Without answering Debbie's question, Sasha put the fruits on the table. She then picked up a durian and went to the kitchen to peel it.
"Did Jared piss you off?" Debbie asked. And she was right.
After a short pause, Sasha answered, "Not really. I broke up with him. And I asked him to get the hell out of here."
"What? You two broke up? What happened? Tell me. I'll teach that bastard a lesson!" Stretching herself as if she was ready for a fist fight with Jared, she added, "Where's that jerk?"
At least, her coming here helped relieve Sasha, who said with a giggle, "Deb, let's eat the durian and not talk about him." Thanks to Debbie making light of the situation, she somehow began to have a hunch that Jared would eventually come back to her.
At the right time, Debbie planned to ask Sasha more about her relationship with Jared. But for the moment, she was careful not to press, since Sasha had just jetted back to town, obviously tired. Also, Debbie suspected she might not get a sober explanation, if they had sharply disagreed only a few minutes back. To change the subject, she began to peel the durian and said, "I picked the biggest durian in the supermarket. I hope it's sweet as well. Oh poor Jared! He could've enjoyed the delicious durian with us if he hadn't had a row with you."
Sasha nodded and pointed to the durian as if pointing at Jared. "We'll eat it up. Don't leave any for him." Somehow, she was suddenly struck with a deep sense of loss. 'What if he never comes back?'
At the thought of it, she pouted, her eyes turning teary again.
In order not to let Debbie worry about her, she could only bear the pain in her heart.
"Sasha, tell me the truth. What exactly happened between you and him?" asked Debbie, who had stopped peeling the durian when she noticed a fresh hint of tension in Sasha's eyes once more.
Touched by the show of concern from Debbie, Sasha couldn't hold back her tears anymore. In between sobs, she asked, "Deb, what should I do if he doesn't come back to me?"
"I will call him, right away," said Debbie, pulling out her phone from the purse.
"Don't, Deb. He must be in a fit of rage now."
"How long has he been gone?" Debbie asked.
Sasha wiped her tears and said in a hoarse voice, "About an hour."
"I—" Debbie wanted to say something.
Right at that moment, the doorbell rang. Debbie and Sasha looked at each other in confusion and then walked towards the gate together.
"Who is it?" Sasha asked expectantly, hoping that it would be Jared.
"It's me, Grandma. Your grandson is here to wish you a happy new year," Jared said outside the gate.
'Grandma? Happy New Year? Come on! It's summer!' Sasha rolled her eyes, but apparently, she was thrilled. Her tears rolled again, but this time for joy. "You jerk! You are not allowed to come in," she teased.
Debbie was confused. As far as she knew, Jared's grandmother had passed away a long time ago.
Jared pressed on the lock for fingerprint scanning, which as usual took a fraction of a minute to open the door with a beep. The couple looked at each other with passion, Sasha's eyes red and swollen, while Jared's hands hurt under the weight of the shopping bags. Raising the two large bags in either hand, Jared flattered with a disarming smile, "Grandma, I brought some food for you. Will you let me come in, please?"
Sasha burst into laughter and slapped Jared on the arm complaining, "You said we were done. Why are you coming back?"
"I missed you so much!" Without noticing that Debbie was around and watching, Jared threw himself into Sasha's arms, pretending to be a clingy girl.
"Ugh! Give me a break!" To catch Jared by surprise, Debbie feigned a cough to announce her presence. Even though she had watched with amusement, she suspected he might do something embarrassing if she didn't stop the fun now.
Jared was startled by the sudden voice. He turned to look in the direction, and when he saw Debbie, he took a few steps back and exclaimed, "Tomboy, when did you come here?"
"Not long ago. You've just arrived when your favorite fruit, the durian, is ready. Did you come back because you smelled it?" Debbie jokingly asked.
Sniffing the scent of durian, Jared closed his eyes to savor the moment. Then he raised the food and said, "Look! I brought a lot of food too. Kebabs, milk tea, octopus balls, chicken wings… They are too much for two people only. And now that you are here, you'll have to feast with us."
Debbie was amused. She took over the food bags and enthused, "Thanks, dude. But I think these will only be enough for me and Sasha. Don't count on us sharing with you."
"Not fair, Tomboy." He put up a protest. "I know you are a foodie, but can you please spare me a bite or two?"
They all burst out laughing at that lively turn. When they were all seated on the sofa in the living room, watching TV, Debbie turned to Jared and asked, "Where's your grandma, by the way?"
Sasha giggled and said, "Deb, here is the thing…" She then told Debbie what had happened between her and Jared.
Debbie burst out laughing when she finally realized why Jared called Sasha "Grandma."
Pretending to take offense with the discussion, he pouted and complained to Sasha, "Why did you tell her? Don't you care about my ego?"
Sasha rolled her eyes and put an octopus ball to his lips. "Come on. You and Deb have been friends for the longest time. What's new about your ego that she doesn't know about?"
Debbie was really envious of the intimacy between the young couple. She used to be completely against Sasha being with Jared because she thought that he was not a reliable man. But now it turned out she was wrong.
Even Jared, who used to be a playboy, could make Sasha happy. What about her own happiness? Could she have a happy life with Carlos?
After Debbie left Sasha's apartment, she got a phone call from Hayden. "Hi Hayden."
"Are you back in Y City?" he asked. He had just learned that Debbie was back.
"Yeah. Piggy is here as well. She stays at my uncle's house," Debbie said casually.
"How about I treat you to dinner tomorrow, and you bring Piggy along?"
"I don't think it's appropriate," she said. After all, he was a married man.
Knowing what was on her mind, Hayden coaxed her, "You are thinking too much. That's it then. I'll send you the location later. Bring Piggy along, please."
"All right." She couldn't turn him down.
Three years ago when she just arrived in Z Country, she had no money or job. It was her most difficult time.
During that time, Hayden had helped her out. He had found a house for her and offered her a job.
She wanted to reject the offer, but she was pregnant then and she needed a house and a job to raise her baby. So she accepted his kind offer.
Thanks to Hayden, she managed to make a living in Z Country. However, after giving birth to Piggy, she quit her job without telling him. Then she approached many recording labels with her songs. It was then she met Ivan and Irene. Ivan hired her and made her a popular singer.
One day, before Hayden left Z Country, he had asked her a bold question. "Now that you are single, can we—"
"No!" She had turned him down without hesitation. She thanked him a lot, but that had nothing to do with love.
Without another word, Hayden had simply smiled and left.
It was after she gave birth to Piggy that they met again. Hayden then knew that she hadn't aborted the baby, whose paternity had been the source of malicious rumors, which Hayden had feared would ruin Debbie.
"His kid?" he asked.
"Hmm," she simply answered.
She knew he was referring to Carlos.
With the sleeping Piggy in his arms, he told Debbie, "I'm willing to treat her as my own child, Deb. Will you—"
