Wine, candles, dinner…
Brenda, who had already prepared, then led George into the dining room, where a candlelight dinner was set on the table.
They were both adults, and at this point, George knew exactly what she was thinking.
After hesitating at the door, George finally went to the table and sat down.
Don't look at George now, with his bloated figure and somewhat sloppy appearance. But when he was young, he was a very handsome man, and popular with girls.
It was only after he unexpectedly had a child with Mary that he married due to pregnancy and settled into a simple family life.
Now, Brenda's passionate "teasing" made him feel like he was young again.
"What is this?" George, sitting down, looked at the candlelight dinner in front of him and opened the conversation, knowing full well what it was.
"You know, ever since Herschel left, my life has been a mess. So, I occasionally need some romance to reward myself…" Brenda unconsciously showed a moment of vulnerability. Then, she appropriately changed the subject and asked, "By the way, how are you? You and Mary must be very happy."
"Don't even mention it. Mary's been especially irritable lately…" Influenced by the atmosphere, George began to complain about his wife.
"How can that be? She doesn't cherish such an excellent husband like you…" Brenda followed George's topic, not forgetting to sow discord between them.
One party was intentionally guiding, and the other needed to confide.
Thus, during the subsequent candlelight dinner, Brenda and George's conversation became increasingly private and intimate.
"May I have this dance? It's been a long time since I've danced with anyone." When the time was right, Brenda went straight for it.
A little physical contact can accelerate the warming of feelings.
"Of course, to be honest, it's been a long time since I've danced with anyone either." The "terrible" family life at home made George thoroughly enjoy the warmth Brenda brought at this moment.
Immediately, to the soothing music, the two figures clumsily "embraced" each other.
…
"I'm full. Why isn't George back yet?" In the Cooper family dining room, Mary was a little restless.
Her husband hadn't returned for so long, and with a woman's sixth sense, Mary seemed to feel a "threat" from Brenda.
Mary sympathized with the single mother living next door, but she hadn't forgotten that they used to be sworn enemies.
"Nothing will go wrong, right?" Missy asked worriedly, watching her mother leave in a huff.
"What could go wrong? This is great, isn't it?" Connie, who was oblivious, smiled and analyzed, "Mary looks jealous. That proves she still cares about your father…"
"I hope so!" Missy, who was wise beyond her years, was clearly not so optimistic.
Although Mike had given his assurance earlier, the situation with Billy's family still hung over the little girl like a shadow.
Indeed, Missy's worries were not unfounded. A few minutes later, Mary stormed back in, grabbed her coat without a word, and walked out.
The suppressed anger on her face made it clear to anyone that something big had happened to her.
"It's dark. Where are you going? And where's George?" Connie asked worriedly.
"Don't mention George to me!!!" Mary's lungs felt like they would explode with rage, recalling the scene she had just witnessed.
After a furious roar, she put on her coat and disappeared out the door.
She desperately needed to "calm down" now.
"What's going on?" Connie, who had been yelled at by her daughter for no reason, still looked a bit bewildered.
"Mike, go to Brenda's house and see what happened. Georgie, you…"
Connie recovered quickly. Mary's reaction just now made her realize that something must have happened at Brenda's house.
So, Connie first sent Mike to find out the situation, then told Georgie to follow Mary to prevent any accidents.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, Connie realized that Georgie was currently "reflecting" in the basement.
"Never mind, let's not worry about Mary for now. Mike, you go and bring George back first." Connie made the final arrangement.
At this moment, in Brenda's dining room, accompanied by soothing music and an intimate atmosphere, the two dancing a slow dance were getting closer and closer.
How could a normal cat resist the temptation of a fish?
Facing Brenda's alluring and flirtatious demeanor, George finally couldn't resist slowly leaning his face closer to hers.
Just as the atmosphere was thick and their lips were about to meet, George suddenly clutched his heart and fell backward.
In an instant, the candlelight dinner and the record player on the table behind him were swept to the floor.
"What's wrong with you?" The intimate atmosphere was interrupted, and Brenda was startled to see George's pale face.
"I'm fine—" George struggled to get up.
Ultimately, this family man still couldn't overcome his inner struggle. At that moment, he thought of his wife Mary and his "lovely" children at home.
The drastic emotional fluctuations caused problems with his already unhealthy heart.
"You look very unwell. Should I take you to the hospital?" Brenda, at this point, also calmed down from her earlier infatuation.
