The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair had just stepped into the study when his mother followed close behind, rushing ahead of him in a hurry.

Mrs. Sinclair went to the desk where two small red booklets were lying. She quickly stacked them together and stuffed them into her sleeve.

"Mom, what are you hiding?"

Sean Sinclair came up beside her. Mrs. Sinclair nearly jumped out of her skin and stammered, "N-Nothing."

"I saw." Sean Sinclair studied his mother, recalling the flash of red he had just glimpsed.

Mrs. Sinclair was shocked. "Y-You saw!"

Sean Sinclair nodded and asked, "Why hide it from me?"

Mrs. Sinclair swallowed nervously. ’It’s over,’ she thought. Her husband had repeatedly warned her not to let their son find out about their divorce at this critical moment. If it affected his work and his future, it would be all her fault!

’If I had known, I would have just found a corner to hide in that day. Out of sight, out of mind.’

’But who would have thought my son would suddenly want to go into the study!’

Her son had been spinning like a top recently, so busy he barely replied to their messages, let alone Sarah’s.

"What’s taking you so long to get our marriage certificate?" Mr. Sinclair walked in, asking his wife calmly, "Got it?"

Mrs. Sinclair nodded immediately. "Got it."

"Your marriage certificate?" Sean Sinclair asked back.

Mrs. Sinclair was startled. ’My son was bluffing!’

She hurried over to her husband’s side, took the certificates out of her sleeve, and handed them to him.

Mr. Sinclair took them and tucked them into his coat pocket.

"Why are you suddenly digging out your marriage certificate?" Sean Sinclair was skeptical, and another thought occurred to him.

’Are my parents getting a divorce?’

His brow furrowed.

"Your mother and I are celebrating our thirtieth wedding anniversary. The Civil Affairs Bureau is holding an event, and we plan to attend. We need to bring our marriage certificate." Mr. Sinclair lied without batting an eye. Moreover, he possessed the natural authority of a stern father. Sean Sinclair, having grown up under this authority, naturally didn’t dare to question him further.

Sean Sinclair said, "Oh, so that’s what it is."

’As long as it’s not a divorce, it’s fine.’

"Don’t let your imagination run wild." Mr. Sinclair saw through what his son was thinking. "Your mother and I are fine. You and Cecilia, on the other hand, need to stop fighting all the time. What is there for family to fight about? You’re just making a spectacle for outsiders."

Sean Sinclair looked at his parents seriously. "I don’t want to hear Cecilia talking about breaking up Leila Jennings and me again."

Mrs. Sinclair opened her mouth to say something, but Mr. Sinclair stopped her and said to his son, "I’ll have a talk with Cecilia."

’His son’s mood was more important than anything right now. They had to go along with him to avoid affecting next week’s bidding conference. It was just a few days away.’

Sean Sinclair still trusted his father and gave a slight nod.

Mr. Sinclair gestured for Mrs. Sinclair to leave.

Only father and son remained in the study. Mr. Sinclair asked, "How are the preparations for the bid coming along?"

"Everything’s on track." Sean Sinclair was looking for a book in the study, one that Leila Jennings had once left in his car. It was because of that book that he and Leila had grown closer.

"Sarah told me her grandfather will put in a good word for you during the bid evaluation. If you win, you must personally visit Elder Jacobs to pay your respects, and more importantly, thank Sarah properly."

Sean Sinclair looked at his father. "Sarah didn’t tell me about this."

"You’ve been too busy, and she’s considerate of you," Mr. Sinclair said. "She’s being considerate because she’s kind-hearted and good to you. Don’t take it for granted. Taking a moment to reply to her messages or show some concern won’t kill you."

Sean Sinclair also knew it wasn’t right that he hadn’t been replying to Sarah Lynch’s messages lately, but every time he picked up his phone, he didn’t know what to say.

He was still conflicted.

Or perhaps, he just didn’t know how to face it.

’Right now, the project is what’s important. I’ll put everything else aside for now,’ Sean Sinclair reasoned, comforting himself.

Mr. Sinclair nodded. "A man should indeed prioritize his career, but you can’t ignore the support system behind you. As your backer, Sarah has done a lot for you."

As if possessed, Sean Sinclair said, "Leila Jennings has also done a lot for me."

"Doing laundry and cooking don’t count for much." Mr. Sinclair saw that he was already holding the book he wanted and glanced at it. Hosseini’s *The Kite Runner*. "What made you think of reading this book?"

Sean Sinclair hefted the book in his hand but didn’t answer.

"Dad, I’m heading back now."

"Mm."

Watching their son leave, Mrs. Sinclair immediately came over. "If you’d been a moment later, our son would have tricked the truth out of me! I really thought he saw. That scared me to death."

"Mom, saw what?" Cecilia came over to join the gossip.

Mr. Sinclair: "This is grown-up business. Kids shouldn’t ask."

Cecilia: "Oh."

Mr. Sinclair turned to the mother and daughter and warned, "Don’t cause any trouble for Sean Sinclair lately, and don’t put him in a bad mood. He’s at his busiest right now. I don’t care how much you two dislike Leila Jennings, you keep it to yourselves. Don’t do anything to upset him."

He looked at his daughter. "Especially you. You never know when to keep your mouth shut."

Cecilia pouted. "I know, I know."

On his drive back, Sean Sinclair called Leila Jennings again.

"Are you at your mentor’s wife’s place?"

"Is something wrong?" Leila Jennings was standing with Cherry Cole before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the brilliant, glittering lights of half of City A.

Sean Sinclair: "I’ll come pick you up."

Leila Jennings calmly refused, "It’s too late, we’d be disturbing them. Besides, I have class tomorrow morning, and it’s more convenient to go from here. Aren’t you really busy lately?"

"I was wrong. I’ve been neglecting you."

"No, you haven’t."

’You’ve done nothing wrong.’

"Once you’re done with your work, didn’t we agree to go celebrate?"

"Right, and I’ve already got your gift ready." Sean Sinclair thought that Leila would definitely be moved when she saw the car he bought her, which was worth over a million.

Leila Jennings couldn’t care less about any gift.

"You’re working overtime at the office tomorrow too, right?"

"Yeah. Since you haven’t been home lately, I haven’t gone back much either." Sean Sinclair’s voice paused for a moment before he suddenly said, "Leila, I miss you a lot."

"Is that so?" Leila Jennings’s voice remained cold, her eyes devoid of any trust. "I’m really tired. I’m going to bed."

"Okay, good night." Sean Sinclair didn’t press the issue. Leila still seemed to be angry about what happened today, which was why she sounded so cold.

’I’d better not annoy her any further.’

Sean Sinclair drove to the office.

Cherry Cole said, "That Sean Sinclair is actually quite hardworking when it comes to his career."

Leila Jennings nodded. That was part of the reason she had fallen for Sean Sinclair in the first place.

"It’s just that his character is terrible," Cherry Cole complained. "Just awful."

Leila Jennings sent a message to Claire Rhodes, telling her that starting tomorrow, she no longer needed to hide and could take off her mask and hat.

Claire Rhodes replied with an "Okay."

She looked up at Cherry Cole again. "I’m going back tomorrow. Since he won’t be home this weekend, I’ll go pack up my things."

"I’ll go with you!"

"Okay."

「The next day.」

Leila Jennings took Cherry Cole back to her ex-husband’s home.

Meanwhile, Sean Sinclair, who was in his office, received a message from the person in charge of the parenting class.

[President Sinclair, the power is out here, so the security cameras aren’t working. Do you need me to take a picture of your wife in class to confirm her attendance for you?]