Shane Ling covered her face, staring at Liam Rivers with a mix of disappointment and fury.
Liam Rivers had just hit her, and now he was frantically apologizing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"It was my fault, honey!"
"Honey..."
But Shane Ling, furious, pushed him away.
Just then, the elevator doors slid open.
Still fuming, Shane Ling stormed out.
Liam Rivers hurried after her.
The two tussled back and forth in the hallway.
"Get lost!"
"Don't touch me!"
"Liam Rivers, I can't believe you hit me!"
Olivia Young and Frederick Fairfax happened to walk by at that moment, deliberately slipping past them along the opposite wall.
When they reached their suite door, it had just opened when Shane Ling rushed inside with a slam; the door shut forcefully behind her.
Olivia Young and Frederick Fairfax stood there, dumbfounded.
Uh... Shane Ling just barged into their room.
So where were they supposed to sleep tonight?
Liam Rivers pounded on the door.
"Honey! Open up!"
"You've gone to the wrong room!!"
Suddenly, the door swung open again.
Shane Ling apologized profusely to them. "I'm so sorry—I was so mad, I lost my head!"
"It’s fine," Olivia Young said, genuinely understanding.
If Frederick Fairfax ever dared hit her, she’d have slapped him right back.
Honestly, Shane Ling was holding back a lot by not retaliating.
"Come on in, why don't you sit a while?" Olivia Young led Shane Ling inside. "Mr. Li, you can wait outside. You need to cool off—hitting a woman doesn't make you any kind of man."
Liam Rivers was left outside.
Still refusing to give up, he kept texting Shane Ling.
He kept apologizing, admitting it was his fault.
He even messaged Frederick Fairfax, explaining that he’d been drunk, lost his head, swore he wasn't usually like this.
Olivia Young had the hotel manager pull up the surveillance footage and send it over.
Now there was domestic violence on the record too.
If Liam Rivers refused a private divorce settlement, legal action it would be.
Frederick Fairfax poured a glass of water for Shane Ling, then sat down next to Olivia Young.
Sitting close to his wife, he vowed, "I'd never hit a woman."
"Liar!" Olivia Young muttered under her breath.
He'd spanked her just the other night!
And had the nerve to tease her: "Babe, your butt is so perky."
Tch, and now he’s pretending to be Mr. Perfect.
Who'd believe that?
Well... okay, there’s a bit of a difference between flirting and domestic violence.
"When did I ever lie? I never really hit you," Frederick Fairfax protested, holding her delicate wrist. "If you're going to accuse me, at least give a reason."
"Just because I used to get along with Li, I didn't see his true colors, now I deserve to be punished by association?"
"People are different, Your Honor!"
Olivia Young shot back dryly: "Your Honor? You mean your pretty wife, not some judge."
"You two really have something special," Shane Ling said, a little envious, a little wistful.
Back when she and Liam Rivers first got together, things were great too.
But then he got busy with work, she became a stay-at-home mom with ten kids. The texts got fewer, the time they spent together shrank, and even their shared interests faded.
Their hearts just drifted further and further apart.
"Don’t kid yourself! We’re just putting on a show," Olivia Young teased, slipping from his grasp. "How’s my acting, huh?"
"Excellent," Shane Ling replied with a smile.
She set her cup down gently. "I should go talk to him. Thank you both."
"Don't worry, we’ve got your back. If he hits you again, call the police! A guy like Liam Rivers—so concerned with reputation—it’ll scare the heck out of him," Olivia Young said, clearly disgusted by his rotten behavior.
Utter scumbag.
When Shane Ling opened the door, both of them saw Liam Rivers still waiting outside.
"He wouldn’t dare hit her again, would he?"
"I doubt it," Frederick Fairfax replied.
Let’s hope not. Going to court wasn’t the real goal.
The real goal was the divorce.
Child custody.
And fair division of assets.
In real life, it takes more than just love to make a marriage work.
"I'm done believing in love!" Olivia Young grumbled, patting her baby bump. "Prenups, that’s the way to go."
"Like you stuck to yours," Frederick Fairfax teased.
"All I did was kiss you, twice! If you want, I’ll let you kiss me back, but you’re too shy." Olivia Young leaned in, face hovering just inches away. "Come on, come on, I’ll let you!"
Her fair, rosy cheeks were right in front of him, long thick lashes trembling, ears tinted red, plump lips glistening. She looked impossibly kissable, sweet-scented, soft as anything.
Should he kiss her lips or her cheek?
Frederick Fairfax decided to follow his instinct. His warm lips brushed hers, softly at first.
Like jelly—soft and bouncy.
What should have been a fleeting kiss quickly turned greedy, stealing breath, mingling heat.
Especially when Olivia Young made no move to resist—on the contrary, she welcomed him. The kiss only deepened, turned more intimate, hotter.
With no one to interrupt, they ended up kissing off and on, over and over. Olivia Young's lips were left pink and swollen.
"Frederick Fairfax~"
"Yeah?"
He held her by the waist, breath heavy, sheepishly burying his face in her shoulder.
She wasn’t even embarrassed.
And yet Frederick Fairfax suddenly was.
"So, how does it feel?" she teased.
"Mm..."
What kind of answer was that?
"How does it compare to the woman you lost your virginity to?" Olivia Young teased, deliberately goading him.
Frederick Fairfax slowly raised his head, meeting her sparkling eyes. "I’ve already forgotten her. From now on, let’s never bring her up, or the biological father of your child, again. Marriage is about loyalty."
So...
Did this mean Frederick Fairfax had given up searching for the woman from abroad who slept with him?
When would this adorable fool realize the child in Olivia Young's belly was his all along?
"What are you laughing at?"
"I’m laughing at how cute you are." Olivia Young wrapped her arms around his neck. "Frederick Fairfax, you’re so pure—even your ears are beet-red, your neck too. You’re blushing all over."
Frederick Fairfax was at a loss.
In his whole life, he’d only kissed two women.
One of them, he’d never even seen her face—she disappeared the next morning.
The other was Olivia Young.
It felt wonderful.
Indescribably wonderful.
Like floating, like he could fly.
He already wanted to kiss her again.
"Tonight, help me wash my underwear."
"Okay."
Ever since they kissed, he was suddenly a lot more obedient.
ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ
After her shower, Olivia Young chatted with Shane Ling in bed.
In the bathroom, Frederick Fairfax was washing his wife’s underwear—by hand, no less.
How did kissing lead to this? He hadn't even taken off her underwear before, but here he was already doing her laundry!
What a husband—men like him were rare finds in this world.
Once everything was tidied, Frederick Fairfax slipped into bed next to Olivia Young.
"I’m sleeping here tonight."
"Don’t you think this bed’s too small for you?" Olivia Young put her phone down. "There’s no room for you here."
Frederick Fairfax snuggled into the blankets, the soft silk coverlet cocooning them both. "We have to nurture our relationship."
"Are you still angling for more kisses?"
"Mhm."
"Nope."
Frederick Fairfax: "..."
She was terrible.
She'd teased him so much before, and now that he actually wanted to kiss her, she'd turn him down.
"I just washed your underwear."
"No kisses for you! That reward came in advance." Olivia Young draped her arm over his. "Honey, turn off the light."
The lights went out.
The room sank into pitch black.
Under the covers, Olivia Young’s hand and legs were pressed right up against him.
A quiet, contented happiness rose in Frederick Fairfax’s heart.