Her phone remained silent, and after a long pause, she decided to call him.
The phone rang, the connection was slow, and when it finally clicked, the noise on the other end made her stomach tighten. There was a shuffle of footsteps before everything went quiet.
“Hello, wife. I’m sorry, something came up.”
“Ophelia had an accident. She’s all alone in Cedar Ridge, and as her mentor, I can’t leave her...”
Once again, Ophelia.
Dione couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Ophelia was so intent on keeping Cedric that she would go as far as to hurt herself to make him stay.
“Then take good care of her over there,” Dione said, her voice steady before hanging up.
She stayed in her hometown for over ten days, each day filled with messages and calls from Cedric, full of excuses about why he couldn’t make it.
Dione played along, not wanting to confront him.
As the day of her appointment with Dr. Pierce approached, she packed up and made her way back to Cedar Ridge.
She didn’t tell Cedric she was returning, she didn’t owe him that, and instead, went straight to his studio to collect her things.