Chapter 12 The Kiss

I was taken aback. "What happened? Don't worry so much."

"Jane and Charlie are about to fight! Hurry over, I've sent you the address, hurry up, hurry!" Yolanda hurriedly hung up the phone after speaking.

I was filled with question marks. How could Jane end up in conflict with Charlie? Besides, no matter how bad Charlie's temper is, he wouldn't hit a woman, right?

Without thinking too much, I changed into a random set of clothes and hurriedly left.

By the time I arrived at the bar, Charlie and Jane had already been sent to a private room. Otherwise, with their statuses, they would definitely become a hot topic.

When she saw me, Yolanda quickly pulled me to sit next to Jane, who was still angry, glaring at Charlie with her large eyes as if they had an irreconcilable feud.

Charlie was even more furious, sitting on the other side with an intense aura, and Clint next to him seemed like an anxious subordinate, looking at Charlie, then at me.

"Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry, it seems that your friend misunderstood something today. Those girls were actually called here by me, it has nothing to do with Charlie..." Clint, four years younger than Charlie, called me sister-in-law for the first time.

"That woman's chest was almost rubbing his face, and you say it's no big deal!?" Jane pointed at Clint and shouted furiously.

Clint almost cried. It was his first time confronting a woman in such a manner. It was terrifying, okay?

Charlie's cold, stern eyes swept past Jane and landed on me in the next second, as if waiting for my response.

Pretending not to notice his gaze, I consoled Jane, "Jane, it's okay. You must have misunderstood. Those women were definitely called by Clint. Charlie's taste is not that bad. He doesn't like busty women."

If they didn't know, they would have thought Jane was betrayed by her husband.

The private room fell into silence.

"Rose, are you serious?" Jane and Yolanda looked at each other and then looked at me in astonishment.

Of course, they knew about my plan to divorce Charlie, but they never expected me to be calmer than anyone else now.

Jane couldn't restrain herself and confronted Charlie tonight, while I, who had loved him for so many years, remained as calm as still water.

"Of course, I'm serious. Alright, let's get up and leave. Let's have a drink and then go back. I'll treat you all." I held Jane's hand on one side and Yolanda's on the other, not looking at Charlie for even a second.

"Charlie, Charlie, they're leaving. Sister-in-law, she..." Clint was obviously confused and reminded Charlie absentmindedly.

"What sister-in-law? Is she worthy?" Charlie's icy voice was full of anger, and it sounded clear in my ears as the private room door closed.

A needle seemed to prick my heart, causing a slight pain. It was pretty much bearable this time.

I am not worthy of the title "sister-in-law." It should be reserved for Lauren.

After finding a few empty seats, Jane, Yolanda, and I started drinking. Yolanda had just finished her commercial performance and returned to New York today.

Jane invited her out for a drink, but unexpectedly ran into Charlie drinking with a few women. Influenced by the alcohol, she went up to defend me. If it weren't for her being a woman, she might have been beaten up today.

Jane kept asking me, "Rose, have you really let go of Charlie completely?"

I nodded, and I can be sure of this.

"Well, I admire your courage. Letting go of a ten-year relationship just like that!" Jane raised her glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Truly admirable!" Yolanda also toasted to me.

Just when the three of us were happily drinking, Yolanda received a call from her boyfriend, checking up on her.

Among the four of us, her love life was the smoothest. Her boyfriend was about the same age as her, and they had both met each other's parents. They were already at the stage of discussing marriage.

Yolanda immediately got up to bid us farewell. "My boyfriend is waiting for me at home. I should go!"

"Hey, can't you go home and breastfeed?" Jane teased Yolanda on purpose.

"You rascal!" Yolanda laughed and scolded back. She then disappeared in a hurry.

After Yolanda left, I settled the bill, and Jane and I went home separately. When I arrived at Maple Villa, I smelled the alcohol on my body and decided to take another shower.

As I entered the bathroom, a mixture of bath gel scent and hot steam rushed toward me.

From the mist emerged a topless figure, wrapped in a black towel around his waist. His tall, well-proportioned body was undeniably perfect.

I stared at Charlie, dumbfounded. For the first time in our five-year marriage, I saw him in such a vulnerable state. "This is my bathroom," I reminded him after a few seconds of silence.

Since our marriage, I had been sleeping in the master bedroom while he would sleep wherever he chose, either in the guest room or study. This bathroom was part of the master suite.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Charlie asked calmly, drying his hair.

"I don't really mind. With your great physique, I don't feel short-changed," I replied sincerely. Even if Charlie were a pauper, his attractive appearance alone could make him a heartbreaker.

Charlie glanced at me with a hint of mystery, then suddenly took two steps closer. I involuntarily took two steps back.

By now, the steam in the bathroom had dissipated, and I could even see the delicate texture on Charlie's chest muscles, firm and perfectly toned, along with the well-defined collarbone, provoking thoughts of how it would feel to touch them.

But I had to resist.

"Alright, I also want to take a shower, so please leave," I said, making way for Charlie to exit.

In the next second, his hand supported the back of my head, lifting my body onto tiptoes with his strength. Without batting an eye, Charlie leaned down and kissed my lips. The faint scent of mint drifted into my mouth.

Stunned, I stood still, unable to move a muscle. Seeing my lack of response, Charlie deepened the kiss. His kissing technique was unquestionable, while I was a novice, allowing him to take control of the rhythm.

He always had a higher body temperature, and combined with my inability to breathe, I quickly broke out in a sweat. The ambiguous atmosphere in the bathroom grew stronger.

Initially, I wanted to push Charlie away, but instead, he grabbed my hands and raised them above my head, bringing us even closer.

Was it surrender then? Fulfilling a previous life's yearning in this one wouldn't be a bad deal. After all, Charlie hadn't been idle before meeting Lauren, and it made sense for him to spend a night with his legitimate wife, me.

With a flicker of thought, I closed my eyes and tried to cooperate, feeling a strange, forbidden desire stirring.

But just as everything was about to spin out of control, Charlie suddenly stopped. He let go of me, and the desire in his eyes faded like an ebbing tide.