In the next room, Anna sprawled across the bed like a boiled potato, glaring daggers at the ceiling. The air was stifling, sticky with heat, and the AC had chosen tonight—of all nights—to stop working.
Her lips curled in a bitter pout. I'm sure he knew.
Her fingers clenched at the duvet. Daniel Clafford must have known the AC in this room was broken. And he still let me storm out!
Correction, her subconscious piped up smugly. You're the one who stormed out.
Anna scowled at the inner voice, rolling onto her side as if she could crush the thought under her weight. "Shut up," she muttered.
Just then, a new thought struck her, making her bolt upright.
Betty.
She'd promised to message Betty for the details—the time and name of the institution where they'd meet tomorrow.
Anna scrambled across the bed, reaching for the side table, only to pause. Her hand met empty wood.
No phone.
Her eyes widened. Then the realization struck her like lightning.
"…It's still in Daniel's room."
Her lips twitched in horror. "Anna, you fool! How could you not bring your phone when you walked out?"
She slapped her forehead, groaning at her own carelessness. But as quickly as her self-scolding came, she brushed it aside.
She needed that phone.
With a swift movement, Anna swung her legs off the bed and padded to the door. Her fingers curled around the handle… but stopped.
Her stomach tightened.
What if Daniel is still awake?
In her past life, she rarely even saw him at night. He was always out—working, meeting, drinking. He'd return late and sleep like a ghost, leaving her with nothing but silence and the ache of a cold marriage bed.
But now?
Since her rebirth, she noticed him at home more often. Sometimes earlier. Sometimes brooding in his study. Sometimes… present in ways he never used to be.
The thought made her hesitate.
She needed her phone to contact Betty. But the risk of walking back into that room… of seeing him, of explaining herself—
Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. Half past eleven.
Her heart thumped. He must be asleep by now… right?
Anna bit her lip, debating. Then she exhaled slowly, determination flaring in her chest.
"Okay," she whispered to herself. "If he's awake, I'll just leave. But if he's asleep…" Her grip on the doorknob tightened. "…I'll take the phone without him ever knowing."
With that reckless plan, she twisted the handle.
And stepped out into the silent hall.
In just a few strides, Anna stood outside the door, her eyes narrowing as she peered through the narrow gap. The room was dark.
Her lips curled in triumph. "Which means he's sleeping," she whispered under her breath.
Excitement bubbled in her chest, but she forced herself to calm down. She had never trespassed into anyone's room before—let alone her husband's. Yet here she was, about to sneak in like a thief… all for the sake of a phone.
This is ridiculous, she thought, inhaling deeply before slowly easing the door open.
The silence inside was thick, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner. Thankfully, it wasn't pitch black—Daniel's side lamp glowed softly, casting shadows across the room.
Quick. Grab the phone and leave. No distractions.
She tiptoed carefully across the carpet, holding her breath as though the sound might give her away. But the second she reached the bedside table, her eyes betrayed her.
There he was.
Daniel Clafford.
Even in sleep, he looked… perfect. His features were sharp and relaxed, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm. He lay there as though he were modeling for a painting, the kind of beauty that made her chest ache against her will.
How can someone look this handsome even when they're unconscious?
Her cheeks heated as a memory tugged at her. The night they had consummated their marriage. He'd been drunk—flushed, reckless—but still so devastatingly captivating. For a fleeting moment, she had thought that night meant something. That she meant something.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. Too bad this man belongs to someone else.
Shaking her head to chase away the thought, Anna snatched her phone from the nightstand and turned to leave.
But before she could take a step—
"Mmm…" Daniel groaned, shifting in his sleep.
Anna froze. Panic surged, and before her brain could catch up, her knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor like a jellyfish slapped out of the sea.
Her heart hammered in her chest, her breath stuck in her throat.
Slowly, cautiously, she tilted her head up, her eyes darting toward the bed.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Daniel turned, his face angled toward her now, but his eyes remained shut. His breathing steady.
