Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 162: Returning to the Country
In the distance, people from Georgia Thorne’s company saw her get into a luxury car and couldn’t help but feel envious. "She just gets back to the country and already has a luxury car picking her up. I’m so jealous! I wonder which rich and powerful man it is this time!"
Michelle Shields glanced over and snorted in disdain.
’What’s the use of being a gold digger? Sooner or a later, you just get kicked to the curb!’
Meanwhile, Georgia Thorne got into the car, her expression tense.
Nancy Hughes glanced at Georgia in the rearview mirror and chuckled. "This isn’t my car. It’s a friend’s."
Georgia grunted in acknowledgment. "Let’s just go back. I’m a bit tired!"
Nancy felt a little vexed. She had originally planned to take a taxi, but *he* had insisted she drive this car over.
Driving nervously, Nancy stomped on the gas too hard, and Georgia’s body was thrown back against her seat.
The car shot toward a utility pole up ahead. Georgia’s heart leaped into her throat as she yelled, "Stop the car!"
Nancy panicked too, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head as she slammed on the brakes. With the ear-splitting SCREECH of tires on pavement, the car jerked to a halt.
Jolted back and forth, Georgia was left dizzy and seeing stars, her tied-up long hair now disheveled and loose.
’If it weren’t for the seatbelt, I probably would have been thrown from the car!’
Nancy was scared by her own driving, her fingers curled stiffly around the steering wheel, unable to move. After a long moment to recover, she finally turned back to look at her. "Are you okay?!"
Georgia rolled her eyes at her. "One more time like that and I won’t be!"
"Well, I was just worried you’d be mad!" Nancy was still shaken. ’If I’d crashed this car, I couldn’t afford to fix it even if I sold a kidney.’
"What would I be mad about?!"
"About the car! I didn’t buy it; a friend of mine lent it to me."
Georgia glanced at Nancy’s flustered expression and guessed pretty much the whole story. "You should bring your boyfriend out to meet me sometime!"
"Okay... Wait, he’s not my boyfriend!" Nancy denied, a beat too late.
’Then he’s probably not far from becoming one.’
On her first day back in the country, Georgia had a nice meal with Nancy at a restaurant before they returned to the apartment she used to rent.
Lynn Thorne and her son had lived here for a while but later moved back to the Thorne family home.
It didn’t look much different from when she’d left, and Nancy had clearly taken the time to tidy up her room.
Georgia was exhausted and spent the whole afternoon in a deep sleep, flopped listlessly on her bed.
’It’s good to be home.’ Georgia hadn’t had a long, deep sleep like that in a very long time.
She slept all the way until seven in the evening.
Waking up refreshed and revitalized, she didn’t see Nancy anywhere in the apartment.
She called out a couple of times but got no answer.
Instead, a cat was lounging lazily on the sofa, letting out several MEOWs in her direction.
’If it weren’t for those blue eyes, I almost wouldn’t have recognized him.’
It was truly hard to connect this roly-poly cat with the scrawny little kitten from before.
After more than half a year apart, Blue clearly didn’t recognize Georgia. His blue eyes, full of hostility, watched her warily.
As Georgia walked over, Blue leaped nimbly off the sofa, scampered to the other side of the living room, and jumped onto the windowsill, where he lay down to watch her.
Georgia hadn’t petted a cat in a long time. When she was living alone in Akashima, she had seen stray kittens and wanted to take them in.
’But then I’d remember I was going to leave soon, and it would just become a stray again.’
Georgia smiled and walked toward Blue, her expression radiant.
Blue must have sensed that Georgia meant him no harm, as he stayed put on the windowsill.
Georgia tentatively reached out and stroked his body. Blue didn’t pull away.
In fact, he seemed to be comfortably enjoying her touch, as if she were giving him a massage.
’He sure knows how to enjoy himself.’
She picked Blue up. He felt heavy in her arms. "You’ve really gotten fat!"
Georgia stroked the back of his head. Blue let out an affectionate meow and actively nuzzled his head against her palm.
"Are you hungry?"
Georgia turned to get Blue something to eat.
As she did, she happened to glance downstairs and saw a man and a woman in an intimate embrace.
Georgia didn’t recognize the man, of course, but she recognized the woman instantly.
’And she said she didn’t have a boyfriend! They’re already kissing!’
Only two people knew that Georgia had returned to the country.
One was Nancy Hughes, and the other was Lynn Thorne.
Byron Shaw’s abilities were beyond question; he had secured a complete victory in court.
Lynn not only received a large sum in alimony each month, but she also got custody of their child.
On her second day back, Lynn called her, asking her to come to the Thorne family home.
Georgia agreed over the phone, saying she would be home on time that evening.
Nancy, who was beside her munching on potato chips, said, "Honestly, you shouldn’t go to the Thorne house. With your stepmom there fanning the flames, your dad is bound to get angry again. He might even hit you!"
After Georgia had gone to Akashima without telling anyone first, Jared Thorne had been so furious he had cursed her out over the phone.
