In the end, I still didn’t manage to utter the entire phrase because Christopher was even more worked up than me, acting as though he had taken an aphrodisiac. We had just gone wild a few days ago, and he even grumbled about lower back pain. Now, however, he had no qualms carrying me and supporting my weight as I suspended midair without leaning against any other surfaces.
At long last, he carried me back to the bedroom. Taking out everything he bought from the adult store back then, he started studying them one by one and even urged me to try them with him. I couldn’t imagine my mortification if I truly used them, so I vehemently disagreed, stuffing them all into the closet and locking them up.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try them? I spent a fortune on them, so it’ll truly be a waste if we don’t use them all.” Christopher rubbed his face that was etched with stark regret against mine.
“No way! I prefer being a normal person.” I shook my head as I refused to contemplate the idea. Although I was once married to Lyle and had even surreptitiously watched X-rated films that happened to contain kinky scenes as an adult, that was my limit. I would never do such a depraved thing.
“Oh God, I’ve been abnormal ever since I met you, Eve. You’ve got to take responsibility for me.” Christopher pouted aggrievedly, his expression exactly like a little boy whose cell phone was confiscated by the teacher and his favorite game uninstalled after being caught playing it during class.
“What else do you want when I’ve already given myself to you?” Rolling my eyes, I moved my fingers to his waist and pinched him hard.
Even as Christopher hissed in pain, he asked with a pout, “Are you not going to try the toys with me?”
All at once, I was rendered speechless. Ugh! Why is he still harping on that topic? Pulling the covers over my head, I feigned sleep.
A few days later, I furtively took my completed painting to the art gallery for the selection and handed it to the staff. I didn’t tell Christopher about it since I wanted to give him a surprise. As I stood there among the bustling crowd, I saw many people walking in with rolled-up paintings, anticipation shining brightly on their faces.
“It looks like the competition will be intense.” When I made my way out, I spotted Crystal and the others. It was a huge group of people, including Lyle, Wendy, and the entire Tanner family. They were all surrounding Crystal and grandiosely sauntering in my direction.
We met head-on, and Crystal acted as though she had seen an interesting toy. She immediately came forward and greeted me, “Oh, it’s you, Yvonne? I heard you’ve recently turned unemployed. Why are you here? Don’t tell me you’re here to find a job? This place doesn’t seem to have any suitable jobs for you here.”
Right on the heels of that, Yvette added, “Yvonne, stop pestering Lyle. He’s doing great with Yvette now, and they even have a child on the way. Everyone will be troubled if you continue harassing him shamelessly, so why make yourself a nuisance?”
“You’re such a shameless woman, Yvonne Tanner! I just knew you’re still hounding my son! You’d better stay away from us, or I’d rip your face to ribbons!” Wendy shielded Lyle behind her as though she was a hen protecting her chick. Puffing up her chest, she lifted her chin and looked at me disdainfully.
Damn it! I must have forgotten to consult my daily horoscope before leaving home today. While I have no inkling what the hell they’re doing here, I certainly wouldn’t have come if I’d known that they would be here.
I took a gander at Nathan, only to be greeted by the sight of him standing beside Scarlett with his arms crossed and an indifferent expression on his face. He regarded me as a complete stranger. Oh, that’s right. I am an outsider, after all.
“This art gallery is a public space. Can’t I be here when the lot of you are here? When did the Tanner family have such great power?” I retorted through gritted teeth.
“Who knows what ulterior motive brought you here? What a skank! I just saw you entering the movies with a man a few days ago, acting all intimate with him. Can’t you do something else besides seducing men? You’ve thoroughly humiliated the Tanner family!” Natalie sneered.
Good grief! She’s really blind. I went to the movies with such a recognizable person as Christopher, yet she actually didn’t recognize him and took him as some lowly man!
Just then, someone suddenly shoved me. As I stumbled forward, I so happened to fall right into Lyle’s arms…
