A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

The next day, Matilda asked Gideon to drop her son off at school before sitting alone in her studio, lost in thought. She sipped her coffee, finding its bitterness oddly comforting. Setting down her mug, she sighed deeply.

Upon returning, Gideon noticed his sister’s melancholic air and gently stroked her hair, his fingers weaving through the soft strands. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

Matilda looked up at her brother and whispered, “I’m considering whether we should take up Mr. Farrell’s offer for collaboration.”

Gideon paused, leaning in, “Mat, if you’re not comfortable, there’s no need to push yourself…”

Shaking her head, Matilda replied to Gideon, “No… I think Mr. Farrell is right. Some scars do need to be exposed to sunlight.”

“Yvan… the raw wounds you left me with might not even hurt anymore,” she thought to herself.

That afternoon, Matilda called Mason to set up a meeting.

After finalizing the details with him, she told Gideon, “Could you pick up Logan from school later? I need to meet with Mason on my way.”

“Have you made up your mind?” Gideon asked from behind her.

Without turning back, Matilda’s slender silhouette pushed open the studio’s door and stepped

out.

Once Mason hung up on Matilda’s call, he dialed Yvan, “Your ex–wife has had a change of heart.”

Yvan, who was in the middle of signing documents, scoffed. “Oh.”

Mason chuckled. “Why the cool act now?”

Yvan remained silent as he listened to Mason relay an address, then took a deep breath and stood up. “I’ll be there shortly.”

“Be prepared for a scalding welcome,” Mason teased, whistling. “Mr. Boyd; are you getting soft on your ex–wife?”

A pang hit Yvan’s chest, prompting a reflexive sneer. “Don’t bother with such pointless questions. They make you sound foolish.”

After the call, Yvan summoned his secretary to take the documents and straightened his attire before calling the front desk.

“Reserve a table for two at the Hof at eight tonight. Yes, somewhere private, not the main hall.”

He closed his eyes momentarily as if taking a deep breath, and when they reopened, they flickered with an intense, frosty glint.

“Matilda, I’m curious to see how long you can keep up this act of righteousness!” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Matilda arrived at the entrance of Hof at 7:40 PM, just after Gideon had brought Logan home and dropped her off on his way.

Logan rolled down the window from the back seat to look at her, “Mommy, come back soon, okay?”

Matilda touched his face gently. “Mommy will be home after the meeting. Go home with your uncle tonight.”

The well–behaved child waved at her, “Bye, Mommy!”

After watching the car disappear into the distance, Matilda took a deep breath and turned to enter Hof.

A staff member spotted her and approached respectfully. “Ms. Thompson, I presume?”

Taken aback at being expected, Matilda followed as they led her down a hallway to a private room. The restaurant’s decor was exquisite, reminiscent of an old European aristocrat’s mansion, with even the corridors shining splendidly. The attendant stopped before a door and, turning to her, said politely, “Ms. Thompson, please come in.”

Matilda quickly murmured her thanks and pushed the door open.

But the moment she saw who was seated inside, she froze in her tracks.

23