CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189: ACCOMPLICE

"Okay." Florence Fuller nodded, "When did you notice the problem?"

"Just now." Ethan Harper said, "You were probably asleep and didn’t notice the strange movement of the car."

In the middle of the night, in the dense wilderness, Florence Fuller also felt a bit uneasy as she looked around. She opened the car door and sat inside, "Let’s just stay in the car."

Ethan Harper walked around to the front passenger side, turned on the light inside the car, and then closed the door.

Seeing that he didn’t get in, Florence Fuller asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just hanging out." He said leisurely, standing next to the car.

His coat was just covering Florence Fuller, and now he was only wearing a thin floral embroidered shirt.

SJ had already passed summer, and it was quite cold at night, not to mention the wind blowing outside. Florence Fuller truly couldn’t understand why he was staying outside.

"Are you sure you want to stand outside?"

Luke Gardiner looked at her.

Florence Fuller handed his coat back to him.

Luke Gardiner took it and put it on slowly, after pondering for a moment, said, "It’s great how we’re peacefully spending time together now, thinking back to how we’d be arguing after just two sentences."

Florence Fuller leaned back in her seat, "Ever thought about whose fault that was?"

"That’s why we’ve got to keep some distance. If we start arguing here in the wilderness with nowhere to go, it would be so awkward."

Florence Fuller snorted with laughter, "Could you even be awkward?"

"I have some pride, okay?" Luke Gardiner said, "If we had met later, and you were a man, we would have been buddies. Tsk, I really like your personality."

"Then why can’t you be a woman?" Florence Fuller retorted.

Luke Gardiner looked at her through the rolled-down window, her gentle face, and laughed, "If I were a woman and you were a man, would I have married you?"

Florence Fuller’s expression became strange, "What are you thinking?"

"Just ignore my nonsense," Luke Gardiner said, looking at the pitch-black sky, and suddenly yawned twice.

Florence Fuller closed her eyes, "If you want to catch a cold, just keep waiting outside."

Luke Gardiner rubbed his cold hands, opened the driver’s side door, and sat inside.

He was in the front seat, Florence Fuller in the back seat.

With the windows closed, the car was warmer, and he stubbornly said, "I’m still thinking about you."

Florence Fuller looked at her phone, having no clue what he meant, and responded with a puzzled "Hmm."

"What if people who come to rescue us see you in the car and me outside, won’t they know our relationship isn’t good?"

Florence Fuller didn’t even look at him, "The relationship was never good, though."

Luke Gardiner turned his body, discontented as he saw her engrossed in her phone, "Spreading rumors about a bad marriage is not great. If I catch a cold, won’t they think it’s your fault?"

Florence Fuller thought she might have been too bothered by Nicole earlier in the afternoon, unable to understand Luke Gardiner’s logic, "What does your cold have to do with me? Weren’t you the one standing outside?"

"But others don’t know that, right? I’m just thinking of our current harmonious relationship. Don’t you think things have been going well between us since Grandpa has been so happy lately?" Luke Gardiner explained.

Florence Fuller put her phone down, "So, about the divorce, what will it take for you to agree?"

The car fell silent.

Florence Fuller kept looking at Luke Gardiner.

After a long time, Luke Gardiner sighed, "I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I used to think that a forced marriage wasn’t sweet, but if I forcibly take it down, it might be fine with me."

"But I found that I couldn’t take it down." Luke Gardiner looked at her seriously, "I can agree to the divorce."

Florence Fuller’s heart skipped a beat, joy flooding her mind.

"Until Grandpa’s health stabilizes," Luke Gardiner added, "I’m not lying to you. You can check with Grandpa’s family doctor. His health has gotten worse since his fall, so I want him to be happy in the coming days."

Florence Fuller pursed her lips, "Then how long do you want to wait?"

"Give it some time, okay?" Luke Gardiner’s gaze and tone were very earnest, "Don’t worry, I’ve thought it through, and I won’t do anything to you. We can continue to respect each other, as we have before. You can forget all the nonsense I pulled earlier."

Florence Fuller looked at him without speaking.

She was trying to discern the truth in his words.

Luke Gardiner understood, "I will follow through with my words, and... as for you and that person, I won’t interfere. Just make sure Grandpa doesn’t know before the divorce. If you need me to cover for you, I can do that too. Just consider it as... me letting go."

His words sounded casual, but inside, he felt a painful tug.

Patience in small matters lays the foundation for grand strategy.

He had to endure. He must change Florence Fuller’s opinion of him.

"Alright then," Florence Fuller agreed, "Let’s wait for a while."

Luke Gardiner’s gaze swept over her face, then glanced at the front passenger seat, his expression tightening.

"Oh no, oh no."

Florence Fuller followed his gaze and saw that he had lifted the bag containing the flower fish. Under the light, one fish had already floated to the top.

The old man’s fish...

"Could it be because it’s sealed?" Florence Fuller suggested.

Luke Gardiner looked at her, "What do we do? I wanted to take it to show him, not expecting the fish to die."

"Try opening it to let some air in," Florence Fuller advised.

Luke Gardiner opened the bag and reached in to touch the fish that had already floated up. There was no movement.

Oh no.

Luke Gardiner thought.

Florence Fuller said, "You better think about how to explain this to the old man."

Ten minutes later, the two were standing silently by the road.

The flower fish’s body had been thrown out by Luke Gardiner, and he looked at the fish in the water bag in Florence Fuller’s hand, silently turning to where he had "disposed" of the fish, "Don’t worry, I will take good care of your brothers and sisters."

Florence Fuller’s mouth twitched.

Luke Gardiner looked at Florence Fuller, "We agreed not to say a word to Grandpa."

He had his assistant find a fish of the same pattern and deliver it back to the old house overnight. As long as their stories matched, the old man would remain clueless.

Florence Fuller glanced at him, "And if Grandpa notices anyway..."

"Notice what?" Luke Gardiner didn’t believe it, "I’ve already had someone find an identical one to replace it, even matching the size. Grandpa won’t notice."

Florence Fuller raised an eyebrow, "Let’s see how your luck holds."

Luke Gardiner thought about it, "You kind of became an accomplice to the ’disposal’ by not stopping me."

Florence Fuller: "..."

How did she somehow become an accomplice to the "disposal."

She shoved the water bag into Luke Gardiner’s arms, "You should check how long it will take them to arrive, before this fish also needs ’disposing.’

Luke Gardiner checked his phone, "I’ll make a call to ask."

Just as he finished speaking, they saw car lights approaching from a distance.