Chapter 30
However, because Stefan appeared too early, things got messed up. A mere slap or two wasn’t enough to reveal Rita’s cruelty. And hadn’t everything been brushed over by the ridiculous allergy excuse? My red, swollen cheek, the torn sleeve of my dress, and even the salmon steak pieces that fell to the floor.
Moreover, Stefan, who seemed completely oblivious, had no clue about the violence his mother had inflicted. He probably just sensed some awkward tension in the air, nothing more.
‘Ugh, such a frustrating man…’
My resentment towards him kept piling up. Perhaps that’s why I felt a knot of frustration building in my chest. I pounded on it with my fist, but it didn’t help at all.
Honestly, I don’t want to let that man into my bedroom tonight. I have no desire to share a bed with a man who can’t even protect his own family.
In this life, I have no expectations for him either. After all, in our previous life, he couldn’t protect his wife, let alone the children. I have no hopes for such a pathetic man.
‘Just let me get pregnant, then I’ll leave without looking back…’
The problem was that I couldn’t have a child all by myself. What made me even angrier was the fact that I needed to seduce Stefan to get pregnant. It was hard enough to look at him with a smile, let alone seduce a man as stiff as a log.
“I can’t do this sober…”
Sitting at the vanity, pulling at my hair in frustration, I suddenly stood up. Before I knew it, my feet were heading toward the wine cellar. I had imposed a three-day ban on alcohol for Stefan, claiming it was for fertility purposes, but at this moment, I desperately needed a drink.
I swung open the cellar door, grabbed any bottle I could find, and filled the largest glass with wine. Then, I gulped it down without hesitation. When the glass emptied, I filled it up again. This time, I needed to get truly drunk, so I drank even more recklessly.
‘Embarrassment can come later. For now, I just need to heat up this cold body.’
What could be more effective than alcohol to warm the body? It was also excellent at silencing reason. Once reason was pushed aside, emotions would take over, and my body would move on its own. The emotion that would occupy my heated body was sure to be simple lust.
After finishing the entire bottle of wine, I began to feel the warmth of the alcohol rising in me.
‘He’d better come soon, before this buzz wears off…’
***
At the appointed hour, Stefan stepped into the marital bedroom and stood in the middle of the room. The atmosphere felt unusually chilly. The windows were all closed, and the bed was neatly made, but there was no sign of anyone around. Stefan, indifferent, called out.
“Madam.”
“…”
“Are you not here in the bedroom?”
“…”
When no response came, Stefan felt a slight sense of relief. Rachel, who was always so intent on sharing the bed, made him uneasy, but he, too, was unsure how to face her tonight.
‘This is actually fortunate.’
He assumed Rachel had hidden herself somewhere, unable to face him either, unable to voice her unwillingness for tonight’s bed. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard a faint, sorrowful sob.
‘…Could she be crying?’
Thinking she seemed tough like a fortress, he had assumed she was fine. Even when Rita spewed obvious lies and excuses, he didn’t bother to correct her, and continued the dinner with the Edmond family, as if it didn’t matter that he might look like he was siding with them.
But now, she was crying, and for some reason, it tugged at his heart.
“People are most honest when they’re alone.”
Stefan swallowed a bitter smile he couldn’t quite understand, and moved towards the source of the sobbing. As he got closer to the bar, the sharp scent of wine filled the air.
Rachel had fallen asleep, slumped over the bar. Beside her was an empty wine bottle and a glass.
‘Could she be faking again, like last time?’ Stefan thought as he lifted the wine bottle, only to be startled. There wasn’t a drop left of the strong wine.
‘She drank it all? She’s not some spoiled princess, she’s a heavy drinker.’
He let out a small laugh as he looked down at her, sleeping asound. Her cheek, pressed against her arm, was flushed red.
Carefully, Stefan reached out his fingers. Her cheek was burning hotter than necessary.
Quickly pulling his hand away, Stefan clenched his fist and muttered to himself, without realizing,
“Didn’t she even use an ice pack? What are the maids doing?”
At the sound of his voice, Rachel’s slim shoulders trembled. No, she had started sobbing again.
“…Mom… *sniff sniff*…”
Stefan stood there, unsure of what to do.
She must be dreaming about her late mother, but he didn’t know whether he should wake her up or leave her as she was.
But if she was finding comfort in meeting her mother in a dream, perhaps it would be better not to disturb her. Just as he reached this conclusion:
“Hold me…”
Out of nowhere, Rachel mumbled, and tears rolled down her red cheeks. Her flushed face became wet and glistening.
Stefan carefully brought his fingers back to her cheek and gently wiped her tears away. He waited for her next words, unsure if she was talking to him or her mother in the dream.
As Rachel’s lips moved again, Stefan leaned in closer. He wanted to hear her clearly.
“…Sob, sob…”
Instead of words, more sobbing escaped her, and he finally realized his foolishness.
‘…What exactly was I trying to confirm?’
He gently lifted her into his arms. He now realized that he couldn’t let his wife sleep slumped over like that all night.
Even as he carried her to the bed, Rachel continued to cry, her face buried against his chest, soaking his shirt. Her breath, rough and ragged, was thick with the scent of wine.
After gently laying her down on the bed, Stefan looked down at her tear-streaked face and murmured quietly,
“You should’ve cried earlier.”
In that moment, Stefan looked like someone who understood all too well how painful and lonely it was to cry in secret.
With a sigh, he continued wiping away Rachel’s endlessly flowing tears, worried they would cause her eyes to swell.
He brought his face close to hers. As more tears began to fall, he pressed his lips to them.
The salty taste of Rachel’s tears lingered on his lips. Her face, still hot, concerned him.
Thinking he should get a wet towel, Stefan started to rise, but then Rachel’s lips moved once more.
“…Please, hold me…”
This time, as she reached her hand towards him, Stefan was sure. She was speaking to him.
Gently cradling her small face in his large hands, Stefan kissed the corners of Rachel’s eyes. The moment he did, tears began to pour out like a burst dam.
After carefully wiping away her tears with his lips, he pressed them to hers. Their lips, damp with tears, clung together.
Was it the mix of salty tears and the sharp taste of wine? The kiss felt like a new, unfamiliar flavor.
Stefan, having gone two days without wine, explored Rachel’s mouth hungrily. It felt so good, it was almost as if he had been drinking wine again.
As he continued kissing her, unable to pull away, he felt her breath quicken.
‘Just a little more, one more time…’
Driven by a desire he couldn’t quite understand, Stefan kept pursuing her lips until Rachel pushed against his chest, panting heavily.
“Hah… hah…”
Her eyes fluttered open slightly. With the large figure in front of her blocking her view, she reached out and ended up stroking his soaked chest instead.
As her warm palm slid down the wet fabric of his shirt, it was Stefan’s turn to let out a breath he had been holding.
“Hah…”
It was only then that Rachel realized the man before her was Stefan. Whether it was because of the lingering alcohol or because of his constant, fervent kisses, she could feel her body heating up.
Rachel lightly kissed Stefan’s hand that was still cradling her face and whispered softly,
“Hold me, Stefan…”
At those words, a flicker of something wild appeared in his red eyes. It was as if Rachel had lit the fuse of a bomb ready to explode.
With a sudden, powerful movement, Stefan pressed his body closer to hers, leaning over her stomach.
I hope you enjoyed it.😊
