The woman continues to pace back and forth with a troubled expression. Occasionally, she glances at the clock on her phone. She also checks outside the window to see if there's any sign of her husband's arrival.
The night grows longer, but there are no signs that her husband will be coming home. It's really strange. Hailey has tried contacting her husband's secretary, but the secretary said he had already left the office. The same response came from Jasper, her husband's trusted assistant. Hailey even tried calling her mother-in-law to inquire about Rhys's whereabouts, thinking he might have visited his parents' house without informing her. However, she received the same answer, and it frustrated her.
This is what she hates about Rhys: he never informs her when he goes anywhere. Not only that, Rhys never answers or responds to her messages or phone calls. He truly neglects her as a wife. They have lived together for nearly five years as a married couple, but Hailey feels like she's living with a stranger in the same house.
"Where are you, Rhys? Why are you making me worry like this? Nothing happened to you, right?" Hailey murmurs softly, growing more restless. But her restlessness instantly disappears when she hears the rumble of a car engine. Spontaneously, she pulls back the curtains and looks outside. There, she sees Rhys's car entering their driveway.
Hailey smiles. Quickly, she runs out and approaches him. "Rhys!" she calls out with relief. She stands in front of the house, waiting for him to come out.
Her facial expression changes again when she sees Jasper getting out of the driver's seat. She observes what he's doing for a moment. Jasper approaches the other door and assists Rhys, who is unconscious, out of the car. Seeing Rhys in that condition immediately makes Hailey panic. She rushes to help Jasper carry him. "Oh my, Rhys. What happened? Why is he unconscious like this?" Hailey turns to look at Jasper.
"Sir went to the club. I just got word from Romeo that he caused a commotion there," explains Jasper.
"What?" Hailey becomes even more anxious. Quickly, she asks Jasper to take him inside the house. Jasper assists Hailey in carrying Rhys until they reach his room. There, Jasper promptly lays Rhys's body on the bed.
"Thank you for bringing my husband home," Hailey says. They are now at the front door. Once Jasper finishes helping Rhys, he promptly bids farewell and goes home.
"No problem, ma'am. It's just my duty. Well then, I take my leave." Jasper hands Rhys's car keys to Hailey and leaves their residence. He plans to go home using a taxi. Hailey remains silent, watching Jasper's departure for a moment before finally going back inside the house.
Hailey closes the bedroom door and immediately approaches Rhys, who is now lying unconscious on the bed. Additionally, his appearance looks disheveled. Slowly, she walks closer to him and sits on the edge of the bed. Her eyes gazed intently at Rhys. "What happened to you, Rhys? Why did you go to the bar? This is not like you," Hailey murmurs softly.
Hailey's attention shifts when she sees her husband repeatedly pulling at the tie around his neck. It's clear that he's uncomfortable with it. Hailey promptly helps him remove the tie and intends to assist him in changing clothes. However, as soon as Hailey unbuttons the shirt on her husband's body, her actions come to a halt when she accidentally overhears the words coming out of Rhys's mouth.
"Serena..." Hailey's body stiffens as those words escape his lips. Her eyes stared at Rhys's face up close. His eyes are still closed, and he remains unconscious. Hailey grits her teeth as the words "Serena" escape from Rhys's mouth again. Serena. The name she despises the most. That woman named Serena is her biggest enemy. How could it not be? Because of that woman, Hailey has to live in a marriage like this. A relationship that feels so bland. There is no love growing between Rhys and her.
With frustration, Hailey pushes Rhys' body with all her might. She stares at Rhys sharply. "How dare you keep mentioning that woman's name in front of me! You really don't know how fortunate you are, Rhys. I have loved you so sincerely all this time, and I'm even willing to fight to earn your love. I've given everything to you, but why do you keep mentioning that woman who has left you? Hasn't my presence been enough all this time? Haven't the things I've given you satisfied you? You keep mentioning that lowly woman. I won't accept what you've done to me, Rhys. I swear, if I meet that wench, I will kill her with my own hands!"
Hailey clenches her fists tightly. Hailey Alexandrina truly hates it when someone disrupts her life, especially if it's related to someone she loves. "No one else is allowed to have you but me, Rhys. You belong only to me! And if anyone dares to take you away from me, I will destroy that person with my own hands!"
