Halfway through her drink, Ella started feeling a bit fuzzy.
Right then, her phone buzzed. She saw the name on the screen, immediately hung up, and shot off a text.
[Drunken Dream Bar, get here quick!]
The call was from Lily, who must've just wrapped up her training.
During Lily's training, her phone was taken away, and today, as soon as it ended, she got Ella's message. Finding out about the divorce, she called Ella right away, only to get hung up on.
Seeing the text, Lily grinned, changed clothes, and hurried over. From a distance, she spotted Ella sitting alone.
"Ella!" Lily walked over and plopped down next to her.
After Lily's call, Ella had stopped drinking.
As time passed, the initial buzz had worn off a bit.
Seeing Lily, she smiled. "Training's over?"
Lily nodded and grabbed a glass from the table, downing it in one go.
"You want to get divorced? Did that jerk Arthur mess up?"
She knew Ella well; if Arthur hadn't done something awful, she wouldn't have filed for divorce.
Ella paused, then slowly said, "Ava came back."
As her friend, Lily knew who Ava was. She was the woman Arthur had a thing for.
"So what? As long as Arthur doesn't divorce, she's just the side chick." Lily looked puzzled.
Ella chuckled, clinking her glass with Lily's.
After downing her drink, she continued, "He set Ava up in the Waters Bay villa. On Valentine's Day, he promised to be with me but didn't show; even when we were in bed, he called out Ava's name."
Ella gave a bitter smile after saying this.
Years of being together couldn't compare to the return of an old crush.
Hearing this, Lily angrily slammed her glass on the table, spilling the wine.
"That jerk! It's good you to divorce him. I've always told you he is unreliable. Better late than never; you cut your losses in time."
Ella agreed, getting divorced now was better than dragging it out.
Later, both women, one radiant and the other flamboyant, were drunk and disheveled, catching the eyes of nearby men
"Arthur, isn't that Ella?" David Jones pointed to them in the corner.
Arthur followed his gaze and saw the drunken woman, who was indeed Ella.
After his fallout with Ella, he had come to Drunken Dream to unwind.
He didn't expect to run into her here.
Seeing her like this, Arthur felt a surge of anger with no outlet.
He strode over to them, causing the other eager men to back off.
Seeing a man suddenly appear, Lily squinted and pointed at Arthur. "Ella, this guy looks just like your lousy ex-husband."
Hearing how she referred to him, Arthur's eyebrow twitched.
Ella looked over, meeting Arthur's gaze, and nodded seriously.
"You're right. Anyone who looks like Arthur can't be any good."
David, who had come with Arthur, stifled a laugh.
"Stop laughing and help me get them out of here." Arthur stepped forward and picked Ella up.
David hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do, and ended up carrying Lily out of the bar.
"Arthur, where are we going?" David scratched his head.
Ella, in Arthur's arms, was restless, muttering something under her breath.
Leaning in, Arthur heard that most of it was cursing him.
Arthur's face darkened. After thinking for a bit, he decided to take them to a nearby hotel.
After getting them settled in, Arthur hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bed.
Only then did he notice that Ella was wearing makeup.
The present Ella seemed somewhat different from the Ella he once knew.
The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts.
"Arthur, the pipe at home seems to be leaking. Can you come and take a look?" Ava's voice came through the phone.
Arthur hesitated briefly before agreeing. "Wait for me at home, I'll be right there."
Before leaving, Arthur glanced at Ella.
He closed the door and left.
The next morning, Ella and Lily woke up in an unfamiliar place.
Instinctively, they lifted the covers to check, then sighed in relief.
Thankfully, their clothes were still on.
"How did we end up here?" Lily was curious.
Ella rubbed her temples; the hangover making her feel awful.
And she didn't remember how they got there.
The two exchanged confused looks. "I vaguely remember seeing Arthur. Could he have brought us here?"
Hearing Lily mention him, Ella paused.
Thinking about it, she had some vague memories too.
But she instinctively denied it, "No way, Arthur isn't the type to meddle."
Recalling the events of yesterday, Ella couldn't help but facepalm.
They quickly tidied up and left the hotel.
On the way back, Lily laughed, "We can't drink like that anymore; it was a bit embarrassing."
Ella stifled a laugh and nodded in agreement.
They bought breakfast on the way and headed to Worry-Free Studio.
Lily walked in and laid out the breakfast on the table.
"Emily, have you eaten? Come join us for breakfast," she called Emily over here.
Emily responded and walked over.
As she approached, she smelled a strong scent of alcohol.
"Lily, did you and Ella drink?"
Lily paused with a sandwich in hand.
Beside her, Ella lifted her clothes up to her nose and sniffed, detecting no hint of alcohol. "Is it that strong?"
Emily nodded. "I smelled it as soon as I got close to you."
"It's fine, let's eat first. Ella and I will go home and shower later."
After breakfast, Lily left Worry-Free Studio to Emily.
She and Ella went home to shower and change clothes.
While drying her hair, Ella heard her phone ring. The screen showed an unfamiliar number.
Ella hesitated before answering.
"You're bold, getting so drunk at a bar."
It was Arthur's voice, though she didn't know whose phone he was using.
Ella stiffened.
"You've dialed the wrong number."
She quickly hung up and blocked the number.
Lily noticed her call but didn't stop applying her makeup.
"Who was it?"