’If she goes back now, who knows what he’ll say to her.’
It wasn’t just Selena Sheridan; even Nancy couldn’t stand Georgia’s parents.
Georgia just smiled. "It’s still my home."
’How could I not go back?’
Yesterday was Monday, so Nancy had specially taken the day off to pick Georgia up. This morning, she had rushed off right after a quick breakfast.
Georgia gave the room a thorough cleaning, then went out in the afternoon.
Half a year. It wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short, either.
So much had changed. It was all so strange, yet so familiar.
Passing a hair salon, she stopped and saw the reflection of her own waist-length hair in the clear glass window.
An employee inside saw Georgia standing there and immediately came out, saying enthusiastically, "Miss, would you like to get your hair done? We have a special promotion today!"
Georgia glanced at the employee, then walked into the salon.
The hairstylist took hold of Georgia’s silky long hair. "Miss, your hair is beautiful. Are you thinking of coloring it or getting a perm?"
"Cut it off."
"Huh?" The stylist was taken aback. "Such beautiful hair, you want to cut it off?"
The stylist had been cutting hair for many years and had worked on countless clients, but had never seen hair as good as Georgia’s.
It wasn’t dry, and there were no split ends.
Georgia stared at her reflection in the mirror and said firmly, "Cut it short for me."
"O-Okay!" the stylist stammered, then quickly agreed.
The stylist still thought it was a shame to cut off such long hair.
With a clean SNIP of the scissors, a lock of long hair was severed and fell.
"Could you cut it a little shorter, please?" Georgia said, looking at her new shoulder-length hair in the mirror.
"Even shorter?" The stylist had intentionally been conservative, thinking this length was already enough.
"Cut it."
Seeing that the hair’s owner felt no attachment to it, the stylist didn’t argue.
He took the scissors and snipped more decisively, shortening the black hair until it just covered her ears.
Georgia rarely went to hair salons, and she had never colored her hair.
At the stylist’s suggestion, Georgia had it dyed chestnut brown, which made her whole appearance seem brighter.
She had already gotten quite thin during her time in Akashima. Now, the short hair made her face look even smaller, no bigger than the palm of her hand.
The time spent on her hair flew by, and soon it was evening.
The sky outside hadn’t darkened yet. Summer was finally on its way.
The short haircut made her look sharp and strong, unlike the gentle, weaker woman she had been before.
Returning to the Thorne family home, the maid who opened the door saw Georgia and stared for a few seconds before finally calling out, "Third Miss, you’re back."
Georgia grunted in acknowledgment and entered the house.
She changed her shoes and stepped inside. The house had changed a lot; it looked like it had been completely redecorated, and was now magnificent and opulent.
Hayley Sullivan came down the stairs. Seeing Georgia, she said in a sharp voice, "Well, look who’s back. I thought some people didn’t consider this their home anymore!"
Georgia was already used to the barbs in Hayley’s tone, but she was no longer the subdued person she used to be.
Instead, she smiled calmly. "It’s been a while, Stepmom!"
Seeing that Georgia’s reaction was different from usual, Hayley’s expression turned strange.
"Just looking at you makes me mad!"
In the end, she just huffed, muttered something under her breath, and turned to go back upstairs.
Georgia smiled, unbothered. Just as she was about to ask where Lynn was, she heard a child’s voice from outside.
Lynn had just picked her son up from school. Leah was still very young and had chattered away to his mother the whole way home.
As soon as Leah walked in, he saw the pretty lady in front of him. "Miss, who are you?"
’Miss!’
Georgia almost burst out laughing. ’Did he really not recognize me just because I changed my hairstyle?’
’It’s not that big of a change!’
Lynn, following him in, was pleasantly surprised to see her sister. She tapped her son lightly on the head. "What do you mean, ’Miss’? This is your auntie!"
"Auntie?" Leah’s big, bright eyes widened as he studied Georgia carefully. It really did seem to be his auntie.
"Leah, you don’t remember your auntie?" Georgia smiled, crouching down to pat the little guy’s head.
’Kids grow up so fast these days. He’s already gotten so tall!’
"Auntie, why did you cut your hair? I almost didn’t recognize you!" Leah pouted, thinking his auntie looked much prettier before.
"You hurry upstairs and do your homework. Don’t dawdle down here!" Lynn patted her son’s shoulder, ushering him upstairs.
She had a lot she wanted to talk to Georgia about.
Inside Georgia’s bedroom, Lynn held Georgia’s small hand, her heart aching. "How did you get so thin!"
"I’m not!" Georgia laughed, trying to show she was healthy.
But Lynn sighed. "You say you’re not thin, but you’re nothing but skin and bones! You had a good life here, why did you have to run off to Akashima to suffer? And without a word, too. You might not trust other people, but don’t you trust me?"
"That’s not it, Sis. This was a decision I made a long time ago. I just didn’t tell you because I was afraid that when it came time to leave, I wouldn’t be able to go through with it."