Hailey feels extremely emotional because Rhys keeps calling Serena's name. This makes Hailey uncomfortable and makes her want to leave her room. Just as she's about to leave Rhys, he suddenly grabs her wrist. His spontaneous action stops Hailey in her tracks. Hailey looks at Rhys. He slightly opens his eyes and locks eyes with Hailey. "Don't go..., don't leave me. I can't live without you..."
Emotions within Hailey immediately dissipated upon hearing Rhys's words. Her face instantly lit up. She truly didn't expect Rhys to say such words to her. Hailey is once again taken aback by Rhys's actions when he pulls her wrist. Hailey spontaneously falls into Rhys' embrace. He immediately hugged her tightly.
Hailey's face flushed, and her heart pounded fast as Rhys hugged her tightly. She couldn't hide the joy in her chest. "I don't want to lose you again," Rhys whispered. His voice was clearly audible to Hailey as Rhys murmured right in her ear.
"Rhys..." Hailey looked at Rhys closely, smiling. I didn't expect Rhys to say all that to me.
Hailey cupped Rhys's face with both of her hands. The woman then landed on her lips, kissing Rhys passionately. Her tongue danced with his. Hailey couldn't control herself because she was too happy. Rhys, in an unconscious state, didn't stay still either. He matched every movement, making Hailey feel more aroused. The woman deepened their kiss while savoring every moment of it. Hailey is always driven wild by Rhys's kisses, and this is one of the reasons why she loves Rhys so much. Hailey truly likes everything about Rhys, including how he kisses.
Hailey stopped her kiss. Now, her movements shifted as she undid each button of Rhys's shirt until she could see her husband's beautiful body. Rhys's muscular physique always made her swallow hard with a pounding heart. Even though it wasn't the first time seeing Rhys shirtless like this, Hailey always felt nervous witnessing the perfect sculpted form of her husband's body.
"I will never leave a perfect man like you, Rhys, because I love you so much."
*
Serena landed on her lips. She kissed and melded her lips with Hugh so intensely. They kissed for quite a while before Serena stopped and stared intensely at him, who was transfixed. "I am married, Rhys. So please never look for me again."
"NO!"
Rhys opened his eyes spontaneously. He screamed unconsciously as a nightmare invaded his sleep. With a gasping breath, Rhys sat up in bed. Sweat poured down his body, and his heart raced so fast. Once he realized that everything he saw was just a dream, Rhys tried to calm himself. The man regulated his breath several times until he could truly feel better. Rhys started to sob. Even in dreams, I see you leaving me... why do you do this to me, Serena? Why? Why do you hurt my feelings?
"Rhys..." Hailey patted his shoulder. Rhys immediately turned to the woman beside him. Hailey woke up as soon as she heard Rhys suddenly shout, and she now sat, looking at him with a worried expression. Before Rhys could say anything, Hailey suddenly hugged him from behind, allowing Rhys to feel the touch of their bare skin. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" Hailey asked with a gentle voice. She rested her head on Rhys's broad back.
Rhys was startled as he felt the touch of Hailey's breasts without any clothes in between. He spontaneously rose from his bed, only then realizing that he, too, was completely naked. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" Rhys exclaimed with an angry face. Hailey was shocked by his reaction.
"What do you mean?"
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes, and why..." Rhys quickly grabbed a robe nearby, covering his naked body. "What have you done to me?"
Hailey chuckled at his words. "Why are you so angry? Weren't you the one who started it last night?"
"Nonsense! You must have taken advantage of me while I was unconscious, right?" Rhys stared at her with intense emotion. How could he not? Hailey always tried to find ways to seduce him into sleeping with her. But Rhys always tried to refuse. Even though sometimes he did sleep with Hailey, he never forgot to use contraception to ensure she wouldn't get pregnant because of his actions. Rhys didn't want Hailey to be pregnant with his child.
"Why? Besides, I am your wife, and there's nothing wrong with you sleeping with your own wife, Rhys."
"Listen! I have never loved you, and I have never considered you my wife! So don't ever try to take advantage of me when I'm unconscious!" Rhys stared at her sharply. He then left the room, leaving Hailey alone. Rhys felt the need to clear his head, still feeling the effects of too much alcohol. He needed to sober up.
Hailey could only sigh in frustration as she watched Rhys leave their room. "Damn! You're such a jerk, Rhys. You only want to sleep with me when you really need me, while when I willingly want to be with you, you keep refusing! Not only that, but you treat me like a toy of sex that you only use when you need it and forget when you're bored." Hailey was truly annoyed. Rhys's attitude made her feel like a cheap woman.
***