anxious. On reflection, it was rather… embarrassing.

“You’ll see again,” she looked at him, “we’ll go to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup. They’ll find a way.”

The transition from light to darkness was a tremendous ordeal for Meredith, who didn’t know how Terrence had endured these days of disappearance.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Alright,” Terrence responded with a warm smile, willing to follow her every directive.

“By the way, do you know who shot at you that night?” Meredith recalled, saying, “Ethan Channing is dead. He was silenced in the hospital. I asked Leyton, who heard Ethan Channing on a call with someone he called Mr. Hawthorne. I contacted Celestial Alliance to locate this Mr. Hawthorne, but there’s no news yet.”

“Ethan Channing is dead?” Terrence was surprised.

“He died with his eyes closed, at least knowing before he died that it was Leyton who had killed his parents,” Meredith explained. “It was all because of a hit-and-run by Leyton ten years ago. Ethan Channing thought it was you and spent ten years planning his revenge. I think Ethan Channing targeted both Leyton and Joy Chaucer to get back at you.”

Terrence’s expression grew somber. When Ethan Channing was first silenced, he had vaguely guessed that someone else was behind it. Mr. Hawthorne…

“Celestial Alliance,” Terrence remembered his own investigations and frowned, “the person behind Ethan Channing was actually Celestial Alliance.”