Page 212 of My Ruthless Neighbor

After collecting myself off the floor, I called Ma. I wanted to know how he knew I was here. It can’t be Raleigh or Hannah because they were still upset with him.

That only left Ma. Not to mention she called to warn me about his arrival.

So I dialed her and got straight to the point.

“What was he doing here, Ma?” I whisper in the phone, my throat still tight.

“Were you crying?”

When I sniffle. She says, “I shouldn’t have told him where you were without telling you. I’m sorry.” Regret rings in her voice.

I clutch the phone tighter with both hands, not liking her small voice. But I also want to know the reason why she did it. “Why?”

“Because he was heartbroken, Summer. And you were miserable too.” She breathes out. There’s a brief pause before she starts. “He told me everything.”

“And you still told him where I was?” I can’t help the sadness lacing my tone.

“Summer… honey. You wouldn’t understand why I did that without talking to him. I am not asking you to give him a chance. Just hear him out. There are things you don’t know. Things you should know. Only then the pieces of this puzzle would fall into place.”

“I tried, Ma. I did. He was not ready.” A tear slides down my cheek. “He hurt me.”

“I know.” Her voice shakes. “I want you both to be happy.”

“I’m not sure if I am strong enough to face him again.”

“You are the strongest girl I know, Summer. You remind me of someone who was just like you. Fierce and brave.” Her voice trembles. Then, “Please talk to him. You’ll get your answers.”

Chapter Forty-Three

The next morning, I wake up with a nasty headache. My eyes are swollen from all the crying and my body aches like it’s been hit by a truck. In a nutshell, I feel like shit.

I throw the covers off me and drag myself to the bathroom. Even a warm bath doesn’t help. Changing into fresh clothes, I feed Goldie. Then traipse over to the kitchen. Heating up the leftovers, I eat in silence.

I had no appetite but forced the food down my throat for energy because I feel drained.

I still haven’t made up my mind about Archer yet. So I am going to spend the entire day out. If he shows up here again, he’ll find the chalet empty.

And to spend the day out, I need to eat. Even when I feel miserable.

After eating, I get ready, covering myself with thick layers of colorful clothing. Then help Goldie into his jacket and booties before leaving.

Throughout the day, I feel eyes on me. As if someone is following me.

Genesis Media comes to mind but I don’t think they would bother following me all the way to Switzerland. They must be too busy cooking another strategy to spy on KIM Advertising.

Notwithstanding the plagiarism, Raleigh and the team successfully launched a brand-new campaign a few days ago. It was the back up plan Archer was working on.

They thrived despite the drawbacks. And while the agency’s reputation was intact, Raleigh was still investigating the leak and was gathering evidence against them.

Anyway, the feeling of being followed didn’t go away as the day progressed.

Many times, I stopped abruptly and looked over my shoulder in order to catch my stalker off guard. But in the crowd, I couldn’t spot anyone who appeared suspicious.

I shrugged it off and began shopping for my friends, Ma and Pa.

Ma called me an hour ago, sounding guilty. I reassured her that I wasn’t angry.

I’m not mad at her for telling Archer where I was. I understood where she was coming from. She was torn between me and him.

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