Chapter 178: Fractured Moments
Summer swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up. Looking at the untouched, now completely cold dishes on the table, a wave of irony washed over her. One by one, she picked them up and dumped them straight into the trash.
The next morning, Summer arrived at the design firm and walked straight into her office. Merry blinked, then quickly followed, peeking her head through the doorway. “Summer, you look so exhausted. Did last night’s storm scare you?”
Summer slumped into her chair, rubbing her temples. “I had a nightmare.” Truthfully, she had barely slept at all. She had tried to hypnotize herself into slumber, yet sleep had still abandoned her.
Merry gasped. “Oh no, that nightmare must’ve really done a number on you. Look at those dark circles! You’ve turned into a panda!”
Summer took out her compact mirror and glanced at her reflection. She jumped in fright. Her complexion was so pale she looked like a ghost drained of its essence. She quickly reached for her foundation and carefully dabbed it onto her face. She had several client meetings later. If she showed up looking like this, those discussions would probably end before they even started.
Aspira Design Institute’s biggest problem was the lack of clients and projects. Although they had the opportunity to compete for the GloryPath Construction Project, nearly ten firms were also bidding for it. Winning was far from guaranteed. For now, Sienna needed to focus on drafting designs, while Summer spent her time meeting potential clients, hoping to secure contracts and boost revenue.
For days, she threw herself into work, refusing to think about anything else. Every night when she returned to Ravenshire Boulevard, Fraser was never there, but he would still send her a message whenever he wasn’t coming back. Every time she saw those words, she could only let out a bitter laugh. She never asked where he was or what he was doing. Instead, she simply deleted the message and, on a whim, changed his contact name to “Bastard.”
At the office, Merry had been pulling late nights alongside Summer. After days of exhaustion, her face looked as dry and lifeless as preserved meat. She couldn’t understand why her boss was suddenly so relentless, almost as if she was trying to complete a year’s worth of work in a few days. And as her assistant, Merry had no choice but to keep up. At barely twenty years old, she was supposed to be in the prime of her youth. Yet after so many sleepless nights, she felt like she had aged to sixty.
That evening, she could not take it anymore. “Summer, we’ve been visiting clients non-stop. You should really get some rest. Staying up late will affect our efficiency tomorrow. Don’t you think…?”
“Alright, let’s call it a day.”
Upon returning to Ravenshire Boulevard, Summer realized her period had started. After taking a shower, she climbed into bed early. Her sleep was restless. Half-dreaming, she curled up, pressing a hand to her aching abdomen. When suddenly, a pair of warm and strong hands covered her abdomen, the heat beating through her skin, soothing the pain. Still half-asleep, she murmured incomprehensibly and burrowed into the familiar embrace.
Busser had been at the private hospital for the past few days. Only today had Maximus been hospitalized; though his condition remained fragile. When Rakenne returned home, the apartment was pitch dark. He assumed Summer had not come back. But then, his sharp eyes caught sight of a lingering light at…
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. Peeking through the room door, he saw the blanket rising and falling with her breathing under the dim glow of a nightlight.
“Fraser… Marian Webb’s brow steep before eleven? That’s early for her.” Loosening his tie, he went into the bathroom for a quick shower. When he returned to bed, he immediately sensed something was different. He saw Summer from the doorway and reached out, pressing a palm against her stomach. Her body instinctively leaned in. The warmth of his hand and its weight felt too real. Dazed, Summer slowly opened her eyes through the haze. She saw his sharp jawline and his chiseled features. Fraser was wearing a loose pajama top; the fabric slipped open to reveal his toned abdomen. His body still carried the fresh scent of a shower, lingering dampness clinging to his skin. The sight of him exuded a lazy, effortless sensuality.
Summer’s first reaction was to push him away. She scrambled toward the edge of the bed, frowning. “Why are you back all of a sudden?”
Fraser smirked at her exaggerated motion. “What, were you hiding someone else here? Why so flustered?”
Summer, weakened by cramps…
Chapter 175: Fractured Moments
(Note: The remaining text is severely fragmented and contains many unintelligible words. A coherent reconstruction is not possible without significantly altering the narrative.)