If a pin dropped, the sound could be heard.
June stared at Serena. Chris did too, but Rauf was staring at June.
Serena didn’t say another word. She waited as if she wanted to see if they understood her plan.
It was June who finally broke the silence.
The heaviness of everything seemed to weigh on her, but what she couldn’t understand was one thing.
"Do you have to pretend to be blind?"
Serena nodded. "It’s the only way I can deceive the Monterrios. In this state of being blind, they will limit what I can do and surely underestimate me."
"But didn’t Chris just say they knew you were at the hospital?"
"They knew I was here, but none of them knew the operation was successful. All I need to do is make sure none of the doctors or nurses tell anyone. I’m sure Chris can handle that."
She looked at Chris with so much trust.
Chris nodded. "Of course, Mother."
June swallowed.
"You seem to have made up your mind."
"This is for the best." Serena nodded.
"No problem."
June moved closer to her bag and picked it up. She then faced them.
"Since I am no longer needed here, I guess I need to leave."
She turned to leave.
Serena forced herself from the bed, holding June’s hand.
"Even if we can’t see each other physically, please stay in touch. I want to know you’re fine, and that my granddaughter is fine too."
June looked down at her stomach and nodded.
Before she could leave, Serena pulled her into a tight hug.
"I know we just met, but I am going to miss you."
June didn’t say a word.
She turned away from Serena’s presence.
Rauf followed behind her, but before he could leave with her, Serena cleared her throat to get his attention.
Rauf turned.
"We have a lot to talk about later," she mouthed.
Rauf nodded slowly.
"Of course," he mouthed back.
The door opened and closed behind them, and they were out of the room.
June didn’t spare him a glance as she moved towards the elevator. Her eyes remained fixed ahead of her.
Rauf followed behind.
He could tell that whatever had happened was just too much for her to bear at once. It must have come as a great surprise to her.
So, he let her be.
They got down, and she walked ahead of him.
Again, he remained at the back, following like an obedient child.
It wasn’t until she got to the car park that she had to stop.
She had come in Chris’s car, but now that she wasn’t going back with Chris, she had no idea where Rauf’s car was.
With the glare still attached to her face, she turned towards him.
"Where’s your car?"
Rauf pointed to a black car in the distance.
It was all he needed to do.
She stalked towards the car without bothering to look in the other direction. When she got there, she waited.
Rauf jogged towards her and, without touching her, opened the passenger’s seat for her.
With a small nod, she got into the car and waited.
She was seething inside.
If she had pictured how the day was going to end, she never would have thought she would have to be here with Rauf at all.
Rauf knew better than to say a word. He treated her like a ticking bomb as he sat down in the car.
"Where do you want to go first?"
June thought about it for a while.
"The Vassari mansion."
Without asking questions, he nodded. He planned on acting as her personal chauffeur until her temper had calmed down.
"Fine."
The ride wasn’t as awkward as she thought it would be.
Rauf kept to himself. He didn’t ask her any ridiculous questions, which she was glad about. He didn’t even ask about the baby.
He only drove, occasionally stealing a glance at her whenever he thought she wasn’t watching.
She saw it all.
At one point, his hand lingered on the car’s radio as if he wanted to play some music, but soon he decided against it.
It was the total opposite of what her ride with Chris had been.
June rested against the seat, almost dozing off.
When the car finally pulled up at the Vassari mansion, she was already asleep.
Carefully, Rauf tapped her thigh to wake her up.
When she woke up, she let out a yawn, didn’t thank him, and got down from the car.
Rauf was about to get down with her when she spoke.
"You don’t need to. I’m just going to get my bags."
"I can help you with your bags."
She shook her head. "There’s no point. It’s nothing much."
"But you shouldn’t be carrying anything. You’re pregnant."
June glared at him.
"And it’s none of your business. I’m pregnant, not handicapped. I have the right to do whatever I want to do."
She stormed away from him, leaving him with his mouth open.
Rauf knew better than to follow her. He would do anything to avoid an argument.
June strode into the mansion with long strides.
What she never expected was to see Amie sitting in the living room.
It made June wonder if she had no job or plans for her life.
And since she was leaving the mansion, she planned on ignoring Amie as if she didn’t exist.
But before she could leave the living room, Amie decided it was time to taunt her.
She stood up and brought herself in front of June.
"Where are you coming from?"
Silence.
It didn’t sit well with Amie.
"I said, where are you coming from, bitch?"
Her voice was louder than before.
June tried to move away from her. She had no energy to argue with someone as senseless as Amie.
But every movement she made, Amie copied perfectly.
"And where do you think you’re going?"
June took a deep breath.
"Can you excuse me? I’ve got something important to do."
Amie chuckled, clapping her hands dramatically.
"You’ve got something important to do. Does it involve giving my brother a blowjob?"
June blinked at her audacity.
"Excuse me."
The longer she remained in Amie’s presence, the more her anger seethed.
"I can’t deal with this right now."
"What do you mean by you can’t deal with this? Do you think you’re above me or something, trying to ignore me?"
But June was done.
She pushed her out of her way.
And since it came as a surprise to Amie, she fell to the floor.
Before she could stand up, June was already on her way to her bedroom.
There wasn’t much to pack.
Apart from the few clothes she had brought from Ellie’s place and some of the dresses Chris had gifted her, she didn’t have much else.
Since she was annoyed with Chris too, she didn’t plan to take any of the dresses Chris had bought for her.
But then she didn’t want to look shabby in front of Rauf.
It was a dilemma.
After a while, she decided it was better to owe Chris than Rauf.
She packed the clothes and also the box containing the dress for the introduction.
She carried the box first, heaving as she moved back outside.
After being pushed down, June thought Amie might have learned her lesson. She never expected Amie to remain in the living room, waiting for her to pass.
"What are you doing?"
June ignored her, taking the box outside.
She heard footsteps behind her, which indicated Amie was following her.
She continued moving until she dropped the box beside Rauf’s car.
He was seated in the driver’s seat, looking at his phone.
"Open the boot."
He did.
She dropped the box inside.
When she attempted to go back, Rauf sighed.
"Are you sure you don’t need me to follow you?"
"I don’t need you," she insisted and stormed back towards the mansion.
Rauf shrugged.
Chris had told him how June loved to act independently. So, he wasn’t going to force her to live his way, but he would find a way to incorporate her way into his life.
"Who is that?" Amie asked.
She hadn’t followed June all the way to the car.
June’s actions had left her temporarily clueless.
Again, June ignored her.
She continued all the way to her room, and since she had already packed the rest of her bags, she only carried them and came back out of the room.
She didn’t look around, afraid that she might not want to leave.
When she passed Amie again, she was smiling.
"It wouldn’t be what I am thinking, would it?"
June stalked past her, moving towards the boot and dumping the rest of her bags inside.
As she opened the passenger’s seat to sit, she heard Amie’s voice.
"Don’t ever come back here. I wish you happiness with your new sugar baby."
June glanced in her direction.
Amie was waving at her happily.
Rauf also stared at her.
"Isn’t that Amie? Why is she so happy?"
June’s eyes narrowed.
"You can ask her. After all, she’s your wife."