The instigator of it all was the man in front of me, who was so pretentiously shielding me from the alcohol. He had schemed to involve everyone, including me.


    Angrily, I pushed Nichs away. He smiled gently and told everyone, "Stop it. My wife is shy."


    He then led me outside, where the wind was blowing and the strong scent of alcohol lingered, an unresolved source of mncholy.


    His body pressed against mine, and he smiled at me tenderly, saying, "Ari, I need you to take me home."


    His words nearly brought me to tears After having too much alcohol, he wouldn''t get noisy or rowdy. He would justugh like a silly boy.


    When I had just married him, he would sometimes drink too much at social gatherings and call me in front of others, saying, "Ari, I''m drunk. I need you to pick me up.


    I remembered the joy I felt the first time when I received his call. I wondered if he was truly starting to see me as his wife.


    I would always dress up and wait for his call whenever he went out, making sure I was the first to appear at his gatherings, enhancing his image in front of others.


    There was one time he wasn''t too drunk, and as I hugged his waist, he pushed me away and coldly said, Don''t touch me!"


    Later, he exined that he had misspoken because he was drunk, and I believed him. Now, I realized he had always been emotionally guarded.


    That coldness and rejection were from the real him, something I hadn''t discovered sooner.


    It had been a long time since I had heard him ask me to take him home. Was he really drunk this time, or was it just an act?N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    The streetlights cast a romantic shadow on us both, but after a moment''s hesitation, I took out my phone to call Nichs'' driver.


    As soon as the call connected, he knocked my phone out of my hand and forcefully kissed me under the streetlight. He made it clear that refusal was not an option.


    For a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze. All I could feel was the touch of his lips.


    From the corner of the street, a figure appeared. Before I could see clearly, arge hand covered my eyes. In the darkness, myshes brushed against his palm, my heart pounding so strongly that I nearly lost my bnce-and had to cling to his shoulder for support.


    I didn''t know how long It had been, but when the sound of a car hom pierced the silence, Nichs finally let me go.


    I pushed him away forcefully, causing him to stagger and almost fall. His driver caught him just in time, preventing him from copsing onto the ground.


    Looking back at the street corner, there were only passing pedestrians and no one else.


    I turned to leave, but the driver called out to me, "Mrs. Hawk, I''ll give you a lift too."


    1 shook my head and told the driver, "No thanks. Just take him back to Coral Vi." Seeing how drunk. Nichs was, I couldn''t help but add, "Since the maids aren''t home at this hour, please make him a cup of tea."


    Suddenly, the car door opened from the inside, revealing Frances'' face. She smiled warmly and said, "Ari,


    I didn''t have the car drive over earlier because I didn''t want to disturb you.


    She got out of the car and took my hand, tears in her eyes.


    "I just found out the things that udia did to you. I''m so sorry. I''ve been thinking about how to talk to you at home. Now that I see you and Nichs so close together, I feel relieved."