Chapter 2 Fuck Valentine's Day!

Leo lounged on the couch. "You're back early today," he remarked.

"If that red car hadn't snagged my spot, I'd have been home even sooner. Had to sort that out first," I grumbled, mentioning Elisa's car.

Leo's eyes narrowed a bit, and he stuttered, "Probably just someone who parked in the wrong place."

"It'd be nice if they thought about that," I said, searching through my bag. I pulled out a wrapped watch, and despite Leo's hopeful gaze, I tossed it in the trash.

His face froze. "What did you throw away, Babe?"

"Some garbage," I said curtly.

"What is it?" he pressed.

"I said, some garbage," I replied firmly.

Leo sat up, his expression turning cold. "Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and you're pitching a fit now?"

"You smell like you just had sex with a prostitute, you know?" I asked.

"Are you crazy?" he yelled, leaping to his feet. Pointing at me with a ringed finger, he shouted, "Hailey, how dare you talk to me like that? I've always been there for you, despite you being 28 and—"

I cut him off bluntly, "Still just a medical intern, a failure. Anything else?"

His composure shattered. "What... What did you just say..."

I was drained, longing for rest, but now the bed disgusted me. I regretted coming back; a hotel would have been wiser. I needed time to process and plan my next move, certain I'd manage it, as I always did.

Leaving home, I checked into a hotel and drifted off immediately.

Upon waking, it was the next evening. I sat up, the empty room enveloping me, reminding me of where I was.

Leo's text appeared on my phone, succinctly encapsulating the previous day. [Staying late. Spend Valentine's Day on your own.]

On impulse, I opened his Instagram without switching accounts, finding his latest post—#PerfectValentine'sDay.

The image showed Elisa, her outfit barely containing her figure.

The next moment, Lily's call snapped me out of my thoughts. "I hope I'm not disturbing you on Valentine's Day, my dear. Have you seen the pictures I sent you? Help me choose which one I should wear for clubbing tonight. Wait..." After a short pause, she continued, "Hailey, are you crying?"

"No... Not now, anyway."

"Leo had an argument with you again."

Lily wasn't asking a question. She was simply stating a fact. Lily and I were university classmates. We kept in touch after we graduated. The two of us would talk about everything, and she knew about my situation as well.

I remained silent, not knowing what to say.

Lily didn't ask too many questions on the many. She invited me to go clubbing with her and enjoy being single for Valentine's Day.

"Just ignore that son of a bitch, Leo. I'll come pick you up. Give me an address, and I'll be there."

I didn't inform Lily of Leo's misdeeds. Lily's kindness and passion worried me—she might confront him in a fit of anger, but it wasn't worth it. If it had to happen, it should be me who took action.

*****

After arriving at the club, I realized that it was quite bustling. The lights were shining, and the music was booming. I looked around and saw Lily waving at me at the bar.

"Hailey, over here!" she shouted. "Come over and let's relax."

I walked over, and Lily passed me a drink with a smile on her face. "You must enjoy today. Forget about all those annoying thoughts!"

I forced a smile, too, and took the drink. "Thanks, Lily. I really need to relax."

"Do you know why I wanted to come to this club?" She blinked at me. "That's because they have the best male models in New Ransey! It's the top choice if you want to relax!"

Lily's words cheered me up, and I couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that I was in a better mood, Lily began asking me what had happened.

After some hesitation, I told everything to Lily. Her reaction was fiery—she nearly leaped from her seat in anger.

I embraced her. "You're the one dragging me out for Valentine's Day!"

She exclaimed, "Fuck Valentine's Day! We need to kill that motherfucker!"

The bar's din drowned out Lily’s words. Nearby patrons caught Lily's first sentence and raised their drinks in agreement, "Yeah! Fuck Valentine's Day!"

Lily composed herself. "Hailey, remember, I've got your back no matter what." She held my hand, sincerity and concern in her gaze. "You're a kind girl. I hope you can show that same kindness to yourself."

I nodded and looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Lily."

"Let's get a few male models to enjoy us for some fun. Don't worry about the cost. I do have enough money for the occasional big spending."

Lily brought the conversation back to the male models. There was nothing I could do and she asked the waiter to bring her some more drinks. "A girl's night out?"

I began to down the drinks with Lily, but soon I regretted my decision. I wasn't good at drinking at all.

When I saw two Lilys, I could still convince myself that I could at least recognize her and that I wasn't that drunk.

I then grabbed Lily's collar and told her to look down at how many drinks we had left.

When Lily closed in on my ear, and her voice became a deep male voice, I finally realized that I was totally drunk.

"Aren't you feeling well, Hailey?"

He actually knew my name as well.

"Did Lily really pay a male model to drink with us?"

The alcohol had numbed my tongue. This caused me to accidentally say the word "murder" instead of the word "model." The model, who I couldn't really see the face of, chuckled in my ear. His lips gently touched my numb earlobes.

I subconsciously reached out to push him away. When my hands touched his shirt, which was half unbuttoned, I realized that his pecs were much more muscular than the patients that I had treated. They were quite soft when he was relaxed. I had those thoughts because of my professional habits.

But then again, no matter how tempting, a robust chest meant nothing but flesh on an operation table. The only thing that mattered was the precision of a scalpel.

"Are you satisfied with my body?"

I was so startled that I nearly fell off my chair. It was a good thing that he had good reflexes and grabbed my waist.

The feeling of losing my balance caused me to desperately want to grab something to prevent myself from falling. However, I accidentally grabbed the man's dick.

I had to admit, this guy had everything needed to be a male model in a club. To be honest, the male models in this club were more like male escorts.

"You're very interesting."

The man helped me back to my table, rested his head on a hand, and smiled at me.

At that moment, a person I shouldn't be thinking of came to my mind. My husband, Leo. All those arguments echoed in my mind.

"No, I'm a dull person. I'm a failure who excels at disappointing others. Even had my phone die when I attempted to catch my husband cheating on me!" I shrieked.

My voice was overwhelmed by the club's loud music. Now that I was a little sober, I was grateful that the music covered my voice. This allowed me to not embarrass myself too much in front of a stranger.

I raised my head and realized that the man was holding my phone. The light from the screen lit up his dark eyes.

"Is this your cheating husband?" His voice was meaningful, and I followed his gaze to see the caller ID on the screen.

"Leo? Why would he call me at this hour?' I wondered.

Before I knew what was happening, the man answered the call and placed the phone beside his ear. I immediately became sober and wanted to take back my phone in a panic. He reached out, put a finger on my lips, and then winked at me.

I read his lips and realized he was saying, "Leave it to me."