?<strong>Chapter 667:</strong>


    As a true friend, Peyton feltpelled to offer a stern reminder. He frowned and said earnestly, “Don’t dig your heels in. Take some time to reflect and offer an apology. Simplify things. If you truly drive Elyse away, you might be the one in tears.”


    Jayden scoffed. “‘Cry? Me? That’s never happened in my life.”


    Peyton chuckled with a mix of annoyance and pity. “Alright, but if you end up crying, don’t me me for not warning you.”


    “Buzz off!” Jayden retorted, delivering a yful kick to Peyton, who promptly returned the gesture.


    —


    An hourter, Jayden’s driver arrived to pick them up.


    First, Jayden had Peyton dropped off at his home before continuing to his own residence.


    Back at home, Driscoll took Jayden’s briefcase to ce it in the study. “Mr. Owen, have you had dinner? Would you like something to eat?”


    Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Jayden responded, weary and ready to retire, “No, I’ll just shower and head to bed.”


    Acknowledging his reply, Driscoll nodded and stepped aside to let Jayden pass.


    Jayden returned to the bedroom and flicked on the light. The room looked just as it always had. The dressing table was lined with half-used cosmetics, neatly arranged. The wardrobe overflowed with neatly folded women’s clothes, dominating the space. Most of his shirts and suits were relegated to the adjacent room.


    The double bed still bore two pillows. The indentation on the inner pillow was subtle, hinting at a sleeper who rested deeply, hardly moving through the night, leaving just a single impression.


    Everything in the room remained unchanged, yet Elyse was no longer there.


    Gazing around the bedroom, Jayden felt a suffocating wave of emotion. He rushed into the bathroom as though trying to flee his feelings.


    But the bathroom only amplified his memories. The shower gel with its distinct scent of green grapes, along with the other feminine products, confronted him with the harsh reality.


    Jayden showered quickly and returned to bed, pulling the covers over himself. The alcohol seemed to ease his path to sleep tonight. As he neared sleep, he instinctively reached out, only to grasp at empty air where there should have been the warm, soft form of another.


    He awoke abruptly. He paused, even forgetting to breathe for a moment.


    He looked to the side. Elyse was not there.


    A profound, inexplicable sorrow engulfed him. His nose tingled painfully, and he bit his finger fiercely to stifle any sound that might betray his distress.


    “Why did you ask for a divorce? What did I do wrong? Couldn’t you have just told me?”


    Jayden clenched his jaw, struggling to hold back tears. But the tears came anyway, quickly soaking arge section of the pillow.


    Jayden had never confessed to anyone that Elyse’s departure haunted his nights, leaving him sleepless.


    He busied himself relentlessly to limit his idle moments because thoughts of Elyse would inevitably overpower him. He couldn’t fend them off, nor did he want to be consumed by the memories.


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