I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Even when the blanket was pulled away, Terrence did not react. He was completely in a state of giving up on himself and everything around him. Azure was helpless; she was not a quick-tempered person, and after her recent outburst, she quickly calmed down.

“Terrence, it’s been a long time since Meredith went missing, and there’s no body. As her husband, you should at least erect a tombstone for her,” Azure said. “Give her a place to rest.”

Hearing the word “tombstone,” Terrence finally opened his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to say that she wasn’t dead; it would be self-deception. The typhoon had swept through the city, causing many casualties, especially at sea. If Visnove hadn’t risked his life to save Terrence, he would have been buried in the ocean too.

Seeing that he responded, Azure continued, “Rowan hasn’t been held by her father for a long time. How about I bring her in? She can call me ‘Mom’ now.”

Terrence shook his head; he didn’t want to see Little Lucky. He felt too ashamed to face his daughter. His arrogance had led him to believe he controlled everything, setting a trap for Reginald that resulted in Meredith’s tragedy. This event shattered Terrence’s confidence entirely, leaving him hopeless.

Azure didn’t know what Terrence was thinking and remained silent as he stayed motionless. After a long while, Terrence’s hoarse voice broke the silence: “I caused Meredith’s death.”

This was the crux of Terrence’s problem. Azure understood and said, “What’s done is done. You still have a long life ahead of you. You can’t let Rowan lose both her mom and dad. The old lady is getting older, and your parents have never been in charge. If you fall apart, what will happen to them?”

“The world will keep turning without me,” Terrence said, shedding all responsibilities and showing no concern for the Sterling family’s fate. His only reason for living was to ensure Little Lucky still had a father.

Azure couldn’t persuade Terrence. After that day, Terrence was discharged from the hospital and returned home. Everything in the house felt familiar as if Meredith were still there. He seemed to hear Meredith asking from the kitchen, “What do you want to eat?” He imagined seeing her running down the stairs saying, “You’re back.” When he walked into the room, he almost saw Meredith comforting their daughter: “Rowan was so good today.”

Everywhere in the house bore traces of her presence. Terrence sent away the driver, maid, and butler and sat alone in the empty hall night after night.

His face grew stubbly with many white hairs sprouting. When John Wilkinson came to see him, he was shocked and could hardly believe that this unkempt man with graying hair at just over thirty years old was Terrence.

Seeing John Wilkinson at the door, Terrence let him in and continued packing his luggage.

“If you’d come a little later, I would have already left,” Terrence said.

“Where are you going?” John Wilkinson asked instinctively.

Terrence didn’t answer. He hadn’t erected a cenotaph for Meredith nor visited Little Lucky since his discharge.

“Terrence, I’m deeply sorry,” John Wilkinson said; he owed an apology for failing to protect a citizen as part of the police force.

Terrence said nothing, making John Wilkinson feel awkward.

After finishing his packing, Terrence finally spoke: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”

John Wilkinson had nothing more to say.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

Terrence left with only clothes and a photo of himself with Meredith in his luggage. He took a cab to the airport from outside his community gate, leaving behind luxury cars, villas, companies, and family.

He left a letter for his family with just one sentence: “Grandma, please take care of Rowan for me. Don’t look for me; I’ll be fine.”

This letter was addressed to Grandma Sterling. She had raised Terrence and now looked after Little Lucky as well. With her education methods, Terrence wasn’t worried about Little Lucky anymore.

With no more attachments holding him back, he could finally do what he wanted.

Terrence piloted a helicopter to where Meredith had gone missing at sea and hovered there for a long time. The events of that night were still vivid in his mind. Perhaps it was an illusion; he saw Meredith waving at him from the sea but realized it was just waves when he got closer.

After spending a day by the sea, he left for a temple on Park Bridge Mountain. There he disappeared from public view and converted to Buddhism.

Grandma Sterling later learned about Terrence’s whereabouts in the temple when Stella and Julian clamored to find him but were stopped by the old lady: “Let him be.”