Andrew was thrilled; seeing Stuart and Josephine so in love was heartwarming.
Even though Josephine said they couldn't have kids for the next two years, Andrew thought, 'Two years? I can wait.'
As long as they were happy, that was enough.
They all ended up drinking too much.
Stuart downed a whole bottle of wine by himself, while Andrew and Josephine shared another.
Andrew was getting older, and Josephine never had a high tolerance for alcohol.
It was not even ten o'clock, Andrew had already gone to his room to rest.
Josephine, feeling dizzy, was carried upstairs by Stuart.
Josephine dreamt all night, feeling extremely thirsty and searching everywhere for water.
When she finally found some, the water source was intermittent and not enough to quench her thirst.
Josephine became anxious, cupping her hands and sucking hard.
In the end, she still didn't drink enough.
Somehow, she seemed to have eaten something else.
It was hard and slightly elastic. Not tasty.
Josephine didn't sleep well all night, feeling utterly exhausted.
In the morning, she woke up thirsty; before opening her eyes, she felt something was wrong with her throat.
It hurt a bit, and swallowing was uncomfortable.
When Josephine moved, she realized Stuart was right beside her, holding her tightly.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Stuart's voice was husky and low, still sounding half-asleep.
"Thirsty," Josephine's voice was hoarse as she spoke.
She felt sore and weak all over, as if she had run a marathon instead of sleeping.
Stuart reached for the cup on the table and helped her drink some water.
Josephine drank half the cup and pushed it away. She asked him, "Did I get drunk last night?"
She had no memory of what happened the previous night.
Stuart drank the rest of the water, put the cup back, and lay down to hold her again. He said gently, "You were drunk. It's still early; sleep a bit more."
"No." Josephine pushed him away. She insisted, "I have to go to work today."
Stuart couldn't help but say, "Can't you skip work? As my wife, you don't need to work at all."
Josephine glanced at him without saying a word and got up to get dressed.
She felt like there were more marks on her body.
Did Stuart have sex with her again last night?
However, she had no memory of it.
Josephine tended to forget what happened when she got drunk, having no recollection of the events. So she rarely drank; but last night, being at home, she couldn't refuse Andrew's hospitality.
Her body felt the discomfort of post-sex, but Stuart had already worn her out in the afternoon.
Even Josephine couldn't tell if it was the result of their daytime indulgence or if Stuart had taken advantage of her sleep to bully her again.
She couldn't ask. She forgot that even if she asked, Stuart might not say anything.
In the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror, Josephine felt like cursing.
There was a very obvious hickey on her neck, purple-red.
She remembered clearly that it wasn't there during the day.
Which meant, last night, Stuart must have done something to her.
However, she didn't know!
With evidence, she could rightfully question Stuart.
She stormed out and directly asked, "What did you do last night? Stuart, how are you any different from a beast? All you think about is sex; aren't you afraid of dying from too much of it?"
"Today is the first day after the Starlight Festival." Stuart looked at her. He asked nonchalantly, "Are you sure you want to curse your husband?"
Josephine pointed at her neck. She said angrily, "How am I supposed to go out!"
"You were so passionate last night; now you're scolding me," Stuart said, "I didn't plan to do anything, it was all you."
"You're talking nonsense!" Josephine was furious. She said, "I was drunk; what could I have done!"
"You did a lot." Stuart leaned against the headboard, looking lazy and satisfied, but his words were infuriating. He recalled, "You asked me to kiss you, hold you, kept calling me husband, and told me not to stop."
"Shut up!" Josephine felt she shouldn't have engaged with him. She remarked, "I don't believe you!"
She said that and went back to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
Stuart raised an eyebrow, thinking about the wonderful experience last night, her warm and moist mouth enveloping him; the sensation was simply indescribable.
However, it probably only happened when she was drunk.
If she were sober, she might bite him off.
Stuart's Adam's apple bobbed; just thinking about it made him feel unbearable.
Josephine was truly intoxicating, exuding charm from every inch of her body, making him unable to resist her.
Or was it that he was young and vigorous, with a high libido, regardless of who it was?
However, when he thought about it, if it were someone else, he didn't even want to touch them.
Was it because Josephine was his first woman?
Yes. It must be that.
Josephine came out of the shower, changed clothes, and went downstairs without looking at Stuart.
Andrew was already up early, smiling when he saw her. He greeted excitedly, "Josephine, Happy Starlight Festival. Come over; I have a gift for you."
Andrew prepared gifts for her every year, many, including cash with good wishes and a bank card.
Josephine quickly accepted. She said appreciativelv, "Thank you, Mr. Andrew Haustia, I wish you good health and all your wishes come true."
Andrew said happily, "As long as you and Stuart are doing well, I have no worries. Is he still sleeping?"
Josephine had to say, "I got drunk last night; he took care of me, so he slept a bit late. I have to go to work today; I can't stay home with you."
"Have breakfast before you go," Andrew said, "Let Stuart pick you up in the afternoon."
Josephine had just finished breakfast and was about to leave when Stuart came downstairs.
He said, "Wait a minute."
In front of Andrew, Josephine obediently turned back to look at him. She asked, "What is it?"
Stuart held a large gift and handed it to her at the entrance. "Happy Starlight Festival, take it."
"Why?" Josephine was stunned. She asked suspiciously, "Why are you giving me a gift?"
The elders in the family treated her like a child; she couldn't refuse their kind intentions.
However, Stuart was her peer; why would he prepare a gift for her?
Stuart leaned close and whispered in her ear, "I didn't buy you a gift, so there's a bank card inside. Buy whatever you like."
Josephine lowered her eyes and softly said, "Thank you."
After Josephine left, Andrew asked him, "What did you say to Josephine?"
Stuart said, "It's sweet talk. Grandpa, you don't need to know."
Andrew snorted, "Just treat Josephine well. There will be many people coming over today; go have breakfast first. Tomorrow, accompany Josephine to her parents' house, understand?"
Stuart agreed.
When Josephine arrived at the hospital, she could finally relax after making her rounds.
There were no surgeries these days; most patients had been discharged, and the wards were quieter than usual.
Liam came to find her. He asked, "Happy Starlight Festival! Josephine, dinner tomorrow night?"
Josephine said, "I have to visit my parents at noon tomorrow; let's see about dinner."
Liam said, "Alright. By the way, here's a Starlight Festival gift; open it and see."