"Don't say sorry to me! Daisy is the one you should apologize to, for the 12 years that she has spent loving you and for the fact that you haven't acted like a husband for one day since she married you! When she was pregnant with your baby, you were fooling around with other women; when she was on assignment and risking her life, you were enjoying your comfortable and luxurious life; when she was alone and worried to death by Justin's sickbed, you were squandering your wealth in some club. You've been nothing but cruel to her, Edward!"
Belinda's lips were quivering. She had been dying to yell these words at Edward for a long time. The pent-up anger had almost choked her. Unlike Daisy, she wouldn't bear all the pains silently or give the things she wanted to others.
"12 years? Belinda, be clear. Did Daisy and I meet 12 years ago?" Edward was stunned at Belinda's words. He didn't know that Daisy had loved him for so long until today. He couldn't imagine how she had spent those years when he didn't respond to her love at all, because only a few hours had passed since he lost track of her, and already he felt that he had been emptied, leaving only a shell. She had brought him so many shocks, one bigger than another. He felt that his whole world was crumbling.
"I wish she had never met you. Then she wouldn't have lived only for you, and might have been happier." Belinda reached for the wine before her, and poured it down her throat. The cold liquid slid down to her heart. Her sensory organs prickled. She coughed.
"Slow down!" Duke said. He patted her lightly and wiped her tears with a tissue. He was terrified by her hysteria. Obviously she loved Daisy deeply, to an extent that no one else could imagine.
Edward was astounded, with mixed feelings. Daisy had always loved him, but she had never said so to him. Instead he had known about it via newspapers and other person. They had been intimate recently, but he had never known her real feelings for him. He thought it unforgivable. Was this his so-called love for her? His love paled beside her forgiveness.
Rain raised his eyes to look at Annie. 'Has she fallen in love with another man?' he ventured. He was sure of it before today, but after learning about Daisy's faithfulness to Edward, he was moved. He regained his faith in Annie, because he didn't think she was a fickle girl. Annie felt downhearted. Daisy's situation was so similar to hers. They both loved a man secretly. But Annie was much luckier. At least she had her family who loved her very much while all Daisy had was only one friend. Compared to Daisy, she had nothing to complain about.
At this moment, the room was quiet. Everyone had something different on their minds. They learned something new about Daisy and respected her even more for it. How many women could love a man as humbly as she did? She had endured Edward's neglect and unfaithfulness, and long years of waiting for him to love her back. She was tough and resilient.
A ringtone broke the silence. Everybody looked around to locate the source, broken out of their thoughts. It was Edward's phone. He picked it up and hoped it was Daisy. However, it wasn't.
"Hi, Justin, what's up?" he answered softly. He was always tender with his son.
"Daddy, where are you and mommy? Why aren't you home yet?" Justin was bored. He had been sitting on the steps of the garden for a long time, waiting for his parents to come home, but he had seen neither of them, which was unusual. He started to worry.
"Your mommy is in H City for the war games. She left in such a hurry that she didn't have the time to tell you." Edward pressed the area between his brows and thought regretfully, 'How could I forget Justin?'
"OK. No wonder her phone is off. Daddy, why didn't you come home?" Justin asked sadly. They didn't come home, and neither of them had called to tell him about it. 'Have they forgotten me?' he thought.
"I'm in a bar with Uncle Duke and your other uncles. I'll come home later. Get to bed now. OK?" Edward smiled for the first time that evening, because on the other end of the phone, it was his dearest child that Daisy had given him.
"What? Daddy, did you go to Sexy World again? As soon as Mom left? You can't even talk to other women. Or I'll tell mom and she will punish you by making you do 100 push-ups." Justin said angrily. He was familiar with Sexy World. He had tried to keep those scantily clad women away from his father when he just started to live with his dad. Those women had practically climbed on top of Edward, which was unbearably irritating. What was he? A mountain?
"I'd rather she made me do 100 push-ups now." As long as she spoke to him and stayed by his side, he would do 1000 push-ups, let alone 100.
"Daddy, what do you mean?" Justin possessed excellent comprehension despite of his young age. He caught the underlying meaning of his father's sentence immediately.
Nothing, I just miss your mom. Edward exhaled deeply. He was feeling better after talking to Justin, not so depressed anymore. Now he would rather believe that Daisy was too busy to charge her phone than accept the she was avoiding him.
Ok. Daddy, I miss you both. Come home soon. Justin said dejectedly. Actually he was smart enough to sense his father's low spirit. He had been together with his father for months. He even took him to his office. He had been familiar with his different tones when he was in different moods. But he wasn't sure whether his current low spirits were because of his mom.
Okay. Noted, go to sleep. Edward sounded hoarse. He wasn't sure whether it was because he had drunk too much or because he was touched by what Justin had said. For the first time in his life, he felt vulnerable.
Good night daddy. Justin hung up and went upstairs. He was full of loneliness. The house was empty and dull without his parents. He sat in front of the computer desk, looking small, solitary as well. His melancholy was inconsistent with his age.
He sat there for a long time. Then looking at the beautiful bouncing icons on the computer screen, he pick up the mouse and started to work on the computer game program that he had come up with recently. The plot was simple and sweet. Most importantly, his daddy and mommy were in it.