I was startled. "What's wrong? Don't panic."
"Ginny Deng and Hugh Pei are about to come to blows! Hurry over here—I've already sent you the address, hurry, hurry!" Ella Li hung up in a rush.
My head spun with confusion. Why would Ginny Deng and Hugh Pei clash? And even with Hugh's terrible temper, he wouldn't hit a woman, would he?
No time to overthink. I grabbed a random change of clothes, threw them on, and hurried out.
By the time I reached the bar, Hugh Pei and Ginny Deng had already been ushered into a private room. Otherwise, given their statuses, they'd definitely be trending again.
When I walked in, Ella Li quickly pulled me to sit beside Ginny Deng. Ginny was still fuming, her big eyes glaring daggers at Hugh as if he'd wronged her in some unforgivable way.
Hugh, of course, was even angrier. He sat on the other side, exuding an icy aura. Lucas Lu beside him looked like a terrified eunuch, darting glances between Hugh and me.
"Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry. Your friend must've misunderstood something today. Those women? I invited them. They've got nothing to do with Brother Hugh..." Lucas, four years younger than Hugh, called me "sister-in-law" for the first time.
"Bullshit! That woman's tits were practically pressed against your Brother Hugh's face—might as well have been feeding him! And you call that 'nothing to do with him'?!" Ginny pointed at Lucas and roared.
Lucas looked ready to cry. It was his first time facing off with a she-tiger—scariest thing ever, okay?
Hugh's sharp, dark eyes flickered over Ginny, then settled on me, as if waiting for my take.
I pretended not to notice his gaze and just comforted Ginny. "Jing'er, it's fine. You must be overthinking. Those women were definitely Lucas' doing. Hugh Pei's taste isn't that bad—he doesn't like big boobs."
Anyone who didn't know better would've thought Ginny was the one whose husband had cheated.
A deathly silence filled the room.
"Zoe, are you serious?" Ginny and Ella exchanged a look, then stared at me in shock.
They knew Hugh and I were planning to divorce, but they never imagined I'd be calmer than a stranger. Ginny had lost her cool tonight, railing at Hugh, while I—who'd loved him for years—felt completely numb.
"Dead serious. C'mon, let's go. We'll grab a drink elsewhere—I'll treat." I took Ginny's hand in one of mine, Ella's in the other, and stood up, not sparing Hugh another glance.
"Brother Hugh, Brother Hugh—they're leaving! Sister-in-law she—" Lucas, clearly baffled, dumbly alerted Hugh.
"Sister-in-law? Does she deserve that title?" Hugh's icy voice, laced with fury, reached my ears clearly as the door shut.
My heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle—slightly painful, but bearable.
She didn't deserve it. That title should go to Lila Wei.
We found a table, and the three of us started drinking. Ella had just returned to City A after a commercial gig, so Ginny had invited her out. They'd run into Hugh drinking with those women, and Ginny—drunk and fired up—had charged over to stand up for me. If it weren't for her being a woman, she might've gotten punched today.
Ginny kept asking, "Zoe, have you really let Hugh Pei go for good?"
I nodded. That, I was sure of.
"Good for you! Love that grit—ten years of feelings, just... poof, gone!" Ginny lifted her glass and chugged it down in one go.
"Total legend!" Ella toasted me.
We were having a great time when Ella got a check-in call from her boyfriend. Hers was the smoothest love life among the four of us—same age, met each other's parents, already talking marriage.
The total henpecked Ella stood up to leave. "Girls, my guy's waiting at home for me to feed him. Gotta bounce!"
"Damn, you off to 'feed' him too?" Ginny teased.
"You pervert!" Ella laughed, then dashed off.
After Ella left, I paid the bill, and Ginny and I went our separate ways.
Back at Fengzhou Garden, I sniffed the alcohol on my clothes and decided to shower again. But as I stepped into the bathroom, a wave of warm air—tinged with body wash—hit me. Through the steam, a figure emerged: shirtless, a black towel slung around his waist, his tall, toned body on full display—flawless.
I stared in disbelief at Hugh. My eyes involuntarily raked over him.
Pathetic, really. Five years of marriage, and this was the first time I'd seen him this undressed.
"This is my bathroom," I reminded him after a pause. After we married, I'd stayed in the master bedroom; he'd always crashed in the guest room or study. This was the master bathroom.
"Got a problem with that?" Hugh wiped his hair, tone calm.
"Nope. You've got a great body—I'm not losing out here." It was true. Even if Hugh were broke, that face and body would make him a heartbreaker.
Hugh gave me a faint look, then suddenly stepped two paces closer, forcing me back two steps.
The steam had thinned, and I could see the fine lines of his pecs—taut, with sharp collarbones. It was hard not to wonder what they'd feel like to touch.
But I had to resist.
"Okay, I need to shower. Get out." I stepped aside to let him pass.
Next second, a hand cupped the back of my head, and a force lifted me onto my toes. Hugh didn't even blink—he bent down and kissed me. A faint minty scent seeped from his lips into mine.
Too shocked, I froze, motionless.
Seeing I wasn't responding, he deepened the kiss. His skill was undeniable; I, a novice, let him take control.
Men ran hotter, and with me breathless, I soon broke into a sweat. The bathroom felt thick with tension. I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my wrists, pinning them above my head—pulling our bodies even closer.
Maybe I should just give in? A lifelong wish from "before"—fulfilling it now wouldn't be a loss. After all, Hugh hadn't been celibate before Lila. Sleeping with his actual wife? Made sense.
The thought flickered, and I closed my eyes, trying to kiss back. A dangerous warmth stirred.
But just as things teetered on the edge, Hugh stopped. He let me go, the desire in his eyes receding like the tide—gone, completely.