Chapter 123 Resolute
With an air of unease, Ava slipped into Alexander's room, nestling herself under the covers beside him. A question nagged at her - had Uncle Mike grown suspicious? For now, there was little she could do. The most logical course of action seemed to be a nap.
Over an hour later, Alexander stirred from his slumber, his eyes fluttering open to find a woman sleeping peacefully at his side. He turned to face her, his gaze slightly bleary but nonetheless focused. A single bottle of wine, he mused, was hardly enough to knock him out completely. Drawing closer, he delicately wrapped his arm around her, surrendering himself once more to the call of sleep.
...
Roughly two hours later, Ava awoke to find herself in Alexander's embrace. 'When did he hold me?' she pondered, momentarily disoriented. She quickly regained her composure, considering the complexity of their relationship. Gently, she nudged him, concerned that he might oversleep and face difficulties later.
"Alex, wake up," she urged.
His eyes fluttered open, groggy and disoriented. "What's the matter?"
"Time to get up. How are you feeling? I'll go make some hangover soup for you," Ava offered.
Rolling onto his back, Alexander lazily proposed, "Then you'll have to feed me."
Ava couldn't help but laugh at his childlike antics. She freshened up in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen. There, she prepared a hangover remedy for Alexander and brought it to the room, where he was still sprawled out on the bed, clearly defeated by the bottle of wine.
"Alex, drink this," she urged.
"Feed it to me," he mumbled.
Ava chuckled at his childish request. "Do I really need to feed you? You're not incapacitated. Get up and drink it yourself, come on."
"Didn't you feed me last time?" Alexander's long lashes fluttered, adding a vulnerable edge to his words.
Remembering the last time she had indulgently fed him while he was drunk, Ava felt her cheeks warm up. "This time you're not that wasted, are you? Get up, it’s better to drink it while it’s still warm."
There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in Alexander's eyes, but he sat up and obediently took the bowl, downing the remedy in one go. It did make him feel considerably better.
Ava placed her hand on his forehead and cheek to check his temperature. Suddenly, he grasped her hand and kissed her palm. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled back, blushing. "What are you doing?"
"Kissing you," he answered frankly.
Frowning in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment, Ava said, "Stop that, we're getting divorced, remember?"
"If we're not supposed to do this, why did you touch me first? I’m just responding," he retorted confidently.
"I..." Ava was at a loss for words, setting the empty bowl on the nightstand. "I've found out where grandma's keepsake box is. It’s locked, but I know where the key is. We need to work together this afternoon to open it. If we can't finish today, we'll go for the divorce tomorrow. We’ve come this far. We can't walk away empty-handed."
Her determination to retrieve the divorce documents was palpable.
Alexander frowned, his head throbbing as he laid back down.
"What's wrong?" Ava asked, concerned.
"My head hurts," he said, clutching the bedsheets like a sick child.
"I tried to stop you from drinking so much at noon. You just wouldn't listen."
Seeing him in discomfort, Ava felt a pang of sympathy.
"Drinking Grandma's milk always perks me up," Alexander said wistfully, gazing at her. "I'm not like you, able to cheer Grandma up so easily. You just say a couple of words, and she's over the moon."
Ava sighed, "Alright, get up and wash you r face. You'll feel better."
With that, Alexander allowed Ava to pull him out of bed.