Fast asleep.
"Phew…" Anna exhaled shakily, a hand pressed to her chest. "That was close."
Anna blinked, forcing herself to calm at the sound of his steady breathing. Inch by inch, she began crawling backward, careful not to make a sound.
Just a little more. Almost at the door.
Her fingers brushed the handle, relief fluttering in her chest—
Click.
The lights snapped on and Anna froze, her body rigid on the floor like a thief caught mid-crime.
"Are you trying to steal something, my dear wife?"
Daniel's deep voice rolled through the silence, smooth and laced with mockery.
Anna's heart leapt straight into her throat. 'He wasn't asleep?!' she mentally cried.
Her eyes darted up, and there he was—sitting against the headboard, fully awake, his gaze locked onto her like a predator amused by its prey.
The corner of his lips curled, faintly mocking. His eyes glittered with something darker, sharper.
He had known.
He had known she would come sneaking back.
But what amused him most wasn't her failed attempt to escape unnoticed—
It was watching her crawl across his floor like a turtle desperate for freedom.
Anna had never made such a fool of herself before—but now that she had, escape felt far safer than confrontation.
The thought barely formed before she shot to her feet and lunged for the door.
Thud!
The door slammed shut, and in a blur she was hoisted up like a sack of potatoes, her feet kicking helplessly in the air.
"Wha—!"
Anna barely registered the strength in Daniel's grip before she was tossed down onto the bed with a rough thud.
"Ouch!" she hissed, clutching her side, her bones rattling from the impact. But before she could recover, his shadow loomed over her.
In the next second, he was above her, pinning her to the mattress with the sheer weight of his presence.
Her heart lurched, her breath caught in her throat.
Daniel's face hovered close, his eyes dark, unyielding. His voice rolled out low and commanding, his breath fanning across her skin.
"Tell me, Anna… why did you come here?"
The air between them thickened, charged with tension.
Anna's lashes fluttered, her mind racing for an answer, but her voice betrayed her in silence.
Her lips parted, but all that spilled was a desperate whisper inside her head.
'God, please help me…'
The way Daniel stared at her made Anna feel as though he were accusing her of something absurd—like sneaking in to steal his underwear.
"Let go of me," she snapped, her glare sharp and unyielding. "I just came here to take my phone."
Her defiance cut through the charged silence.
Daniel's grip loosened, and slowly, he released her wrists. But even when her struggling ceased, he didn't step back. His eyes refused to leave her face.
It unsettled him.
For all his resolve, for all his control, there was something he couldn't deny—Anna was… distracting. Too much so.
Her face, flushed with anger, carried a striking beauty he hadn't noticed before. And then there were her lips.
Those same lips that had crashed against his the other night. The same lips that had moaned his name in sleep.
Daniel's throat tightened, heat surging low in his chest as an urge struck him with dangerous clarity.
He wanted to kiss her.
To claim those lips again, to taste their warmth and softness.
'Is it really a crime to kiss your own wife?' The thought curled inside him, almost mocking.
His face inched closer, his eyes shamelessly fixated on her mouth.
Anna's lips parted in sheer shock, and the sight amused him. He ignored her wide-eyed stare, leaning down further, closer, until—
"Ah—you pervert!"
Her scream pierced the air, followed by a swift, brutal movement.
Crack!
Daniel's world tilted. Agony exploded through his body as Anna's knee slammed squarely into his groin.
"Ahhh—!" His voice broke into a strangled groan, his body collapsing sideways onto the bed. His hand instinctively clutched his throbbing bulge, the pain radiating like fire.
It was unbearable, a sharp, merciless agony that stole his breath.
Anna wasted no time.
She scrambled off the bed, snatched her phone from the bed, and bolted for the door without a backward glance leaving Daniel writhing and cursing in pain behind her.
"Damn it—Anna!" he rasped, his voice hoarse, but she was already gone.
The silence that followed was broken only by his labored breaths and the sound of his own muffled curses.