That particular bottle of wine was one my brother had brought me from a French vineyard. I’d kept it on the shelf because the bottle looked nice and added a touch of
elegance to the apartment.
Now Christopher was drinking it like it was tap water.
“Someone knocked on your door, and you didn’t even check who it was first,” he said, his tone accusatory. “What if it had been someone dangerous?”
“Hannah, listen to me,” he continued. “You shouldn’t stay here anymore. This building’s security is a joke. I’ve already prepared a place for you at Pear Ridge Estate. You can move there in a few days.”
I shook my head.
14:28 Wed, Feb 5 uti u
<
The place lacked warmth, like wearing a mask all the time.
Here, in this modest apartment complex, you could hear neighbors arguing, kids laughing, dogs barking.
It was messy and alive, full of humanity.
Even if I didn’t fully belong here, I felt more human being surrounded by it.
“Even if I’d asked who was at the door, and Evelyn said her name, do you think I wouldn’t have opened it?” I asked with a smile.
Christopher didn’t reply.
Instead, he casually added a piece of braised pork to mine.
“You’re too thin,” he said, his tone softening. “Eat more.”
For a moment, the scene felt familiar, comfortable.
Like we’d been married forever, with no need for formalities or polite distance.
He didn’t seem like the CEO of a massive corporation, and I–well, I was still just me.
His phone buzzed, pulling him out of the moment.
He glanced down at the screen, and from where I was sitting, I caught a glimpse of his
reaction.
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his expression shifted into something… different.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I leaned over to peek at his phone.
A photo filled the screen.
A young woman dressed in a maid costume, complete with bunny ears, black stockings, and impossibly long legs.
4:29 Wed, Feb 5 ri
5
I leaned closer to him and whispered, “A new fling?”
He glanced at me, smiled faintly, and nodded. “Isn’t she sexy?”
“Does she know?” I asked, my tone calm.
By “she,” of course, I meant Evelyn.
I didn’t fully understand Christopher’s feelings for Evelyn, but one thing was clear–he
cared for her deeply.
“If she found out, wouldn’t she raise hell?” Christopher replied with a chuckle.
“Not everyone is as heartless as you.”
I smiled back. I wasn’t heartless; I just didn’t love him.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“Will do.”
As he reached for his coat, he suddenly turned back, grabbed me without warning, and
kissed me.
My brain short–circuited for a moment, like I’d forgotten how to breathe.
My heart pounded erratically.
He was practiced, confident–a kiss that was deep, skillful, and maddeningly intimate. His lips and tongue moved with a precision that felt like a duel.
When he finally let go, his hand still lingering on the back of my head, he smiled. “Girls always love my kisses, Hannah. You should be a little jealous,”
The moment he released me, I regained my composure, calm as ever.
{“Cure” I replied lightly. “How about you come by tomorrow and make me sweet and sour
14:29 Wed, Feb 5.
“Sure,” I replied lightly. “How about you come by tomorrow and make me sweet and sour ribs? Extra vinegar.”
Christopher burst into laughter, ruffled my hair, and walked out the door.
I touched the corner of my lips, then walked to the bathroom.
I rinsed my mouth, brushed my teeth–twice. Only then did I let myself relax.
Leaning against the bathroom doorframe, I replayed the kiss in my mind.
This wasn’t the first time Christopher had kissed me.
When I first came back to the city for college, during the formal signing of our marriage contract, he’d held my hand and kissed me as well.
Back then, I’d stood there stiffly, like a wooden doll, unmoved no matter how much he
tried to charm me.
I still remembered him asking, “Hannah, don’t you feel anything for me?”
“No,” I had replied with a smile, my gaze clear and empty, free of joy or sorrow.
Even now, I had no idea what had gotten into him tonight.
One moment, he was declaring his undying love for Evelyn; the next, he was ogling the bunny–eared maid on his phone. And in the middle of it all, he decided to stir up trouble with me.
I sat back down at the table and resumed eating my dinner, thinking this would be the
end of it.
Christopher could handle Evelyn, his bunny–girl fantasies, and whatever romantic chaos he had going on. It had nothing to do with me.
I was just a bystander, watching the drama unfold.
Three days later, I realized how wrong I was.
14:29 Wed, Feb 5 LI
Christopher’s grand proposal to Evelyn had been a global spectacle, complete with citywide light shows and fireworks. The buzz hadn’t died down yet.
Then Evelyn went on camera, tearfully confessing that Christopher had been seeing another woman behind her back.
68%
She didn’t name names, but the internet moved fast.
Suddenly, my address, my photo, and every detail of my private life were plastered across every corner of social media.
I couldn’t even go to the grocery store without strangers whispering and pointing at me.
My barren Twitter account was flooded with comments–insults, accusations, and disgusting messages from men asking how much I charged for a night.
Some mocked my looks, saying Christopher must have terrible taste to be involved with someone “so old and plain.”
Others were worse, claiming they wanted to “try out Christopher’s woman” to see what the fuss was about.
That afternoon, while walking home from the store, I heard the roar of a motorbike behind me.
A guy with bleached hair on a roaring dirt bike sped toward me, aiming straight for my legs.
I barely managed to dodge.
From the angle he was coming, if he’d hit me I wouldn’t have been killed, but I would’ve been seriously injured–likely in a way that would leave me humiliated and vulnerable.
If I hadn’t trained in martial arts and learned to react faster than most people, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
But as I avoided him, he turned around and come at me again.
