I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Snow could cover the portrait, but it couldn’t erase the longing and memories in Terrence’s heart. He lowered his head and continued copying Buddhist scriptures. As the sky gradually darkened, Terrence turned on the light and looked out the window. The view was dotted with lights, breathtakingly beautiful. Even at night, Park Bridge Mountain remained picturesque. The villagers at the foot of the mountain had turned on their lights, creating a winding river of starlight along the mountain range. Among the thousands of lights in the world, there was no longer one that belonged to him and Meredith.

“Mr. Sterling,” the temple head knocked on the door.

Terrence put down his brush and got up to open the door. “Master Emerson, do you need something?”

Master Emerson, over fifty years old, was the head of the temple. Terrence was practicing with hair here and hadn’t shaved his head. It wasn’t that Terrence didn’t want to shave his head; rather, the temple didn’t agree to it. The temple had conditions for accepting people, and since Terrence hadn’t resolved his worldly affairs and his family didn’t agree, the temple naturally wouldn’t accept him.

“I came to play chess with you,” Master Emerson smiled. “Do you have time?”

Terrence stepped aside to let Master Emerson in. “Master Emerson, please.”

Master Emerson entered the room while Terrence took out the chess pieces. They sat cross-legged, one holding white pieces, the other black.

As they played chess, Master Emerson tried to counsel Terrence. “Mr. Sterling, you’ve been here for half a year now. How is your family?”

“Everything is fine,” Terrence replied without revealing any emotion.

“You have elders above and children below. Mr. Sterling, haven’t you let go of your attachment?” Master Emerson advised. “Don’t let yourself regret it.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Terrence held a chess piece in his hand for a long time without placing it down. He said, “My only wish in this life is for my wife to come back.”

Unfortunately, she would never come back.

“The deceased are gone, and life goes on, Mr. Sterling. My condolences,” Master Emerson urged. “It’s time to go down the mountain.”

Terrence remained silent. Just then, Puffy’s “miserable” cries could be heard outside-it was being naughty again and getting punished. The people at the temple would never really hit Puffy; they just made a lot of noise without much action.

Every time Puffy would howl dramatically on purpose.

Master Emerson put down his chess piece and looked out the window. “That Puffy is causing trouble again. Poor child without parents.”

These last words were meant for Terrence to hear, hoping he would think of his child at home and let go of his attachment to return home.

After Master Emerson left, Terrence sat in silence for a long time until suddenly his phone rang-it was a video call from Stella.

Normally, Terrence never answered calls from home; he wouldn’t even reply to messages or respond to videos or photos of Little Lucky sent by them.

Hearing Puffy’s childish voice outside softened Terrence’s heart, and he answered the video call.

This made Stella on the other end extremely excited.

After more than half a year, Terrence finally answered her video call. But seeing Terrence in the video brought tears to Stella’s eyes.

Her son’s hair had more white strands than hers did as a mother.

Terrence was only thirty-three this year, in his prime.

Afraid that her tears would make Terrence feel worse, Stella forced a smile through her tears. “Terry, you’ve lost weight. Oh right, Rowan has grown taller; let me show you.”

Excitedly, Stella called over Little Lucky who was playing nearby. “Rowan, come see your daddy.”

Hearing it was her daddy, Little Lucky put down her toy and ran over to Stella’s side. Seeing Terrence in the video didn’t trigger any memory for Little Lucky; he looked different from the photos Grandma usually showed her.

Little Lucky stared at Terrence in the video and asked Stella in her childish voice, “Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?”

Looking seriously at Terrence in the video she said, “Which grandpa is this? He’s not Daddy; only grandpas have white hair.”

Hearing his daughter’s words broke Terrence’s composure; his nose tingled with emotion and his eyes reddened as his lips trembled slightly.

Stella couldn’t hold back anymore either; large tears fell as she cried into the video call with Terrence: “Son, please come back soon! Rowan doesn’t recognize you anymore! Your daughter doesn’t know who you are! Meredith’s spirit in heaven must be so heartbroken.”