Chapter 74

…Dickinson pov…

Emile's casual evening dressing was simple yet stylish. She wore a light denim jacket over a white t-shirt, the fabric hugging her slender frame. The jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a delicate necklace that complemented the simplicity of her outfit. Her dark blue jeans were neatly rolled up at the bottom, showcasing her black leather ankle boots.

Emile's hair was styled in loose waves that framed her face, adding to her effortless chic. She wore a simple watch on her left wrist, the minimalist design accentuating her elegant taste. As she sipped her coffee, I noticed the gracefulness of her movements, the way she held herself with confidence and poise

Emile looked relieved to see me. "Thanks for coming," he said, leading me inside the coffee shop. "I have a plan, Emile. A way to solve all of our problems."

I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of plan?"

Do you remember the day before all these things happened? He asked as he bent forward.

Yes… I said, trying to remember. We met up in a restaurant and when we got home we discovered we switched bodies," I said, still puzzled at what he was driving at.

"A Chinese restaurant, yes, remember we met someone, an old Chinese man who said he had a way of solving our problems?"

"Yes," I leaned back on my seat. "I remember his game too," I actually picked some weird stuff.

"What did you pick?"

What did you pick too, I remember him saying we shouldn't tell each other," I said wondering how this is all related. Wait… something is off.

"I wish I was you?"

How did you know what I picked? Dickinson asked, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Because that's what I picked," I snapped.

"Me too". He said and my eyes widened in realization.

"The old Chinese man," we both chorused.

This was his way of solving our problem? Dickinson asked, raising his voice. He got a few glances from the surrounding table. The waiter brought out coffee.

As the waiter placed our coffees on the table and left my head reeled.

"We have to find him," Dickinson said and I nodded.

"Tomorrow morning, " I placed the cup of coffee on my lips and sipped the coffee while looking at Dickinson doing the same.

When I arrived at home, I found Emily waiting for me. She looked worried and concerned as she questioned me about where I had been. I tried to play it cool and told her that I had just gone out to see someone and was back now, ready to rest.

Emily's next question caught me off guard. "Is that someone in any way Dickinson?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she stood in front of me.

I froze, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a response. I couldn't understand what Emily wanted. Dickinson was ready to pay her off as long as she signs the divorce paper but she held on to him even though she still publicly bad mouthed him about his inability to impregnate her. She doesn't love him but what does she want?

"Yes," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I went to see Dickinson."

Emily was heating up fast, and I could feel my anger rising with every passing second. She was yelling at me, accusing me of hurting her by seeing Emile. And even though I knew that she had a right to be upset, I couldn't help but feel defensive.

As Emily's voice grew louder, I felt myself shutting down. I knew that I was in the wrong, but I didn't want to admit it. Instead, I just stood there, taking the verbal abuse.

Emily's expression was a mix of hurt and anger. "How could you?" she asked, her voice shaking with emotion. "After everything we've been through, you go and see your employee whore in the middle of the night? Wake up Dickinson she doesn't love you she is just after your money". She screamed in my face.

But when Emily raised her voice even higher, something inside me snapped. "You are just being deceived". She said ending with a grin.

I couldn't take it anymore. Without a word, I turned and climbed the stairs, my footsteps heavy on the wooden treads.

"That's what she is, just a desperate lady looking for whose husband to snatch". She howled.

"This was it", I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I wasn't Dickson and she is insulting me directly to my face. I couldn't let this go.

"What do you think you are? You are just a parasite looking for a host to push your blood sucking nose in and them off their wealth. I chuckled as her expression darkened. She was shocked at my sudden outburst.

" You are nothing Emily and that's it you can only live on the back of someone. A parasite that's what you are and will ever be". I said as I rounded up with a stiffl3 laugh. Speechless and pale faced, she stormed off, leaving me alone in the foyer.

As I climbed the stairs to our bedroom, I couldn't help but feel guilty and ashamed. I knew that I had hurt Emily, and that my actions had put our marriage in jeopardy. But at the same time, I couldn't shake the feeling that seeing Dickinson was something that I needed to do.

