"Well, it seems like you're really quite 'drunk.' Let me help you sober up," Eric smirked.
He stepped forward, scooped her up in his arms, and laid her down on the hood of the car.
"See, there's more space here."
With a tearing sound, her dress, which had cost tens of thousands of dollars, ripped apart, turning into shreds of fabric.
Eric leaned in close to Nicole, gently kissing her cheek.
She felt a fire ignite inside her, despite the cold winter night being unable to cool her down. In her ears, his whisper echoed:
"What do you want?"
No hesitation.
"Take me, take me hard!"
"Ooh!"
Time passed, and sunlight streamed into the bedroom, touching Eric's face. He slowly woke up.
Hearing the sound of running water, Eric got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.
After finishing their escapade in the garage, they had returned to the room and continued their "fun," mixing it with drinks until they were both exhausted and fell asleep without even taking a shower. He couldn't remember how long it had lasted.
"Ah, how great it is to be young. Before traveling back in time, I'd have spent the entire day in bed," Eric thought.
Opening the bathroom door, he saw Nicole washing her hair in the shower.
Noticing him, she spoke with mock reproach:
"This is all your fault. My hair feels so sticky and gross."
Eric raised his hands in an exaggerated gesture of innocence.
"How is that my fault?"
"You could've been more... precise," Nicole muttered.
"Yesterday, you didn't complain like that. Ah, women…"
"What are you trying to say?" she asked.
"Nothing, just trying to help you," he replied.
"Then help me wash my hair, yeah, just like that. Make sure it's all thoroughly rinsed."
"Hey, where are those hands going? Stop that! I don't want to shower again, hahaha!"
...
On the couch, in cozy robes, Eric and Nicole sat, shielded from the daylight by thick curtains. The fireplace crackled, and the screen in the home theater played the American remake of The Ring. But their focus was far from the movie, even when Sadako began crawling out of the well.
"Nicole, doesn't this all seem strange to you? Yesterday we just met at the Oscars, and today you're in my arms. Do you feel the same?" Eric asked.
Nicole Kidman nodded slightly.
"Yeah, but I don't really know how to explain it. I think it's just a way to release some tension."
"Release tension? So, I'm just a way for you to do that?" Eric frowned. Even though he often said that everyone is a tool in someone else's hands, no one likes feeling used that way.
Nicole raised the corners of her lips and looked at him ironically.
"Does that hurt your feelings, baby?"
"To some degree, yes."
Nicole stood up from his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him tenderly.
"Don't take it that way, Eric. It's not about you. Everything that's happened over the past few years—it needs an outlet."
Eric looked at her, silently listening.
"Everyone knows I was married to Tom Cruise for 11 years. We divorced in 2001, and that was a very tough time."
"When I came to Hollywood from Australia, as an unknown actress, I faced tremendous pressure and competition, as well as potential troubles."
"That's when Tom Cruise came along. I married him at 23, and I became the object of envy for many."
"He used his influence to protect me and land me good roles. I never denied that, even if people mocked me for it."
"He was a wonderful husband, except for one thing: he was deeply committed to Scientology, and I'm a Catholic."
"That cult, although it calls itself the 'Church of Scientology,' has nothing to do with science. Their teachings are absurd and unacceptable."
"My father was a psychologist, and I tried to convince Tom to stay away from Scientology. At first, it worked."
"But then I became a target for Scientologists. They started attacking me, slandering me in the media, portraying me in the worst possible light."
"Our adopted children were also dragged into it, and they began to hate me under the influence of the Church."
"In 2001, Tom suddenly asked for a divorce. At the time, I was pregnant with his child. Perhaps the Scientologists feared that after the child was born, Tom would become less controllable, and that's why our marriage abruptly ended."
"I thought, fine, let it be, and even laughed in relief. But they didn't leave me alone."
Nicole fell silent, as if recalling something painful.
"Fearing we might reconcile, the Scientologists quickly found Tom a new girlfriend and continued to vilify me, monitor me, and interfere in my life."
"They portrayed me as a woman who used Tom for her own purposes, as someone worthless without him."
"Our children, Isabella and Connor, also saw me as the enemy."
"That's why I had to prove to myself and others that I could succeed without Tom Cruise."
"I starred in Moulin Rouge! and even broke my ribs for that role, but I had to be the best."
"Even though I lost to Halle Berry, that didn't stop me. They continued to depict me in a bad light, as a manipulative woman playing on her suffering."
"But now, with this Oscar, I can finally silence them. I've proven that I am Nicole Kidman, independent of Tom Cruise. I am an Oscar winner."
Nicole burst into tears, and Eric held her tightly, feeling her pain and realizing that he just happened to be there at the right time.
They stayed in each other's embrace for a long time, until the movie ended and her tears dried.
"Nicole, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
"If someone else had saved you at the ceremony, would you have…"
"No, don't think like that!" Nicole shot him a sharp glance.
"Um... why then did we…"
Nicole, twisting like a snake, wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly in his ear:
"I don't like ugly people."
"Well, that's a pretty convincing reason."
"Don't say anything. Just kiss me!"
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