The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 47

Lavinia hid in the guest room, locked the door, and dialed Saul's number.

It rang for a long time before he finally answered.

"Lavinia, why are you calling so early? What's wrong?" Saul's voice was completely hoarse; it was obvious he hadn't slept a wink.

"Saul, I saw the news on social media. Did something happen at the factory?"

There were a few seconds of heavy silence on the other end of the line.

"It's fine." Saul forced a light tone. "I'm dealing with it right now. Charley is here helping me out, so don't worry about it."

After hanging up, Lavinia sat there in silence for a long time.

She had zero expectations for this marriage anymore. If it was a marriage of convenience, so be it. As long as it benefited her family, she didn't care if everyone else saw her as a pathetic, doormat wife.

She pushed the door open. Garnett was still sitting on the sofa, arms crossed, looking entirely confident.

Lavinia sat down across from him.

"I've thought about it. If you need me to play the part of Mrs. Harper, fine."

Garnett's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"But I have three conditions."

Garnett leaned back against the sofa cushions. "We can negotiate. Let's hear them."

"First, I'm getting a job, and you are not allowed to interfere."

He paused for a second before giving a faint smile. "As long as it's a respectable, professional position, fine."

"Second, we sleep in separate bedrooms."

Garnett scoffed. "Isn't that already what we're doing?"

Lavinia ignored his attitude. "Third, I don't want children."

That condition made him go quiet for a long time. She could tell he was deeply unhappy about it.

Finally, Garnett spoke. "Lavinia, we're both still young. There's no rush right now. But you saw Grandma Judith's stance last time—this is a massive issue for the Harper family's legacy."

He stared at her, emphasizing every word. "We absolutely must have a child eventually. But I will respect your wishes for now. I'm not in a rush to have kids at the moment anyway."

Lavinia pressed her lips together. She didn't believe for a second that he would be able to resist giving Sigrid a baby. Even if he didn't want one, Sigrid would beg him for it.

And once the baby was born, was he really going to let his child be labeled illegitimate?

Over the past two years, she had learned one crucial lesson: never waste your breath arguing with someone who doesn't love you.

"Yeah."

"I'll make some time to visit him in the next couple of days."

He turned to leave but paused. "Was there something wrong with St. Agnes Hospital?"

Lavinia kept her head down, sipping her coffee and scrolling through her phone as if she hadn't heard a word.

Garnett felt a flash of annoyance, but he quickly let it go.

They had fought so viciously yesterday, yet they made up so quickly today. Deep down, she really just couldn't bear to leave him, could she? After all, she had loved him for so long.

***

"Saul, I've already cleared things with the Bayside branch. We can head over right now to process the loan."

Charley hung up the phone and instantly relayed the good news.

"Thank God. Let's go right now." Saul grabbed his jacket and his folder of documents.

"I'll drive," Charley offered.

On the way to the Bayside district, Saul suddenly asked, "When you went with Lavinia to India to find the medicine, do you know where Garnett was?"