What Separates Me and You



The glass hit the door frame before falling and shattering on the ground.

Josephine pretended not to hear it as she left the hospital. Still, she didn't return to Styx Mansion. She sat at a park near the hospital all night, and her mind replayed Sierra's words.

She had known Lewis for over 20 years. Even if she ignored how he was in the past, Lewis would never date Sierra as thanks for saving his life. Josephine knew that from his frosty character. That was unless he already had feelings for Sierra.

However, Josephine had always felt like Lewis was uninterested in Sierra. He often remained indifferent when Josephine and Sierra hung out around him. It didn't make sense that Lewis would suddenly agree to date Sierra and put on such a loving front for her.

Josephine wondered what had happened in the month when he got hospitalized.

The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. She brought a fist to knock the side of her head, then looked up at the sky. As she did so, she noticed someone had arrived before her.

"Mrs. Alvarez. What are you doing here?" It was Conrad. His features creased into a confused expression as he looked at Josephine. He wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to.

Josephine couldn't help voicing, "What do you want to ask me?"

"I heard Chairman Alvarez is unwell."

"You should verify that with him. Why have you come to find me?" Josephine snapped.

Conrad sighed before glumly admitted, "Because it's better to seek you out than him. He just wants you to feel concerned for him. You—"

He couldn't quite find the right words to convince her.

Josephine lowered her gaze and fell silent.

Just then, Conrad gritted his teeth and decided not to be careful anymore. "You can just pretend to care. That way, he'll be happy, and you'll have a less difficult time around him."

"Will he let me leave if he's happy?"

That stumped Conrad. "Mrs. Alvarez, you may think Chairman Alvarez is an unfeeling villain, but have you wondered why Seth's still alive when everyone else has died?"

Josephine tensed.

The former had spoken vaguely, but the meaning behind his words was evident. Lewis dared to kill his father, yet he had spared Seth many times, even when Seth constantly crossed his line.

Lewis had once viewed Seth as Josephine's brother, so he didn't harm Seth. On top of that, he only sent Seth away even after learning Seth was Josephine's adoptive brother.

"What do you think Chairman Alvarez's actions prove? It proves he's still hopeful about things between you two. He's doing everything to draw the line between him and Master Alan.

"You remained pure while Chairman Alvarez stained his hands in blood. He bore the burdens and got yelled at. Yet, you still think he's a heartless person. But him? He would never bring up his efforts to you."

Josephine balled her fists and lowered her head. She stared at her toes while her mind descended into chaos. "Please stop talking."

Conrad's gaze deepened at her. He had come to convince her, so naturally, he wouldn't stop just there. "You and Chairman Alvarez are similar sometimes. You're both obsessed with lying to yourselves and refuse to understand the situation.

"You assume that not knowing means you can pretend things don't exist. Mrs. Alvarez, do you think he did all that because he's an ungrateful person who wants to cut ties with his family?"

He recalled how Lewis had seen Robert and Kiran sitting together. At that moment, Lewis asked him why that was. It was a simple question, but Conrad could sense Lewis' overflowing emotions behind it.

Lewis wasn't resentful of Robert. It was just that Robert and Kiran had worked together to back him up against a wall, so it made him blow up with rage.

"I can't guarantee whether Chairman Alvarez regretted those things. Still, nobody would be happy about doing them. After all, he had called that man his father for over 20 years.

"Mrs. Alvarez, if you leave out of hatred for him, consider how you'd react if you were in his shoes. Would you have the will to live?" Conrad asked. He couldn't see Josephine's expression because her head hung low the entire time. Plus, her hair had concealed most of her face.

It took a while before Josephine spoke up. "Please stop defending him. Do you even know him that well?"

"You're right. I don't know Chairman Alvarez well, but I see things unbiasedly. In your eyes, he may be overly indifferent and can say some mean things. But, as a bystander, I don't think his actions toward you are cruel.

"Chairman Alvarez just tends to speak harshly and hide his feelings. He reminds me of when I was in elementary school. I was poor and packed my lunch in plastic containers. Meanwhile, everyone else had fancy lunchboxes.

"So, I would always finish my meals and toss away the plastic containers before entering school. I didn't want others to judge me. Five-year-old me was too prideful to put myself in a vulnerable position, so who's to say a grown man like Chairman Alvarez doesn't feel the same?"

Josephine tensed but finally met Conrad's eyes.

Conrad added, "I stopped caring about those things when I grew up. However, I later had a crush on a girl. She was superior to me financially, beautiful, and intelligent, so I didn't dare to speak with her. That's because I got scared.

"What if she agreed to date me and learned I wasn't as rich or I wasn't what she expected? I didn't want her to look down on me. Not to mention, what if she's unwilling to forgo her rich lifestyle to be with me?

"After mulling it over, I decided not to initiate anything with her. None of my fears would happen, and I wouldn't feel sad or bitter."

That was a complex situation that humans experienced.

People often couldn't relate to a person's hardships because they hadn't experienced them. Thus, they criticize said person through the perspective of a bystander. Likewise, the ones suffering didn't know how minor their struggles were in the eyes of others.

Few people were in the park, so Conrad's voice rang clear.

Josephine stayed on the bench, but her eyes remained on Conrad.

"I've said too much, but that's where I'll leave this conversation. I've already conveyed what I must, so please give my words some thought, Mrs. Alvarez. You can pretend I never approached you tonight if you hate him so much that you wish he were dead.

"Anyhoo, the sun's rising soon. You should return home and get some rest." After saying that, Conrad bowed and left the hospital. He didn't pay any mind to how Josephine reacted.

Josephine stayed put at the park for a long time. A sliver of white crept into the sky, and the morning breeze blew against her sometime after. That was when she stood to ask the bodyguards to send her home.noveldrama

...

It was only a little over 5:00 am when Josephine returned to Styx Mansion. The sky hadn't lit up entirely.

She stood outside Lewis' bedroom for some time before entering it. By then, he had left the couch to sleep on his bed. It seemed like he was slumbering.

Josephine approached to look down at him.

The nightlight near the bed glowed dimly. It was barely bright enough to show Lewis' expression. Still, his features softened a lot when he was asleep. They were no longer as pointed or stern. The way he looked now was how he used to be.

She reached out to touch his forehead. It was still warm but not as heated as last night. Before she could retract her arm, something gripped her wrist. That jolted her, causing her eyes to snap toward Lewis' deep gaze.