Chapter 13

Summer and I had known each other for a long time, since long before my encounter with Dixon Gregg, so she knew about my feelings for him from the very beginning.

She knew that I had only one password for everything and it was related to the day when I met Dixon.

It was December 27th, 2009. The first snow that year had begun to fall that day.

"Carol, you look pale. Stop forcing yourself to smile."

"I'm not. I think it's just too cold."

I chatted a little bit longer with her in the tea house and left. On my way back home, a strange number called me.

I picked up the phone and asked, "Who is this?"

"I'm Mrs. Gregg, Gwen Worth."

I sneered and said, "You are not even married yet."

Gwen paused for a second and went on to say forcefully, "I know. It's just how I address myself. I'm meant to be Dixon's wife and you have held the title from me for three years. Caroline Shaw, I've waited for him and watched you be by his side for three years. Now it's time to finally set things straight. It's my turn to get what I want. Everyone will admire me because I'm Mrs. Gregg."

What a ridiculous person! She didn't seem to understand that the title of Mrs. Gregg wasn't enough to win people's respect.

She had to show self-respect and dignity while being discreet and composed.

I wasn't interested in lecturing her, so I simply said, "Sure."

She went on talking and began to feel sorry for herself. Gwen said in a distraught tone, "I haven't really blamed you for your marriage with Dixon. Even if you two hadn't got married, some other woman from a wealthy and powerful family would have done the same. They may not be as kind as you. I wouldn't have been left alone all these years in that case. I guess I have to thank you for that."

I was still not interested. "Sure."

To be honest, I was never a kind person. I had just been uninterested in playing this dumb game with her.

"I know that I've done many things wrong, but that's only because I long to be Mrs. Gregg."

After a short pause, she said with a laughing tone, "I am Mrs. Gregg, Gwen Worth."

I reminded her coldly, "You're not married yet. His father hasn't agreed to it."

I knew from personal experience that no one could be so sure about how things would go.

Especially when they were facing someone they loved...

She chuckled softly. "It's only a matter of time."

She was trying to provoke me, but I couldn't bring myself to pay any further attention to her.

I hung up the phone and entered her number into the blacklist. When I looked up, it seemed that I was seeing that familiar figure again. I blinked my eyes and found that the street was empty. I had been having a hallucination.

I shook my head and drove to the beach. My wedding with Dixon had taken place there. As soon as I arrived at the beach, I received a phone call from Dixon. "What a coincidence." He asked in a low voice, "Why have you been shunning me these days?"

He had been calling me to go out with him, but I had turned him down every time. I had even said some harsh words. However, he had been pestering me and said a lot of inexplicable things.

I stared at the rolling waves. "Don't you know why?"

"I do. Look, I can promise you that I won't see Gwen Worth before the wedding. During these two months, I'll only focus on dating you. Caroline, I feel sorry for you."

Perhaps he had finally realized that he had been mean to me for years. That was why he felt sorry for me.

I said with self-mockery, "Dixon, do you really think that's what I want?"

"Caroline, I know you want to date someone and feel loved. I remember you asking me whether I could do that for you. You even offered to get divorced and hand over the Shaw Corporations. Now that we're divorced, you still haven't got anything you wished for. I hate to take advantage of you. It's against my nature. Let me give you what you want, otherwise, take the Shaw Corporations back! I won't accept it as a free gift."

I had forgotten how stubborn he was. He had always done whatever he had wanted to do. Now, he wanted to make things up to me by dating me.

He threatened to give me the Shaw Corporations back if I didn't accept his offer.

I didn't have anyone to trust with the Shaw Corporations apart from him.

Setting aside all the grudges, he was the most suitable person to take over the Shaw Corporations.

I fell into a long silence, thinking about it over and over again. The wind coming from the sea blew over my body, freezing me on the spot. Dixon was not in a hurry either. He was patiently waiting for my answer.

We both held our phones and sat in silence.

I made up my mind after careful consideration. I said, "I have two requests."

"I'm all ears."

"First, I don't want you to have anything to do with Gwen Worth. You can't see her for the next two months. You can't mention her name in front of me unless I take the initiative to ask. Second, I won't sleep with you."

My health condition was getting worse.

I didn't want him to notice anything about it.

I could hear Dixon chuckle on the other side of the phone. "How come I never knew you could be so bossy?"

"Is that a yes?" I asked.

"Yes. We have a deal." After a moment of silence, he said, "I'll make some arrangements at work and set aside all my time for you over the next two months. I'll be all yours."

"I'll be all yours."

He was really good at this.

After hanging up the phone, I realized that my whole body had been stiff the entire time.

I had never expected that he would agree to my terms.

I had never expected that I would be so lucky as to have him by my side for my final days.

I wiped my eyes and was a little bit surprised to find them wet with tears. It must have been from the wind. Why else would I tear up?

The wind coming over the sea must have been too harsh for my eyes.

I returned home and waited until midnight for Dixon to call me again, but he never did. I didn't make a big deal about it, even though I was a bit disappointed. I stood in front of the French windows and waited, not sure what I was waiting for. Maybe I was hoping that he could stand downstairs like that night in the snow.

He could be the fresh wind from the mountains and the bright moon in the starry night as long as he wanted to. Letting go of all the rights and wrongs in the past, I was ready to bury the hatchet. Right now, I only wanted to see him smiling at me from downstairs.

Dixon must have regretted it. I knew that he would never break his promise and that was why I thought he had been postponing it out of regret. I had waited for him for three days at home since our agreement to date each other. However, he had not called at all. He hadn't even texted.

I lost all my hope, and that was when Dixon called me.

I ignored him on purpose and went to take a bath instead.

I came out of the bath and dried my hair. I poured myself a glass of red wine and found a book to read in front of the French windows. The room was warm as usual, and there was a sudden winter rain outside. I turned to look out of the window. What I saw made me stunned for an instant.

Dixon was at the entrance of the villa with a black umbrella in his hand. He was wearing a navy blue knee-length coat with a hand in one pocket.

I didn't even know when he had arrived downstairs.

It was still daytime, so he saw me from downstairs. He saw that I had noticed him and he smiled warmly at me. He took his hand out of his pocket and waved the mobile phone in his hand, gesturing for me to pick up my phone.

I hesitated for a moment before I searched for my phone and picked it up. "What's wrong? Why are you here?"