As I lay in bed that night, my mind kept returning to the conversation with Dickinson as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning I left the house quickly while Emily was asleep. I stepped out of the cab and made my way towards the Chinese restaurant where Dickinson was supposed to meet me. As I got closer, I noticed her pacing around with her hands on her waist, looking visibly agitated.

I sharply looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the restaurant's sign, but to my disappointment, it was closed. I couldn't help but feel frustrated, as I had been looking forward to trying out their famous dumplings.

As I approached Dickinson, she turned to me and let out a deep sigh. "The restaurant's closed," I said, stating the obvious.

"I know," she replied, "I've been waiting here for half an hour. I tried calling but no one answered."

Dickinson and I walked to a nearby shad with the restaurant in view, I could feel her frustration and restlessness. She whined and complained about the restaurant being closed, and her worry about seeing the old Chinese man again was etched on her face.

I knew that meeting the old man was necessary to figure out how we had swapped bodies, but I could also sense Dickinson's reluctance. However, I was determined to find answers, so I suggested we take a break and sit down under a nearby shade.

Dickinson followed me, still frowning and clearly unhappy with the situation. As we sat down, I could feel the tension between us. I took a deep breath and decided to break the silence.

"Dickinson, I know this is tough, but we need to figure out what happened to us," I said, trying to ease her worries.

"I know, but I can't shake off this feeling of unease. What if we can't switch back?" Dickinson replied, her voice trembling.

I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way. We have to trust in the old man's wisdom."

Dickinson nodded slowly, her face relaxing a little. "Okay, I'll try to keep an open mind."

With that, we sat in silence for a while, the cool shade providing some much-needed relief from the heat. I closed my eyes and let the gentle breeze wash over me, feeling grateful for the small moments of peace amidst the chaos of our situation we sat under the shade in silence, my thoughts were consumed with worry and anxiety. I couldn't help but feel a dark cloud looming over me, and I prayed silently that everything would go back to normal soon.

I knew that meeting the old Chinese man was our best shot at figuring out how we had swapped bodies, but the uncertainty of it all was weighing heavily on me. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the negative thoughts and focus on the present moment.

"Mind if I go get some snacks?" I said, breaking the silence.

Dickinson nodded absentmindedly, her eyes still fixed on the Chinese restaurant, scanning for any sign of the old man. I stood up and walked towards a nearby food stall, hoping to find some tasty treats to lift our spiritsI let out a deep sigh and decided to go get some snacks for Dickinson and me. As I walked towards a nearby popcorn shop, I couldn't help but feel a bit of unease, knowing that we were still in this strange predicament of having swapped bodies.

As I approached the shop, the female shopkeeper gave me a seductive wink, and I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. I quickly turned back to see if Dickinson had noticed, but she was still scanning the street for any sign of the old Chinese man.

I chuckled to myself, realizing that I was overthinking things. "Oh, that is your girlfriend or wife," the shopkeeper said, noticing my hesitancy.

I nodded, not wanting to engage in any more conversation, and quickly ordered two popcorn, dodging any further questions. As the shopkeeper handed me the popcorn, I thanked her and made my way back to Dickinson, hoping to offer her some small comfort amidst our uncertaintyI sat down on the chair and handed Dickinson her popcorn, crossing my legs and trying to relax. But Dickinson's accusatory tone interrupted my attempts at calm.

"I saw you guys flirting," Dickinson said, her voice laced with irritation.

"That's laughable," I replied, trying to dismiss her accusations. "Why do you act like this white stuff doesn't worry you?" Dickinson retorted.

"It does worry me," I said, feeling a bit defensive. "But I'm just trying to stay positive. Besides, the baby in you seems to be doing fine."

Dickinson rolled her eyes, clearly not amused by my attempts at humor. As we continued to munch on our popcorn, I couldn't help but feel a bit restless. The uncertainty of our situation was starting to weigh heavily on me again.

But then, Dickinson's eyes suddenly widened as she spotted a man approaching the door of the restaurant, pulling a cart, the old Chinese man!