When they got into the building they took the private elevator up to the top floor.
When they got to room 1010, Jinhai used the key card to open the door. Once they were inside she turned to him staggering. He reached out to hold her steady.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I'm still drunk." She said, placing a hand on his arm to steady herself.
"Let's get you to bed," he said. She shook her head.
"I need a shower," she mumbled.
"You can barely stand on your feet." He replied.
"A bath then." She suggested. He shook his head at her stubbornness. He helped her onto the couch before he turned to the kitchen.
Jinhai went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. He walked back to where she was sitting and twisted the cap off before handing her the bottle.
"Here," his voice was very tender. With her he was almost always tender.
She laughed sarcastically.
"It feels like all you've done tonight is make me drink water." She said taking the bottle from him.
"You need it," he said. She eyed him as she drank from the bottle. She handed it back to him when she finished. He closed it and set it on the coffee table before taking a seat next to her.
"Thank you," she said to him quietly.
"For what?" He asked silently. She laughed without mirth.
"I don't know." She said.
"What are you going to do?" He asked her.
"I don't know." She replied honestly. He let out a low breath. She gave him the side eye.
"Why are you sighing?" She asked.
"No matter what you decide, I'll help you." He said. She saw him look at her from her peripheral vision.
"I just, don't want you to be sad." She turned to look at him with a bewildered expression.
"I've lost a lot recently. I'm allowed to be sad." She said.
"I know. I don't want you to be though." He said quietly. She didn't answer him. After a while he spoke again.
"I keep thinking that if I didn't trust him. If I didn't let you go, this would never have happened to you," he said to her. Maybe it was the drinks he had or perhaps it was his regret for hurting her these past few years but he told her what he was thinking.
"What?" She whispered.
"If I actually told you how I felt then, would you have accepted me?" He asked her. Her eyebrows furrowed. How could he ask her this now? She parted her lips to answer him.
"Don't answer that," he held a hand up.
"But Evelyn, whatever revenge you're are looking for, I will help you obtain it. If you want his company, I'll give you my shares. If you want to ruin that woman, I'll find a way. If you-" he said before she stopped him.
"Stop. I don't want to think about it anymore tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to figure out the divorce papers with my Uncle. Then I'll go through a long and messy divorce. I need to prepare for that fight." She said angrily. Anger was the safest emotion to her right now.
Originally she wanted to stay in a state of deliriousness and numbness tonight. Before she had to put on a brave face tomorrow. But he wasn't even letting her have that.
"I need a shower." She said and went to go grab her clothes from a suitcase.
"Then I should go," he said standing up and making his way to the door. Her anger immediately dissipated.
"You said you'd take care of me tonight." She said standing up.
"I got you back here, safely." He said turning to her.
"Stay for a while," she said, trying not to sound desperate. She actually didn't want to be alone tonight. She didn't want to be alone to face her loss, her sadness, and her despair.
After a while he responded.
"Okay," he said as he walked back to the couch. He took a seat and grabbed the remote before turning the TV on.
She let out a small breath of release before walking up the stairs to the bathroom. When she closed the door, she set her clothes down and went to the sink to splash water on her face. The water was like ice sobering her. She didn't bother to wipe her face before she removed her clothes and stepped into the shower.
She took a cool shower, moving quickly but being sure to clean every part of her body.
When she stepped out she remembered that her towels were on the bed, where she left them earlier.
She twisted her hair to wring the water out then dug her toothbrush and toothpaste out of her bag. Hopefully this helped her stop smelling of alcohol. When she finished her body had dried and she put her clothes on.
She wore a long sleeved, dark grey, cotton shirt with white shorts. She ran a comb through her hair and did the minimal nightly skincare. When she finished she stepped outside to grab the towels from the bed. She went back to the bathroom to hang one and use the other to towel dry her hair.
She didn't want to blow dry it so she left it alone and went back down the stairs to join Jinhai.
He was sitting on the couch where she left him. An action movie was playing on the screen. She grabbed the bottle of water from the coffee table and took a seat to his right. When she did he clicked the remote and within moments a comedy began to play. She silently tucked her ankles under her and he got up to dim the lights in the room.
"Do you want a snack?" He asked. She shook her head. He went to the kitchen and took a look in the pantry.
He found a bowl and a bag of extra butter popcorn. As he microwaved the popcorn he found two packets of hot chocolate and made them. When he brought everything back he handed a mug to her. She set her water down and took the mug into her hands.
They used to do this as kids. They would have popcorn and hot chocolate. The room had them available, luckily for him because he was able to recreate a little bit of history.
He wasn't going to lie. He wanted to help her but part of him dared to hope that she would give him a chance. Even if he had to wait for it.
At first they sat silently watching the movie. He had popcorn and she drank from her mug. Soon she set it down and reached over to grab some popcorn. She moved closer to him and he moved the bowl closer to her.
After a while she ended up falling asleep. Her head slid down until it rested on his shoulder. He turned slowly to look at her. She looked peaceful and he let her rest there for a moment, savoring having her close. When the movie ended he placed the empty bowl of popcorn next him. He gently shifted her until he could carry her up the stairs.
Thankfully she left a light on so he could see.
He gently set her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. When he turned to move he felt her grab his sleeve.
"Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." She said in a tiny voice. Her grip tightened.
"I'm not going to leave you," he said gently.
"Then stay with me tonight. Okay?" She opened her eyes to look at him, her eyes shining. Her emotions were all over the place today. She didn't care.
"Okay, just let me clean up. I'll be right back." He said to her. She held on for another moment before she let go.
He went to clean up the things downstairs before going to wash up. He used her toothpaste and grabbed one of the hotel toothbrushes to brush his teeth. He took off his suit jacket and his button down shirt. He left on his under shirt and pants and then crawled into the bed next to her.
She was already asleep when he got into the bed. He layed there on his back with an arm under his head. At some point Evelyn turned over and laid her head on his chest.