Chapter 136 Interrupted Again

Maria pulled her coat tighter and picked up the pace as she walked into the living room. Hearing the sound, Henry looked up, and their eyes met. Maria was a bit surprised. "Why are you still up?"

As she spoke, Maria blinked, a thought crossing her mind. "Were you waiting for me?"

Henry stood up and closed his laptop. "You tell me."

Maria was taken aback, a sweet feeling welling up inside her. "Sorry, I got back a bit late."

Henry didn't respond immediately, his eyes fixed on her face with a slight frown. "Did you drink?"

He hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was closer, he could smell the alcohol on her.

"Yeah, just a bit of red wine, not much," Maria quickly explained.

Henry's eyes showed a hint of contemplation. He suddenly asked, "It wasn't just you and your mom at dinner, was it?"

Maria's heart skipped a beat. She almost blurted out, "How did you know?" but stopped herself just in time. Avoiding Henry's gaze, she mumbled, "It was just my mom and my sister, no one else."

"Your sister's boyfriend wasn't there?" Henry asked curiously. Maria's heart raced, realizing she had slipped up. She forced a smile. "He was. I just forgot about him for a moment."

Maria, feeling guilty, didn't notice that Henry knew about Molly's boyfriend, even though she had never mentioned it to him.

"It's late. Let's go upstairs and rest," Maria said, not waiting for Henry's response as she headed upstairs, her retreat looking almost like a hasty escape.

Maria's reaction made it hard for Henry not to be suspicious. Did she lie? Were there more people at dinner tonight?

Back in the bedroom, Maria had already showered and was applying skincare products. She rarely did this, but the weather had made her skin dry, and she had a lecture at a university the next day. When Henry entered, Maria avoided his gaze, feeling guilty.

Henry's eyes lingered on her for so long that she felt uncomfortable. Unable to bear it, she asked, "Aren't you going to shower? Why are you staring at me?"

"Just going," Henry replied, his eyes darkening. He was now certain Maria had lied. There must have been others at dinner tonight.

Henry walked into the bathroom, and Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief. After finishing her skincare routine, she lay down. Soon, the bed dipped beside her, and the room darkened.

Maria opened her eyes and looked towards Henry, but in the darkness, she couldn't see his face, only feeling his hand on her breasts.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

Despite their intimacy, Maria still felt uneasy. She tried to move Henry's hand, but before she could, he pulled her close, their skin touching, making the air feel hot.

Henry's lips met hers, their breaths mingling. In a daze, Maria felt pleasure taking over her body, unable to hold back her moans. The atmosphere grew intense until a phone rang, breaking their moment. Maria snapped awake, instinctively pushing Henry. "Your phone is ringing."

At this hour, Maria thought of Diana. Henry did too, his brow furrowing deeply. But he couldn't ignore the call. Apologetically, he said to Maria, "Sorry."

Maria bit her lip, a sudden impulse rising within her. "Henry, can't you just ignore it?"

She shyly embraced Henry, offering her lips. Henry instinctively kissed her, their breaths growing heavier.

The phone stopped ringing, only to start again moments later. Henry gently pushed Maria away, frustration in his eyes. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said, "Sorry, I'll be right back."

Henry kissed Maria's forehead lightly. She let go, feeling a mix of disappointment and something else.

"I'll come to you now," Henry's voice interrupted Maria's thoughts. She suddenly felt exhausted, like she was the villain standing between Henry and Diana.

Maria didn't know when Henry ended the call. She sensed him approaching the bed, wanting to speak. But Maria didn't know what to say and didn't want to hear about him going to Diana, so she pretended to be asleep.

But pretending to sleep and actually sleeping were different. Henry pursed his lips, turned, and left the room. The door opened and closed, and Maria found herself wide awake. She didn't know if Henry would come back tonight, but he probably wouldn't. Diana likely wouldn't let him return.

Maria drifted into a light sleep, only to be startled awake by the sound of the door opening. She instinctively looked over and saw Henry's familiar silhouette in the hallway light. He had come back.

In the morning, Maria got up feeling tired. Henry had returned late at night, waking her up. She had only fallen asleep again in the early hours. With a lecture at the university, Maria got up early, put on light makeup, and gathered her materials before heading out to meet Thea at the school entrance.

When Maria arrived, Thea was already there, waiting. Maria hurried over, feeling guilty. "Thea, have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just got here," Thea said, taking Maria's things with a cheerful tone. "Let's go."

They entered the school and coordinated with the teacher in charge. The lecture was scheduled for 9 AM. As they set up, Thea suddenly felt nervous. "Maria, did you bring your speech? Should we rehearse?"

Maria knew Thea was nervous and smiled. "Sure." She took out her speech, but her smile faded.

The speech was covered in black scribbles, the words completely obscured.

"Maria, what's wrong?" Thea asked, noticing Maria's reaction. Maria closed the speech, her tone calm. "Nothing. You go first."

Thea nodded, not thinking much of it. She started the lecture, her initial stiffness easing as she continued. By the end, Maria clapped for her. "Great job."

Thea blushed, less nervous after the rehearsal. Just as she was about to let Maria take the stage, the teacher informed them that the students were arriving. Maria checked the time; it was almost 9. As students filed in, Maria and Thea exchanged a look, seeing determination and confidence in each other's eyes.

The lecture began with Thea. Both experienced designers, they were speaking to design students. As Thea shared her experiences, the students became more engaged.

Maria, meanwhile, thought about her own speech. With her notes ruined, she decided to speak from the heart.