When Joe heard Skylar’s soft reply, he glanced down at his chest.
The marks scattered across his skin were all from the previous night, courtesy of Skylar. Not a single inch was spared; they had both left visible signs on each other’s bodies by the time the night had ended.
After carefully laying Skylar on the bed, Joe walked over to the wardrobe. His brow furrowed when he saw only a few simple pieces of clothing inside.
“What would you like to wear?” he asked, glancing back at Skylar, who was lying on the bed, visibly exhausted.
Skylar yawned, her body still sore from the previous night. “I’ll wear that long black dress,” she replied, pointing weakly at the single black dress hanging in the wardrobe.
With no other options, Joe pulled it out and also grabbed her underwear and bra, placing them neatly on the bed. “I’m going to change now,” he said as he turned to leave.
Once Joe was gone, Skylar looked at the underwear and bra on the bed, a deep flush spreading across her face. She covered her eyes, feeling helpless. The image of Joe handling her underwear lingered in her mind, making it hard to think straight.
Meanwhile, Christopher stood outside the Gardner Group building, watching the stream of people entering and exiting. He couldn’t help but imagine Skylar inside, working. The more he saw the flaws in Maisy, the more he began to appreciate the virtues in Skylar. He regretted everything deeply.
Just then, his phone rang. He answered quickly. “Mom.”
“Have you seen Skylar?” his mother’s voice came through the line.
“No, I haven’t seen her yet,” Christopher replied. His voice was thick with emotion. “Mom, I’ve been thinking. I wouldn’t have betrayed Skylar if Maisy hadn’t kept tempting me. If I hadn’t made that mistake, we might already be married by now. We promised each other we’d marry after college and work hard for our little family.”
As he reminisced about the past, it felt like a knife piercing his heart. The regret gnawed at him from the inside.
Amelia’s voice softened with sympathy. “Son, this isn’t your fault. Maisy is the one to blame. She’s always trying to seduce you. It’s not your fault. And Skylar… she claimed to love you, wanted to marry you, but she refused to forgive you for one mistake. She’s at fault too.”
She paused, taking a sip of water before continuing. “The caregivers at the hospital aren’t doing a good enough job, and the costs are piling up. Skylar took such great care of me. You should sweet-talk her, say something nice. She’s no longer innocent, but you’re being generous to take her back. She should come back and take care of me in the hospital.”
In Amelia’s mind, her son was an excellent man. Skylar should be grateful that he still wanted her. If she didn’t return to care for her in the hospital, Amelia would disapprove of their relationship.
Christopher frowned. His mother’s optimism felt misplaced. If Skylar were easily willing to forgive him, she would have done so already. And now, Skylar was working at Gardner Group—her life, her experiences, everything was different than it used to be.
“Mom,” he said seriously, “if I win her back, you need to treat her better. She has a job now, and she probably won’t have time to care for you in the hospital. If the caregivers aren’t doing a good job, we’ll hire someone else.”
At the moment, Christopher had a million from Maisy, but after paying off some debts, he only had a little over 400 thousand dollars left. It still wasn’t enough to clear everything.
“Alright, alright, whatever you say,” Amelia replied, her voice softening. “It’s good to know you care about your wife.”
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