Stuart woke up with a pounding headache.
Last night, after dropping off Doris, he drank alone.
He had no idea how much he drank or how he got home.
Startled, he opened his eyes and felt relieved seeing the familiar face in his arms.
Josephine was nestled against him, her face peaceful in sleep.
Stuart kissed her forehead.
Then his gaze shifted and froze.
Josephine's skin was covered in large bruises.
They weren't from his kisses; they looked like someone had gripped her hard.
'Who could it be?' Stuart was instantly furious!
But then he realized those marks might be from him.
He couldn't remember last night clearly but vaguely recalled being intimate with Josephine.
She seemed to struggle during it.
Were all the marks from him?
Stuart was shocked and heartbroken.
He lifted the blanket and saw more obvious marks on her body.
Her skin was delicate; even a slight force could leave marks.
Stuart gently touched her, eyes full of regret.
He drank too much and couldn't remember any details.
When he touched her, Josephine flinched slightly even in her sleep.
Stuart's gaze deepened. After a while, he kissed the corner of her lips.
When Josephine woke up, she felt like she'd been hit by a truck, her whole body aching.
She was alone in bed, feeling weak and feverish.
She called a colleague to swap shifts.
Barely getting out of bed, she took some medicine and changed clothes before going downstairs.
She didn't want to move, but she needed to eat.
Last night, Stuart had kept her up until the early hours; she didn't even know how she fell asleep.
Even though she had no appetite, her stomach was growling.
Andrew was downstairs drinking coffee. Seeing her, he smiled. "Josephine, are you feeling any better?"
Josephine was taken aback.
Andrew explained, "Stuart said you weren't feeling well before he left. If you didn't wake up by eleven, he said to have someone knock on your door. But you woke up on your own. Feeling better?"
Josephine forced a smile. "I might have caught a cold last night. It's nothing, Grandpa."
She had breakfast and then went back upstairs to lie down.
Stuart's behavior last night really disgusted her, but it also broke her heart.
Even though she was determined to divorce, she knew she still had feelings for Stuart.
She even pathetically hoped he could come to love her. She despised herself for being so lowly.
Now she understood why loving someone could make you feel so low.
Emotions were the least controllable by the brain.
Maybe this was why humans stood at the top of the food chain.
But because of emotions and desires, human suffering and troubles followed.
She wished she could be a small animal, only knowing how to eat, drink, and play, never worrying about emotional issues.
At noon, Stuart called home. "Grandpa, how is Josephine?"
Andrew was annoyed. "Why don't you call her yourself?"
Stuart hesitated. "I didn't want to disturb her sleep."
Andrew sighed. "She barely ate lunch and seems down. If you're not busy, come home early to be with her."
"I can't," Stuart said, "I have things to handle."
"What's more important than Josephine?" Andrew snapped, "Come home!"
"I really can't," Stuart insisted, "I had someone buy a gift. Please give it to her, Grandpa."
He quickly hung up, not wanting to admit he was scared to face Josephine.
Josephine had lunch and then slept again. When she woke up, she lay in bed scrolling through her phone, not wanting to move.
Andrew had a servant call her downstairs.
When she came down, she saw several brightly colored gift boxes in the living room.
Judging by the logos, there were clothes, jewelry, and bags.
"Josephine, come here." Andrew waved her over.
She sat next to him. "Grandpa, what are these?"
"Stuart knows he was wrong and bought gifts to cheer you up," Andrew explained, "See if you like them?"
Josephine was surprised but felt nothing inside.
What did Stuart mean?
Did he know he went too far last night and bought gifts to make up for it?
She could have convinced herself Stuart was too drunk to remember, but now it seemed he did remember.
He knew what he did last night. He knew whose name he called out by her ear.
Looking at the gifts, Josephine felt only irony.
But in front of Andrew, she smiled. "Of course I like them. Thank you, Grandpa."
"Why thank me?" Andrew was pleased. "Have someone take them to your room, and you can open them slowly. If there's anything else you like, tell Stuart to buy it for you!"
Josephine went upstairs, and the servant placed the gifts in the corner. However, Josephine wouldn't touch them.
Stuart had heard from Robin that if you upset a girl, buying her gifts would make her happy.
He checked the time, thinking Josephine should have seen the gifts by now.
He didn't casually ask Ronald to buy them; he had carefully selected items for Josephine from these brands' websites.
He thought, 'Josephine must like them. After receiving the gifts, she will call me, or at least send a message, right?'
But as the sky darkened, Stuart's phone remained silent.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
He had gone too far last night, but he had already shown weakness and bought gifts, giving her dignity. Why couldn't Josephine forgive him?
Josephine's personality was tough, but her body was soft.
Though she was thin, she had curves in all the right places, and the feel of her body was incredible. But she had this kind of personality!
If she were just a bit softer and more compliant, he wouldn't have treated her so roughly.
Realizing what he was thinking, Stuart felt a bit lost. He shouldn't be thinking about these things.
They were bound to get divorced sooner or later.
Even if he didn't want Josephine to bring it up first, he knew he wouldn't spend his life with her.
He was always waiting for someone.