Lonely Solitude.

'If your mother was alive, she wouldn't want you to starve yourself,' said a part of my brain. I was hungry and I needed to recover my strength quickly, so I finally decided to eat. 

If only Mom was here with me, I wouldn't be so lonely. I thought to myself while staring at the food. She would surely have enjoyed this meal if she was still alive. 

I started with the mushroom soup, the appetizer. It smelled and tasted so delicious that I emptied the small bowl within a few minutes. My stomach growled in hunger, wanting more food now that it had a taste. So I filled my plate with rice and dishes and ate heartily to fill my ravenous stomach. 

When I was done eating, I covered the unfinished food with plates and drank a glass of water. There was still a slice of cake left for my dessert, but I was already so full. I decided to consume it after taking a bath so I could pair it with a bottle of vintage red wine that came with the food trolley.

As such, I called the front desk and requested for a staff member to collect the dirty dishes. Not even a minute later, I heard a knock on the door, indicating the staff had arrived.

Even if I hated Ace, I couldn't deny that most of his staff were efficient! The staff member quickly cleared the table and took everything with him, leaving behind a wine glass, a slice of red velvet cake, and the bottle of vintage wine. 

I thanked him when he finished and watched as he pushed the food trolley to the door. 

There was nothing left for me to do so I decided to watch TV to keep myself occupied. 

I missed Mom. How I wished she was here with me. I hugged my pillow and wished it was her. What would I have given to hug her once more? I wiped the tears that had unknowingly fallen on my cheeks. Mom didn't want me to be sad. I had to be strong for her. 

After such a grueling day, I was so tired that I fell asleep halfway through the TV show, but it wasn't long before my rest was interrupted.

I was awakened by the piercing sound of a phone ringing. The ringtone seemed oddly familiar. I sat up and reached for the telephone sleepily, but as I did so, the blanket slid down my shoulders and fell on the floor. 

I frowned. I didn't recall covering myself with a blanket before I fell asleep watching the TV.

Speaking of which, I looked up and saw my reflection in the TV screen. I frowned deeper, feeling shivers travel down my spine. Why was the TV turned off? Who turned it off? A hotel staff?

The phone stopped ringing just when I managed to find it. I thought it was the hotel phone, but it turned out to be a handphone hidden behind the lampshade. 

To be precise, it was Ace's handphone! 

Realization then hit me, Ace had entered my room when I was sleeping, and left before I woke up! Not only did he enter the room to turn off the TV and put a blanket over my sleeping figure, he also laid next to me while I slept. 

The bed sheets on the other side of the bed were rumpled. So he definitely was here! 

What I didn't understand was why. For what reason would my soon-to-be ex-husband still bother with tiny acts of care for me? What was he thinking? 

I don't know why he came to my hotel room only to leave afterwards, without waiting for me to wake up. He should have waited some time before he left so we could talk about our divorce. 

Realizing I'd been wasting time thinking of him, I tried to push away all thoughts of him, but it was less than successful, seeing that I was holding his handphone in my own hands. 

I had more questions. Did he forget his phone? Or did he leave it on purpose for me to find? 

I was surprised to realize that I could access Ace's phone. Since when did Ace forget to lock his phone? After swiping the screen upward, the phone was easily unlocked. A series of unread messages popped up, all of which came from Angela. I frowned. All of them contained the same message. 

'ACE WHERE ARE YOU'

'ACE ANSWER ME'

'ACE WHERE ARE YOU'

I was confused - weren't they together? The frown on my forehead deepened. If Ace wasn't with Angela, then where the hell was he?