Chapter 12

I was startled. “What’s the matter? Don’t panic.” “Krystal and Henry are about to fight! Come over quickly! I’ve sent you the address! Hurry!” Yenna then hung up the phone. I was confused. Why would Krystal get into a fight with Henry? No matter how enraged Henry was, he would never hit a woman. I didn’t have much time to think about it and quickly got dressed to go to the bar. When I arrived at the bar, Henry and Krystal were already in a private room. Otherwise, their conflict would end up in the headlines due to their social standing. When Yenna saw me, she dragged me over to Krystal’s side. Krystal was clearly upset because she was staring at Henry as if he were her mortal enemy. Henry was even angrier now. He was sitting on the other side of the room, but I could feel the chill that was emanating from him. Sid sat next to him, looking at Henry and me like a terrified doe. “Zena… Um… I think your friend must have misunderstood the situation. I was the one who hired these escorts. It has nothing to do with Henry!” Sid was four years younger than Henry, and this was Sid’s first time addressing me. “Pooh! Henry’s face was practically glued to that woman’s breasts! How do you explain Henry’s innocence now?!” Krystal yelled, pointing at Sid. Sid was on the verge of crying. He was terrified because this was his first encounter with such a fierce person. Henry's stern gaze swept across Krystal before landing on me, as if waiting for my reaction. I pretended not to notice him and consoled Krystal instead. “Krys, it’s okay. You’re probably overthinking things. Sid probably hired those escorts because Henry has much higher standards than this.” A bystander would assume that Krystal was so enraged because her husband cheated on her. Everyone in the private room was quiet. “Zee, do you really mean it?” Krystal and Yenna exchanged stunned glances before turning to face me. They knew I wanted to divorce Henry, but they didn’t expect me to be so unaffected by his philandering. When Krystal saw Henry with other women, she couldn’t help but confront him in a rage. On the other hand, despite having loved Henry for a decade, I was unconcerned about it. “Of course I mean it. Alright, come on now. Let’s go and have another drink before heading home. My treat!” I held Krystal and Yenna’s hands and didn’t glance at Henry for a second. “H-Henry, they’re leaving. Your wife—” Sid was dumbfounded as he reminded Henry. “What wife? Is she fit to be my wife?” Henry’s cold and venomous words rang in my ear before the door shut. My heart was prickly. It was painful, but bearable. I wasn’t fit to be Henry’s wife. This title should have been reserved for Laurel. Krystal, Yenna, and I found empty seats at the bar and ordered drinks. Yenna had just returned to Avonopolis after her performance, so Krystal invited her out for a drink. Unexpectedly, they ran into Henry drinking with some women. Under the influence of alcohol, Krystal stood up for me when she saw this. If Krystal had been a man, Henry would have beaten her up by now. Krystal asked again, “Zee, are you really over him?” I nodded confidently. “Great! I admire your resolve to let go of a ten-year crush so easily!” Krystal raised her glass and chugged her drink. “You’re amazing!” Yenna also raised a glass to me. Yenna received a phone call from her boyfriend just as the three of us were getting tipsy. Yenna’s relationship was the most stable of the four of us. Her boyfriend was about her age. They had met each other’s parents and had even discussed marriage. Yenna stood up and waved goodbye. “Girls, my puppy ​​is at home waiting for me to feed him, so I’ll get going!” “Damn, are you going back to breastfeed him?” Krystal deliberately teased Yenna. “You’re sick!” Yenna laughed and quickly left. After Yenna left, I settled the bill and parted ways with Krystal. When I got home, I wanted to take a bath because I stank of alcohol. I was greeted by a gush of warm vapor mixed with the scent of shower gel as soon as I entered the bathroom. Henry emerged from the misty shower with a naked upper body and a black bath towel wrapped around his waist. He was tall, well-proportioned, and muscular—perfect in every way. I couldn’t stop myself from sizing up Henry, who appeared in front of me like a ghost. It was a pity that after five years of marriage, this was the first time I had seen him with so little clothing. “This is my bathroom.” I reminded Henry after a few seconds of silence. After we married, I occupied the master bedroom of our house. When Henry returned home, he would usually spend the night in the guest room or study. This bathroom was attached to the master bedroom. “Do you have a problem with that?” Henry wiped his hair calmly. “No. I have nothing to lose because you have such a great figure.” I meant what I said. Henry could be a casanova solely based on his looks, even if he was dirt poor. Henry gave me a look before taking two steps forward. I could not help but take two steps back. The vapor in the bathroom had gradually dissipated by this point, allowing me to get a good look at Henry’s firm pecs and well-defined collarbone. I could not help but imagine how it would feel to touch them. But I restrained myself. “Alright, I want to shower too. Please go out.” I made way for Henry to leave. The next thing I knew, Henry had grabbed the back of my head and lifted me so I was tiptoeing. Without blinking, Henry lowered his head and kissed my lips. I could taste a hint of mint on his lips. Due to the sudden movement, I froze for a moment. Henry deepened his kiss when he noticed I was unresponsive. His kissing skills were undeniably superior, whereas mine were inexperienced. So I let him take the lead. Henry’s body was warm, and the temperature in the bathroom was rising, making me sweat. Should I just let things happen? I had been pining for him for the longest time in my previous life, so I could make it up to myself this time. Anyway, Henry had slept with other women before meeting Laurel. It was also understandable for him to sleep with his wife. I closed my eyes as I considered this. Just as things were about to get out of hand, Henry stopped abruptly. He let go of me, and the lust in his eyes vanished in an instant.