Chapter 35 I Cannot Help You
Savannah blushed and lowered her head, saying, “Old Mrs. Quaker, you’re pulling my leg. Anyway, I’ll be heading out for my workout after breakfast.” “I look forward to having a great-grandchild.” Agatha winked at her. “Alright then, I won’t hold you back. I’ll get the chauffeur to give you a lift. After you finish your workout, please drop by the office.
Javon said he has some things to discuss with you.” “Since Emmett is busy today, why don’t I drop by the office together with him on another day?” said Savannah. “It’s alright. Just go and meet Javon by yourself first. You can pass the message to Emmett later on.” Agatha insisted. Hence, Savannah had no choice but to agree politely before heading to the gym. Upon reaching the gym, she instructed the chauffeur to pick her up in two hours.
Not long after Savannah was released from prison, she had registered for the kickboxing class at this gym. She wanted to learn some self-defense techniques to protect herself and her son. However, she hadn’t attended classes for the past month because of her wedding plans with Emmett, but she intended on attending classes whenever she was free. As a matter of fact, there were no scheduled classes for kickboxing that afternoon.
Hence when Savannah got there, she went in and told the instructor she had come to pick up some things from her locker. Without even changing her clothes, she circled the locker room and left using another door. When she exited the gym, she quickly hailed a cab and headed to the apartment that she was renting.
She had paid half a year’s worth of rent earlier, and though the unit was currently empty, she did not have the time to talk to her landlord about terminating her lease yet. The rental unit was located on the third floor of an old apartment block. As soon as she arrived, she unlocked the door and immediately went to the bedroom to grab her laptop. Just as she was about to leave the apartment, she spotted Cole standing outside her place.
It seemed like he was about to knock on the door. “Cole, what are you doing here?” she asked. Cole gave her a look of surprise and said, “Oh, you’re home. I’ve dropped by a few times, but there was always no one around. I’m guessing you’ve been away for quite some time?” “I… probably won’t be staying here anymore. I just came by to pick up some things.” Savannah didn’t know how to explain the recent events in her life.
Cole was her senior back in college. During her freshman year, he had helped her move all her stuff into the girls’ dormitory. Later on, they often bumped into each other on campus and gradually became friends. While in college, Savannah never told anyone about her family background, besides the fact that she came from a rural town. Coming from a small town in the north, Cole was not from a privileged background either.
The fact that he was able to get into college was all because of his own effort, and he would often take up part-time jobs during his free time. Back then, Savannah was also on the lookout for part-time jobs to support herself in college. After asking Cole for favors on two separate occasions, they became good friends. However, when she was imprisoned and expelled from college, she lost contact with him for a while.
After she was released from prison, their paths crossed again unexpectedly when she applied for a job in an advertising company. Fresh from college, Cole was working as an intern in that company, and he had planned on making a living in the city. Even though she didn’t get the job, they still exchanged contacts and met up for coffee. Savannah told him frankly that she had dropped out of college because she was involved in a murder case.
Though she was an ex-convict with a baby, she had managed to own an online business doing fashion design work to support herself. When Cole heard that, he was surprised to learn what happened to her over the past few years, but he believed she was innocent. Her past didn’t bother him at all, and he even helped her tide through her difficult times back then. Initially,
Savannah declined his favors as she only saw him as a college mate and nothing more. However, Cole regarded her as his best friend and insisted on helping her, so she quietly accepted his help. Savannah’s first few years out of prison were indeed tough, especially since she had a son to take care of.
At that time, she could barely find a stable job, and even filling their stomachs was a challenge at times. Fortunately, Cole referred a lot of customers for her online business, allowing her to make a decent living. After building a stable customer base, her life finally improved. He would often drop by her apartment and bring her son food.
Besides that, he would also help out with handiwork such as repairing her electricity meter, making her feel like she needed a man in her life. On top of that, Freddie was always exceptionally happy to see him. Once, Freddie even secretly asked Savannah if Cole was his father. She immediately told him that Cole was only a good friend, but she could sense the disappointment in his eyes when he found out that Cole wasn’t his father. It was then that she realized her son needed a father figure in his life.
The thought of getting together with Cole persisted in her mind every night, but she couldn’t bring herself to be with someone she didn’t like. Although Savannah knew that her past would hinder her from having a normal love life, she still hoped to be with someone she had feelings for. Nevertheless, her current marriage to Emmett did not involve love nor family; it was simply a marriage of convenience. Right now, she definitely would not accept Cole as a partner.
Cole looked into the apartment and asked, “Where’s Freddie? You didn’t bring him here?” As soon as Savannah heard her son’s name, her eyes welled up with tears, and she stuttered, “He… uh… he’s doing well. Someone else is looking after him now.” “Savannah, did something happen? Is anything wrong?
Is Freddie really alright?” Cole could sense the sadness in her voice. Savannah tried her best to hold back her tears as she forced a smile and said, “Nothing’s wrong. Freddie is in the pink of health, and we are both well. You don’t need to worry about us anymore. Don’t waste your time worrying about me, okay?
You’re doing so well, and I believe you will become the chief designer of your company one day.” “No, you’re lying.” Cole glared at her. “I can sense that the two of you are not doing well at all. Stop hiding from me and tell me what happened. I can help you.” Savannah glanced at her watch and saw that it was getting late. If she did not head back to the gym now for the chauffeur to pick her up, Agatha and Emmett would get suspicious.
“Cole, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can help me with. Just let me be, alright? I’ve told you before that I’m not a good person. I’ve been imprisoned before, and things are not as simple as you think. Whatever I’ve been through in this life is way more complicated than you can imagine. It’s best if you stay away from me, or you will only end up getting hurt,” said Savannah. Cole’s heart ached as he recalled the first time he saw her from a distance in college.
