“Morning, sweetheart… did you sleep well?”
Edward’s voice faintly reached Chloe amid the pounding sensation in her head. She massaged her forehead, trying to open her eyes to respond to her husband’s greeting.
“Was I drunk last night?” Her hoarse voice sought an explanation.
Edward, who was getting ready, turned. While adjusting his tie, he approached and sat right next to his wife. The citrus and mint aroma from the perfume Edward wore sharply filled Chloe’s sense of smell.
“Not just drunk. You were even a handful last night.” Edward then handed a glass of apple juice, which he had prepared for Chloe to drink. “Finish this juice. Hopefully, it will help relieve the headache and nausea you’re feeling now.”
Chloe complied. She slowly sipped the drink Edward offered. “I’m only drunk like this because of you,” she protested, then handed him the empty glass from the juice she had finished.
“Why is it always my fault?” Edward raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. But in Chloe’s eyes, he never got anything right. He was always considered at fault.
“Yeah, how dare you leave me and go with another woman last night. I was just away for a moment to get a drink!”
Edward sighed, bringing his right hand to wipe the corner of Chloe’s lips, which were still wet from the juice that she had drunk earlier. “I didn’t go with another woman,” he defended himself. “I swear to God, last night, I just went to the toilet. And when I came back, I couldn’t find you.”
“Liar!” Chloe argued.
“By God, Chloe. I even called your cellphone several times, and you didn’t answer any of my calls.”
Chloe recalled that moment. While she was drinking, she was already angry with Edward and deliberately ignored his calls to teach him a lesson.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Edward said. “I regret making you angry or upset. Truly, I never intended to make you jealous.”
Chloe grimaced, preparing to protest.
“Who said I’m jealous? Don’t be excessive. Besides, why would I be jealous of you?”
Edward chuckled softly, not surprised that the woman in front of him was acting proud or shy to admit it.
“Of course, you’re the one who’s jealous. Last night, while crying, you were also furious, accusing me of deliberately making you jealous.”
Chloe pointed at herself. “Me? Saying something like that?”
Edward nodded confidently. “Just so you know, last night, you even admitted that you were captivated by me since the first time we met. You were so crazy about me and didn’t want to be apart from me.”
“That’s impossible,” Chloe exclaimed loudly. She shook her head repeatedly, doubting what her husband was saying. “There’s no way I said something like that. I don’t even remember it at all.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t remember. You were heavily drunk last night.”
How could Chloe remember when what Edward said was just pure fabrication? He intentionally exaggerated the story to see the surprised expression on her face.
“As you know, just last night, you blatantly invited me to have intimate relations. You were so aggressive, as usual.”
This time, Chloe glared. “And we actually did it again? Oh my God, Edward. That means you took advantage of me while I was drunk? You—”
“Ssshhh…” Edward hushed her, asking Chloe to stop ranting. “How many times do I have to say it? I might be a playboy, but I’m not a despicable man who takes advantage of situations. Don’t act like you have amnesia. Besides, you were the one who took advantage of me when we first met!”
Chloe immediately scoffed. “I can’t even believe that was your first time sleeping with a woman. There’s no way a playboy like you is still a virgin.”
Edward sighed in frustration. He was accustomed to being accused like this. “Believe what you want. The truth is, you can ask all my ex-girlfriends if, during our time together, I ever touched them.”
“But… anyway.” Edward spoke again. “I want to ask you something.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow, noticing the seriousness in Edward’s expression. “What else do you want to ask?”
“Last night, I heard you say something. Not just last night, but several times before, you said the same thing repeatedly.”
“Said what? Don’t beat around the bush!” Chloe urged, now genuinely curious about her husband’s story.
Edward looked intensely at Chloe, appearing to ponder for a moment before speaking. “You mentioned a phrase that roughly said you wouldn’t fall in love with a killer. Even some time ago, in your sleep, you mumbled about wanting to kill someone. My question is, who did you mean by ‘killer,’ or who is the person you really wanted to kill?”
Chloe widened her eyes. His words made her breathless. As Edward said before, when she was drunk, she tended to lose control and become a burden. The problem now was how to explain to her husband about the accusation of a killer, which was clearly directed towards Edward himself.
“Oh my God…” Chloe tried her best to keep her composure and appear calm. “I must have been heavily drunk to babble like that.” Chloe tried to evade the topic, afraid that last night’s words could make Edward suspicious. It could ruin all the well-laid plans she had made.
Edward narrowed his eyes, trying to read Chloe’s brown eyes. He tried to figure out if what she said was true.
“As far as I know, drunk people sometimes speak the truth. Their filters don’t work normally. That’s why drunkards often reveal what they’ve been hiding in their hearts. So, it’s possible that what you said last night was the truth you’ve been holding back.” Edward continued to pursue Chloe. “How would I know that you wanted to kill me?”
Chloe continued to display a calm facade, trying to respond to all of Edward’s accusations.
“I truly don’t remember what I said last night. I—”
Suddenly, Edward burst into laughter. This behavior puzzled Chloe even more.
“Oh, Chloe, why are you so pale? I was just joking,” he continued to laugh. “Besides, there’s no way someone like you would want to kill anyone.”
Chloe growled, grabbing a pillow and deliberately throwing it at Edward.
“Damn it!” she exclaimed with irritation. “You’d better leave now. I’m sure Nicholas is waiting for you downstairs.”
Edward nodded in agreement and got up, getting ready to leave. “I’ll be off now. See you later in the evening.”
****