The Returning EX (John and Sophia)
Chapter 1958

Chapter 1958 Empty House

On the way home, Cindy got a call from Naomi, who learned that she had started working but was concerned if she was having a hard time at work. She also asked if Zack had taught her anything new.

Cindy leaned into her seat and breathed out slowly. "I only just started, so it's not as if I learned anything new just yet. Miss Warhol is pretty tied up with a project at the moment, so she can't teach me systematically, either. For now, all she's giving me are simple tasks to ease me into the job."

Naomi hummed in approval. "That sounds about right; I started out pretty much the same way, too. At first, I was considered an apprentice of sorts, but perhaps my lack of innate talent dissuaded my master from paying attention to me. In the end, I had to be bold and thick-skinned enough to demand guidance all the time, and it was only then that my master caved in."

Judging by Naomi's experience, Cindy had it much better on her end.

At that moment, Cindy thought about Gary, whose good word likely prompted Serena to take her in as an apprentice.

Naomi was working in a small company, and if she had gotten such poor treatment from the designers there at the beginning, then Cindy dreaded to think how Serena would have regarded her if it weren't for Gary's recommendation.

For some reason, Cindy was a little torn by how things had turned out. While she was supremely grateful for Gary's help, she was also worried about the rest of the company whispering behind her back.

Presently, she and Naomi chatted on the phone for a while more, and it was only when Cindy reached home that she ended the call.

The house was empty, and the moment she stepped past the threshold, she made a beeline for the couch and slumped down on it.

Previously, her idea of the perfect day would be to stay alone without anyone bothering her; she could whip up her own meals in peace and then rest, knowing that she was at liberty to do whatever she liked. It was the most ideal post-graduation lifestyle that she had envisioned for herself during school time.

However, now that she was actually living such a lifestyle, she started to feel that every minute was punctuated by intense loneliness and agony.

She wouldn't call lan unless he called her first, thinking that his absence was due to a busy work schedule. Perhaps she was far too considerate, for she would rather suffer in silence than tell lan how she truly felt when he wasn't around.

After she adapted to the forlorn silence of the house, she headed into the kitchen to make spaghetti for herself. It was a quick and simple meal, but it wasn't as if she was going to impress herself with anything lavish right now.

When the spaghetti was done cooking and she had eaten it all, she went back to the couch and drew her knees to her chest, then turned on the television.

The house was very still and quiet, so even if the television volume was just right, it sounded as if the whole room was filled up with noise anyway.

All of a sudden, the room seemed too large and empty.

An episode of the variety show had just ended when lan finally called her. She quickly put him through and greeted, "lan?"

He hummed in response. "Are you home?"

She tried her best to sound relaxed as she replied, "I'm already done with dinner. How about you? Were you really busy today? Are you coming home tonight?"

lan had indeed been busy today. His acting was off, and the director had yelled cut so many times that eventually, lan became irritated with himself. It didn't help his frustration that the crew members spent a better part of their time on set cajoling him.

But there was no way he could unpack all this over one phone call with Cindy, so he swallowed his annoyance and said, "I don't know what time we'll wrap up filming tonight. The day's progress has been slow, so we might have to rush through the scenes later."

"Oh," Cindy muttered quietly. "Well, in that case, you don't have to go through the hassle of coming home. Just replace a nearby hotel and stay there for the night. Besides, looking at the time now, it'd be far too late when you get home for us to catch up with one another, so you might as well unwind in your own space."

lan agreed to this, then sighed as he said softly, "I just miss you, that's all."

The knot in Cindy's stomach loosened when she heard this, and she no longer felt so uneasy about his absence.

Given that he still had a lot of things to take care of on his end, they didn't spend much time chatting on the phone before he hung up.

As soon as he did, Cindy turned off the television and sauntered into the bedroom, thereafter taking a shower. Then, she lay in bed.

It wasn't too long ago when she and lan spent every night snuggling underneath the covers until sleep overcame them, but now she lay here alone. She pursed her lips, then flipped so she could face his side of the bed, which felt unnaturally empty.

She kept telling herself how this would work out for the better. If we slept together on the same bed, lan would always try to cross over to my side and push me to the edge, she thought wistfully.