3: Harsh Reality

NOAH ARCHED arched an eyebrow and took a casual seat on the couch, causing Celene’s eyes to widen. She frantically searched the room for a clock and felt a chill run down her spine when she saw that it was already midnight.

“Where’s my bag? I need to contact my husband, he must be worried about me already,” She gasped, swiftly grabbing the blanket from her lap and jumping off the bed. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for her bag.

However, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, causing her stomach to churn. She reached out and steadied herself on the nearby table before she could collapse onto her knees. As she attempted to stand again, Noah caught her in his arms, holding onto her for support.

“Honestly, what are you doing?” he sighed, “Go back to bed, don’t you know you have been drugged by that pervert?”

Celene looked up at him with wide eyes, she already had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Nakamura had slipped something into her drink, but she didn’t expect that Noah would have picked up on it as well.

Thinking back, how did she end up here in the first place?

“What exactly happened?” she asked, allowing him to guide her back to the bed, where she sat down. She then instinctively reached for her throat, feeling nauseated when all she could recall was that old man touching her while giving her that disgusting smile and look.

“I just so happened to walk into that bar and saw that man harassing you. If I hadn’t intervened, you may have been raped by now.” Noah’s jaw tightened as he imagined the possibility of that happening.

Meanwhile, Celene couldn’t suppress a shiver running down her spine. The food she had consumed food earlier, made its way back up her throat. She quickly covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up everything in the sink.

Noah walked after her and reached out to brush her hair away, keeping it from getting in her face. After she finished vomiting, he turned on the faucet and helped her in rinsing her mouth and washing her face. Celene then took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm herself before meeting Noah’s eyes in the mirror’s reflection.

“Sorry, and thank you for saving me,” she said softly, a slight blush tinting her cheeks because she was ashamed that he had to take care of her like this when she was already a grown-up woman. But deep down, she knew without him, something terrible could have happened.

She shut her eyes, tightening her grip on the sink. Because of what happened, she wasn't able to secure the deal, and she worried that Jarred would feel let down by her. She knew he would be able to understand her once she disclosed the full story.

Perhaps, he would even take action against Mr. Nakamura for what he had done to her.

“Feeling better? Go back to the bed, I’ll prepare some tea for you.” Noah’s voice brought her out of her thoughts, and Celene nodded slowly before making her way back to the bedroom.

She sat on the edge of the bed, alone in the room with her thoughts. When she saw her bag, she quickly took out her phone, expecting to see multiple missed calls and messages from her husband, but to her disappointment, there were none.

Celene pursed her lips as she attempted to contact him, hoping that his headache had subsided, and he was doing well. However, each time she called, the call failed to go through. She just assumed her husband had fallen asleep, unaware of the immoral act he was committing.

“CAN I SLEEP HERE?” Agnes asked as she climbed off of Jarred and laid down beside him on the master bedroom’s bed. Both were catching their breath after engaging in sex.

“No, Celene could be back any minute now. You should get dressed and head back to the guest room,” He reached for his phone and turned it on, knowing her wife was probably trying to contact him.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Celene to come home late, so he wasn’t worried at all. Besides, Jarred knew how much Mr. Nakamura enjoyed drinking, so he assumed she got invited to the bar and they were still out drinking together.

“What? You’re just going to dismiss me like that? After I fulfilled your needs?” Agnes made a displeased expression and reached for his phone to grab his attention, causing Jarred to turn towards her and gently hold her face in his hands, showing his affection for her.

“It’s not like that, I just don’t want my wife to catch us.” he reasoned, “Celene might be head over heels for me, but she would be furious if she found out we were having sex on our bed.”

“Well, isn’t that fine? She would finally have a reason to divorce you.”

“Divorce? Nah, Celene would never divorce me over something like that. She’s deeply in love with me, despite all my mistakes. I know she’ll always forgive me, no matter how many times I mess up.” Jarred said confidently.

“She even allowed you to stay here because I showed her affection and assurance.” He added with a smile on his face, “She’s a simple and naive woman, you know?”

“Then what? Am I just going to be your mistress forever?” Agnes propped herself up, pulling the blanket to cover her naked chest. Her face carried a disapproving expression as she gazed down at him.

“Well, you’ve already dumped me before, remember? If being the other woman isn’t enough for you, then just go back to your ex-husband.” Jarred’s reply was sharp and direct, causing Agnes to seethe with anger. She knew he was purposefully being harsh to get back at her for breaking his heart years ago.

However, Agnes had no choice but to stay until she took Celene’s place, and he ended their marriage. So, the only course of action left for her was to continue trying to seduce him.

“Fine, if becoming your mistress is what it takes for you to forgive me for hurting you in the past, I will agree to it.” she said as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, “Just know that my love for you has never faded, even after all these years.”

With that, Agnes got up from the bed and gathered her clothes that were strewn across the floor. Once she had left, Jarred couldn’t help but smirk with satisfaction at how much her ex wanted him.

Chuckling to himself, he also got out of bed and quickly tidied up the room to hide any evidence of their affair before heading to take a shower.

When he came out of the bathroom, the sound of a car pulling up to their gate caught his attention. He quickly parted the curtains and saw Celene getting out of a taxi, causing him to head downstairs to welcome her.

“Love, why are you home so late? I was getting worried when I woke up and didn’t see you beside me yet,” Jarred shamelessly lied as soon as Celene entered the house. It was a bit dark in the living room, but the lights from outside cast enough light to make out his features in the darkness.

Seeing her husband filled Celene with a mix of emotions, causing tears to prick in her eyes. She then pursed her lips, trying to hold back the tears, but failed miserably.

“Mr. Nakamura drugged me,” she confessed, her voice quivering as she hugged Jarred whose brows furrowed. “Despite feeling uneasy about the way he was looking at me, I agreed to join him for drinks after our meeting at the restaurant. I wanted to seal the deal so badly for you that I pushed aside my discomfort and followed him to the bar...”

“And while we were drinking, he managed to slip something on my glass. His hands then began to wander over my body, and before I knew it, I had lost consciousness.” She sobbed, tightening her hug on her husband’s torso, “Because of that incident, I wasn’t able to close the deal as planned.” 

“What?!” Jarred's eyes widened before he touched Celene’s shoulder and pushed her a bit so he could see her face. Her entire body trembled, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

She wasn’t feeling well, but she still pushed herself to go home. Noah was even frustrated with her stubbornness and refusal to let him take her home.

He claimed it was dangerous for her, given her condition. While Celene knew he was just looking out for her, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about being at a man’s house and his presence. She felt like she was cheating when she knew she wasn’t, so despite Noah’s kind gesture, she stood firm in her decision to go home alone.

“What do you mean you didn’t secure the deal?” Celene’s tears abruptly halted at the sound of Jarred’s question. Part of her wondered if she was imagining things, but the disappointed expression on his face confirmed her fears and her heart sank at the harsh reality. 

“W-wait, that’s what you’re worried about? Haven’t you been listening to me? Mr. Nakamura drugged me.” she said, her voice shaking with mixed emotions. She never thought he would brush off the fact that she had almost been raped.

Celene was well aware that the deal was crucial, but did it hold more importance to him than his own wife?

“It’s inconceivable that Mr. Nakamura would be capable of such a heinous act; he was a highly regarded and prominent figure in the business world, Celene. You know that.” Jarred let out a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, causing Celene’s stomach to churn while looking at him in disbelief.

“I’ll arrange for another meeting with him, so apologize sincerely, and ask for a second chance to close the deal.”