13. The Shadow of That Heated Night

“Liora … open the door. You have not eaten since this afternoon, have you? Come on, I will accompany you to eat, or we can eat outside,” Daren shouted. “Has it not been a long time since we last ate out together? Today, I deliberately made time. We also need to talk. Do you want to?” he invited.

Knock!

Knock!

“Darling … open the do—”

Click!

Liora opened the door, her expression still flat. “It is rare for you to be this attentive, inviting me to eat again?” Liora asked in surprise.

Daren knew that for the past several years, he had always been cold and only sweet when he wanted something from Liora. But somehow, today he was different.

“Do not say it like that, Darling. If I have lacked time for you all this time, it is because I was bus—”

“Tsk! Again with the excuse of being busy. It is stale, you know!” Liora snapped, her mood turning bad again.

Earlier, when Liora heard the invitation to eat, she had been very happy. Because it was rare for Daren to be willing to make time for her.

“Darling, you are angry,” Daren stepped closer and hugged Liora from behind.

Liora tried to release Daren’s hands, but her husband’s embrace was quite strong.

“Do not be angry, okay? I promise. Today, I will accompany you to eat, shop for clothes, or do you want to buy jewelry?” he coaxed her.

“Anything you want, I will buy it for you.” Daren slowly turned Liora’s body.

Now, the two of them looked into each other’s eyes. Daren gently framed Liora’s face, then caressed it affectionately.

“You want to, right?” Daren coaxed her again.

Daren’s words and invitation just now made Liora’s heart swell with happiness. “Am I dreaming, or does Daren have amnesia? Why does he look so different, especially with his gentle attitude?” Liora thought.

“Honestly, even if he is pretending, my heart is truly happy. I hope this is a good beginning for our relationship after three years of coldness,” Liora hoped.

Seeing Liora remain silent, Daren deliberately stole a peck on his wife’s lips.

Smack!

“What are you thinking about? Do you not want to spend time with me?” Daren asked. There was a sense of turmoil he could not explain, especially after he remembered the kiss mark on Liora’s neck.

Liora released her husband’s hands and slightly pushed Daren’s chest. “I-it is not like that. It is just that you are too strange, in my opinion,” Liora answered honestly.

Daren furrowed his brows, puzzled by his wife’s words.

“Strange? What do you mean, Liora?”

“It is just strange. Have you not never wanted to spend time with me all this time? But why are you suddenly asking me to eat, shop, and buy jewelry?” Liora explained.

Finally, Daren understood Liora’s attitude and words. “Oh, about that. Did I not already explain it earlier? You even said it was just an excuse,” Daren said. “But I truly want to spend time with you, Darling. Besides, I miss you too.” Daren brought his face closer, and not long after, he managed to kiss Liora’s lips.

For some reason, seeing Daren’s gentle attitude made Liora forget all of her husband’s betrayal with her best friend.

Moreover, Daren’s kiss was so soft that it made Liora drift away. She even began to return the kiss, wrapping both of her arms around Daren’s neck.

“Ahh .…”

The moan that escaped Liora’s lips instantly awakened the desire within Daren.

“I want you, Darling,” Daren said in between kisses along Liora’s slender neck.

Meanwhile, Daren’s hands did not stop caressing Liora’s voluptuous body. Feeling impatient, Daren began to remove Liora’s sleeping pajamas roughly. After that, he kissed Liora’s chest. When Daren was about to open the cover of Liora’s sensitive area, a fleeting image of the heated night inside the club crossed Liora’s mind.

“E-Ethannn … ahh .…”

Thump!

Both Daren and Liora were shocked, their eyes locking with deep meaning.

If Daren felt angry because Liora mentioned another man’s name while he was touching his wife, Liora, on the other hand, was imagining Ethan’s face as he indulged her body that night.

“Liora! Whose name did you just call, huh?” Daren shouted angrily. “Say it, who is he? Is that man your lover?” Daren lost control and immediately grabbed Liora’s neck out of jealousy.

“Ahk!”

“Le-let go, Daren! You are hurting me, let go!” Liora pleaded.

“Fine, I will let go. Now tell me, who is that man? Who is the man you just called, huh?!” Daren yelled as he released his grip.

Daren’s anger had not subsided. His chest rose and fell as if he were holding back his emotions from exploding. He looked jealous, seeing Liora—whom he had always known to love him deeply—suddenly openly mentioning another man’s name while they were together.

“D-Daren … you heard it wrong. I was calling your name earlier. Really, I am not lying,” Liora held Daren’s hand, trying to convince her husband.

“Really? But you mentioned another man’s name, and I heard it. E-e … who was it? I forgot,” Daren tried to remember, but he could not.

“You heard it wrong. Maybe you are just tired. Rest for a while now, okay? I want to go to the bathroom to get ready. Did you not invite me to eat and go shopping earlier?” Liora wrapped her arm around Daren and guided him to sit on the sofa.

For a moment, Daren looked at Liora gently, searching for honesty in his wife’s eyes. “I still see love in her eyes. If so, her words are true. Maybe I am tired, so I misheard earlier,” he thought.

Snapping out of his brief reverie, Daren gently held Liora’s hand. “Alright then, go take a shower and get ready. I will wait for you here, but do not take too long.”

“Hm, alright.”

Liora released her husband’s hand, her heart pounding rapidly. She hurried into the bathroom and closed the door. Not long after, she leaned against the door.

“Liora, what are you thinking? Why, when you are with your husband, are you thinking about another man?” Liora gently hit her own head. “And that man is your own brother-in-law! Wake up. Never remember that heated night again!”

Liora kept reminding herself. When she finally calmed down, the image struck her mind again, just as she intended to focus on her relationship with Daren.

“Liora … can you face the situation when Daren managed to touch you earlier and he finds out that you are no longer a virgin? Did you not give your crown to your own brother-in-law, hm?”

Thump!

Liora’s face stiffened. She immediately bit her own lip until it hurt. “What have I done? Why was I so foolish back then and willing to give my maidenhood to a man who, by definition, is not my husband?”

While Liora’s heart was in turmoil, torn between regret and sadness, in the same room, Daren suddenly received a message from Camelia.

Ding!

[Darling, why have you not come here yet? I miss you. Can you come here now and accompany me?]

Daren read the message while glancing toward the bathroom door, then replied to Camelia.

[Today I cannot accompany you. There is a lot of work at the office.] Sent.

After sending the reply, Daren deliberately turned off his phone. Deliberately, today he did not want to be disturbed by anyone while he spent time with his wife.

“Huff … this way, I can freely be with Liora. Camelia will no longer disturb me with her calls or messages,” Daren looked relieved, then slipped his phone into the pocket of his suit.

However, his gaze did not leave the bathroom door. “Why is she taking so long in the bathroom? What is she doing in there?”

Daren stood up, intending to approach Liora, who still had not come out of the bathroom.

“Liora, will it still take long?” Daren asked. “Or are you deliberately taking your time so that I will come after you?” he teased.

Daren was truly carried away after experiencing the heated kiss with his wife earlier. Somehow, today he wanted more than just a kiss from Liora.