Chapter 403

"I didn't mean anything by it. I wasn't planning to take things further with her. I made a mistake, I admit that. It's just… she reminded me of you…" Samuel said. "Oh, so she's your substitute?" Shelmaine's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I swear, I didn't touch her—not even her fingertips," Samuel insisted. "You must really think I'm easy to fool." Shelmaine pulled out her phone and scrolled to the photo Isabelle had sent her, shoving it in his face. "See this? Sure, no touching fingers, but hugging's fine, huh? You two look great together, really. Quite the pair." Samuel froze, staring at the photo as if it was his worst nightmare come to life. It was a dimly lit picture of him sitting on a couch with Aurora in his arms. The lighting wasn't great, but their faces were unmistakable. Shelmaine tilted her head, her tone biting. "The vibe's not bad. Honestly, you two match so well I don't even need to say anything more." "I was drunk…" "Ah, of course. Bad deeds always require liqui