A phone call

It had been a week. Abigail felt relieved because Christopher didn't object to her going to work. Every day, she came home early and cooked for him. She was exhausted, but she was relieved that he was with her.

With no arguments with him, life seemed to return to normal. It was like the days when they had just married.

Christopher used to come home from work early and didn't work late at night at that time. He had been doing the same thing lately. He went to bed early every night.

Despite the fact that he made no attempt to approach her or be intimate with her, which was undoubtedly upsetting, she felt relieved. At the very least, they weren't yelling at each other.

He was not getting angry with her.

Abigail had always wished for a life like this. She had almost forgotten about her in-laws' dissatisfaction with her and Vivian working at Christopher's office.

She had come back early today as well and was preparing dinner in a happy mood.

Ring-Ting-Ting…

She went to pick up her phone and noticed an unknown number on the screen. She furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity and then released them as she swiped the screen to answer the call.

"Hello…"

There was a dead silence on the other end of the phone.

She became even more curious, her brows pinching.

"Hello…"

"Abi…"

Abigail's breathing briefly stopped when she heard the familiar voice that she had not heard for years.

"Elsa…" she murmured, still in a daze, her fingers pressing against her lips and her eyes watering.

"Elsa?" She called out to her again as if skeptical. "Is this really you?"

"Yes, it's me… you, moron… You never tried to contact me. I am still mad at you… How could you have forgotten about me? You don't care about me!"

Elsa started sobbing.

"You said you would never talk to me," Abigail also whined. "I thought you would call me, and I waited and waited for your calls. But you never called or texted me."

She sniffed, struggling with the urge to cry.

"You are right… It was my fault…" Elsa was sobbing so hard that she couldn't speak. "It was me who stopped talking to you. I was the one who never checked on you, even after your surgery. I chose my pride and rage over our friendship. I am so sorry, Abi…"

"Don't say sorry. It was not entirely your fault. I also showed my stubbornness without knowing your good intentions. I could have called you as well, but I didn't. Actually, my ego was what kept me from contacting you."

Abigail wiped her nose, her voice breaking. She wished she could rush over to her and console her.

"Abi… I have returned home and will be here for two days. Will you come to meet me?" Elsa asked in a low voice, not sounding confident.

Abigail remembered Jasper telling her that Elsa would be back in a week. She grinned and wiped her tears away.

"Of course, I will meet you."

"Really?" Elsa squealed. "Okay… then… how about we have dinner together tomorrow at my house?"

"Yeah, sure… I will be there," Abigail said, not considering whether Christopher would let her go out.

"Oh, dear… I am so excited to meet you."

"I am excited too." Abigail grinned.

"Okay, Abi… I am hanging up now… I will go arrange things for tomorrow."

"Bye…"

Abigail couldn't believe she had just spoken with Elsa. She was grinning from ear to ear and didn't notice Christopher giving her a disapproving look.

She put the phone down and turned to go back to the kitchen, which is when she saw him. When he met her with his cold stare, she felt a knot in her stomach. Before she could say anything, he walked up to his room.

Abigail pressed her fingers together, realizing her mistake. Her relationship with Christopher had just returned to normal, but she had done something that irritated him once more. She was sorry she agreed to meet with Elsa.

She chewed the insides of her cheeks, pondering how she could persuade him. She slowly went to the bedroom.

Christopher was on the balcony. His tie and coat were on the settee across from the bed. His back was stiff, and he exuded a cold aura.

Abigail didn't need to look at his face to tell if he was angry or not. She knew it already. She put the coat and tie in the closet and went over to him.

He stiffened his posture and tightened his grip on the railing when he sensed her coming in closer.

Abigail stood behind him, maintaining a safe distance. She had not forgotten how hard he had squeezed her arm that day. She subconsciously touched her arm, recalling the bone-crushing pain.

"It was Elsa, a good friend of mine," she said, her voice barely audible. "She invited me to dinner, and I couldn't refuse."

He said nothing. All he did was stand there stiffly, looking at the dimly lit patio.

He used to see Abigail sitting there all the time, but now it was empty. It gave him the impression that that part of the house had been abandoned. This feeling was unsettling.

The next day was Saturday, and he had planned to spend the whole day with her. He had thought he would take her wherever she wanted to go. But she had already made plans.

His wife, who never did anything without his permission, had begun making her own decisions. He didn't like it and wanted to get his obedient wife back. If she wanted to go out to dinner, he would take her.

"I had no idea you had a friend named Elsa," he said.

"You must have forgotten. I told you about her. Elsa and I have been friends since we were kids. We grew up together. She is…"

Christopher turned to her with a scowl on his face, making her stop talking abruptly. "Your neighbor?" he asked with surprise.

"Yes."

"I see…" He nodded, his thoughts drifting.

It turned out that she was going to meet Jasper's sister. That meant Jasper would also be there. His expression turned ugly.

He had been dismissing all of the Essence Concierge employees who had come to work for him. He assumed he was causing problems for Jasper. However, Jasper was one step ahead of him.

'That man is trying to snatch my wife!'

Christopher cocked his head. He would never renew the contract.

"Go ahead. Have fun with your friend and impress your boss." He curled his lips deviously.

Abigail forced a smile, unsure if he meant it honestly or if his words had other hidden meanings. She was relieved, however, that he had finally allowed her to go there. She would make up with him later.

"Thank you. I will go serve the food. Please be quick."

She went back to the kitchen, still considering what he had said.