Chapter 9

I was taken aback. Did Krystal hire these gigolos to drink with us? I was emboldened by the alcohol, so I tiptoed and leaned into the handsome man. “We’ll just have to see if I can stand the loneliness.” I turned around and walked away after I finished speaking. I was not interested in this type of man, especially those with an ulterior motive. Krystal was not far behind me, doing God knows what. When she saw me approaching, she scurried back to her seat. “I can’t drink much, so I’ll head home.” I covered my forehead and felt really drowsy. If I got too drunk, my mother would nag me when I got home. “I’m going home as well. I have to go to work tomorrow.” Tessa also stood up. I could tell she did not enjoy her job. Krystal pouted. “The night is still young! Well, if you’re all leaving, I’ll leave too. It’s not fun to drink by myself.” She went to pay the bill and said goodbye to those handsome guys. The three of us then left the club. We all called our drivers. Before leaving, Krystal smiled sneakily and asked, “Zee, do you think Henry would get jealous if you went out to drink with handsome guys?” “Don’t mention his name. He’s a jinx.” I was already in the car and waved to Krystal. “Hehe… Goodbye!” Krystal muttered something and jumped into her BMW. I told Lee to drive while I sat in the backseat and rested my eyes. A sudden brake jolted me awake as we were approaching my parents’ house. Startled, I asked, “Lee, what’s going on?” “Madam, that looks like Mr. Pelham’s car.” Lee pointed to the Bugatti that was blocking the road. Why did Henry show up on the only road leading to my parents’ house? I rubbed my temples. “Okay. Lee, you can drive my car home first since it’s so late.” “Yes, ma’am.” Lee was a skilled driver. He made a quick turn and drove away. It was only a five-minute walk to my house, so I walked around the Bugatti and went home. All of a sudden, Henry got out of the car and stood in front of me. He seemed to be in a bad mood, as his eyes were burning with rage. “Explain yourself. What exactly is this?” Henry showed me his social media feed. It was a picture of me deliberately teasing that man in front of the club’s bathroom. I was tiptoeing with my face mere inches away from the man, looking very suggestive. Upon closer look, I noticed it was Krystal’s post. Krystal even added a caption that read, “There are plenty more fish in the sea! My baby Zee has finally set herself free!” “Pfft!” I accidentally laughed. “It kind of rhymes.” “Zena—” Henry called out my name through gritted teeth. His handsome face was filled with a chilling wrath. “Didn’t you agree to an open marriage? Why are you questioning me now?” I adjusted my attitude and asked Henry. Henry sneered. “You can f*ck around, but I didn’t give you permission to post it!” I almost forgot Henry and I were in the same social circle. Krystal was no exception. Henry’s friends could see Krystal’s posts, so if they saw what I did, they might mock him. Henry was far too proud to bear such humiliation, especially given his status. No wonder Krystal had a sneaky smile earlier. It turned out that she was deliberately trying to provoke Henry. “Fine. I’ll tell Krystal and the girls not to post it next time.” I did not want to continue arguing with Henry because I was dizzy. I just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep. I turned to walk away, but Henry grabbed my arm. I felt like my bones were about to break because I did not have enough fat to cushion me. I cried in pain, “It hurts…” Then I quickly lowered my head and bit Henry’s forearm. Henry must have been taken aback by my outlandish reaction because he didn’t shrug me off immediately and let me bite him. The muscles on his forearm were tight and firm, just right for a good bite. “Are you crazy?!” Henry finally came to his senses and shook me off. He grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me away like a puppy being carried by its scruff. On his forearm was a complete bite mark that I could use to count my teeth. I cast a resentful glance at Henry. Bitterness rose to the surface of my heart. I had liked him for a long time, but I had never left my imprint on him. Laurel had given Henry numerous hickeys on the neck in a previous life, which I had noticed several times. They were probably madly in love at the time. Leaving this bite mark was my way of making amends to my former self. “Henry, you have no right to question me. You can’t even keep track of the number of women you’ve slept with over the years. Do you think that I didn’t feel humiliated? Do you think that no one laughed at me behind my back?” I wiped my lips and vaguely tasted blood. I think I bit him too hard. Henry replied indifferently, “You were asking for it! "Did anyone force you to promise my grandfather that you would marry me?” Of course not. No one had to force me to agree to this marriage at the time. On the contrary, if anyone refused to let me marry Henry, I would probably kill that person. I was looking forward to a long-term relationship, and I naively believed that Henry would one day be moved by my determination and fall in love with me. “Yes, I asked for it, but I changed my mind. I have given it some thought, and I no longer want to be bound to you because of my wishful thinking. Can’t I regret my choices?” I countered. “No!” Henry’s response was as cold as ever. You should pay the price for choosing this path that you shouldn’t have chosen in the first place!” “Henry, do you believe me when I say you will file for divorce in the near future and wish I had not come into your life?” I suddenly asked. A year was not a long time, so betting on it would be fun. Henry glared at me. “Zena, quit daydreaming!” He had a strong vengeance. He would even hurt himself if it meant hurting me more. I sighed. “Why don’t you believe me? Just watch. You’ll definitely let me go in the future. I drank too much, so I just want to go home and sleep. You can go.” “You can sleep at Maple Villas.” Henry picked me up and stuffed me into his car with ease. He was preventing me from going back to my parents' house. I strongly protested. “No, I don’t want to go back to Maple Villas! Open the door!” Henry glanced at me, ignored my objections, and drove in the direction of Maple Villas. I stared at Henry irritably. “Send me back. I need to get something!” “What?” he asked casually. “My medicine.” I was annoyed at him. Why was he making my life so difficult? “Are you terminally ill?” Henry was a terrible conversationalist. No wonder so many people, especially those he had trampled on, were looking forward to his bankruptcy. I smiled. “No. I’m too thin, so I’m trying to stimulate my appetite and regulate my metabolism with herbal remedies. I’d look better if I were plumper.” Henry seemed to have remembered something. His already gloomy expression grew even colder.