Although she and Mary didn't get along, their relationship was actually quite good, the kind of "best friends" who became close after an initial conflict.
They were also the kind of "good friends" who would help each other when in trouble.
Therefore, Brenda had never truly intended to break up Mary's family.
Now completely calm, she felt not only remorse but also fear for what she had done in a moment of passion.
She was afraid of losing the Cooper family's "friendship."
"I'll call someone for help." Seeing George's weak appearance, Brenda prepared to call for help.
"No, don't call Mary. I'll be fine after a while…" Although no real mistake had been made, George was still afraid to see his family, especially his wife, at this moment.
"Please don't tell Mary about what happened between us…" George requested guiltily.
"I merely invited you to a thank-you dinner. What could possibly have happened between us?" Brenda regained her capable demeanor and wisely skipped the awkward topic.
Then, the two exchanged a knowing smile, everything left unsaid.
"By the way, if you really have such needs, you could actually go to a bar. I believe with your charm, you won't lack companions…" Having reached an agreement, George even felt like joking.
"Mm-hmm, you don't need to worry about that. Let's talk about your health, what's going on?" Brenda said, already moving to help George up.
After all this time, George's symptoms of cold sweats and pale face had not subsided.
"It's best not to move him. George has a heart condition. Lying flat will be better…"
As George struggled to sit up with Brenda's help, Mike's voice came from outside the dining room.
George's problem was insufficient blood supply to the heart, and lying flat was beneficial for overall blood circulation.
"Please get a towel and a glass of warm water," Mike said to the stunned Brenda after laying George flat.
"Okay, I'll go right now!" Brenda quickly brought what Mike needed.
Then, looking at George lying on the floor, she asked, "Is he really okay like this?"
"Don't worry, as long as he's not stimulated again, he'll recover after some rest," Mike said, while using the towel to prop up George's head and giving him some warm water.
About ten minutes later, George, feeling his body return to normal, climbed up on his own.
"Sorry, Brenda. I scared you today." George, not daring to stay any longer, gave Brenda a pleading look and said goodbye, "If everything's alright, I'll be leaving now."
"Okay, goodbye," Brenda, seeing this, also waved with a sigh of relief, giving George a reassuring look.
At this moment, both of them were probably still celebrating that their "secret" had not been discovered.
And it looked like they had already decided to keep what happened between them a secret.
"By the way, Mike. Why did you suddenly come to Brenda's house?" Outside, the evening breeze made George feel much more relaxed.
Thus, he was in the mood for a chat.
"Is your heart still uncomfortable?" Mike asked a very strange question.
From Mary's previous behavior, to the situation in Brenda's dining room, and even George and Brenda's earlier "flirtation."
Mike could easily deduce the general situation.
So, before delivering the bad news to George, he needed to consider his physical condition.
"My heart is fine now." George shook his head, then asked curiously, "Why do you ask?"
"Just to prepare you. I have some bad news to tell you." Mike stopped, his expression serious.
"What bad news?" Stared at by Mike's serious gaze, George, who already had a guilty conscience, inexplicably felt uneasy again.
"Actually, before I came, Mary also came looking for you. And when she went back, she looked very upset." After confirming that George was mentally prepared, Mike delivered the bad news.
"What!" George froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
After a long while, he seemed to come to his senses and asked guiltily, "Is she okay now?"
"I don't know about that. Anyway, when she left, she looked very angry…" Mike briefly described Mary's previous behavior.
"What was Connie and their reaction?" George seemed to have misunderstood something. He seemed to have already accepted that his "affair" was known to everyone in the family.
"Connie is at home taking care of Mandy and the children, and they don't know about you and Brenda." Mike immediately saw through George's worry.
"That's good." His wife not loudly proclaiming his foolish behavior made George sigh in relief. At the same time, he felt even more guilty: "Do you know where Mary went? I need to give her an explanation and an apology."
"She should be at the church." Mike pointed George in the right direction, and considering his physical condition, he added, "Do you need me to go with you to find her?"
Mary's range of activities was not large. Besides the time she spent at home, she mostly worked at the church and occasionally went to the large supermarket in town on weekends.
At this time of day, after running away from home, it was highly likely she had gone to the church.
"No need, I can go by myself." Knowing his wife's whereabouts, George prepared to go alone to find her and seek her forgiveness.