Chapter 594
—- Chapter 466 On the very last day of the decision period, Franklin still didn’t make it back. Just like that, the window closed. Maggie assumed he would return in a few days, but the very next morning, while she was discussing work with Johnny, she suddenly got a call from Isabella. “Mom, Dad’s back!” the girl said excitedly. Johnny gave a short, incredulous laugh. “What-he didn’t come back earlier or later, but right after the deadline? He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he?” Maggie set down her phone quietly. “It’s just a coincidence.” Of course it was. It had to be.
Johnny knew that too, but he couldn’t help being annoyed. —- “Maybe you should just file for divorce directly,” he muttered. “Though with the court schedule, that’ll take at least a month anyway-” Before they could continue, someone knocked on the door, cutting the conversation short. Meanwhile, in the group chat shared by Franklin, Levi, Harry, and Julia, a message suddenly popped up. Franklin: Dinner tonight? Levi replied immediately. Levi: … Wait. You’re back? When did you land? Franklin: Just got off the plane. Levi stared at the screen and sent three dots in a row. Levi: Seriously?
Two days ago, there were barely forty-eight —- hours left in your decision period. I called to ask if you could make it back, and you said no, not for a while. I thought you’d be gone for weeks-and now you’re already home? You couldn’t have come back one day earlier? Your decision period’s over, man! Julia had seen Franklin’s message in the group the moment he sent it, though she didn’t respond. She had called him several times while he was abroad, he never picked up.
He’d returned one call eventually, but when she’d asked him, “When are you coming back?” two days ago, he’d given her the same answer he gave Levi: “Not soon.” She’d believed him, thought he’d show up a few days later just to keep up appearances. But now, watching Franklin and Levi’s exchange, Julia’s lips curved in a faint, bitter smile. Then Franklin replied in the chat: Franklin: Plans changed. I came back two days early. —- Levi: … A second later, Franklin tagged everyone again. Franklin:@Harry @Levi @Julia Dinner tonight? Levi: I’m free, obviously.
It had been a long time since they’d all seen Franklin. He was finally free, and Levi was genuinely glad. He even started tagging the others. But just as he was about to hit send, he stopped, then deleted and retyped: Levi: Wait, you need to tag me and Harry, sure, but Julia? Do you really need to tag her here? Harry had just finished work when he saw the messages. For a moment, he went still. Then he typed a simple reply. Harry:@Franklin I’m free. See you tonight. —- Franklin: Good. Levi: …
Julia, meanwhile, had been waiting to see whether Franklin would respond to Levi’s pointed question, but he didn’t. He ignored it completely. Her fingers tightened around her phone. She stayed frozen for a long while. Then her phone buzzed again. It was a private message from Franklin. Franklin: Busy?