Niamh bit her lip as tears brimmed in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, silly. Aren’t I recovering right now?” Kendrick wiped Niamh’s tears away gently. “Don’t cry anymore, okay?”
Kendrick’s words of comfort did not stop Niamh’s tears from falling.
It hurt her to think of how the man had suffered through the hellish torment over those six months.
Seeing Niamh’s tears flowing harder, Kendrick decided to go all the way and capture her lips in a kiss.
Stunned, Niamh found her sorrow slowly vanishing under Kendrick’s deepening kiss.
The waves crashed against the shore and washed away traces of their intertwined footsteps, but it could never wash away the gentle love they shared…
Standing by the hotel door with a glass of red wine in hand, the woman stared at the romantic scene on the beach a distance away before she curled her red lips and downed the glass.
Her gaze lingered for a few more moments on the man embracing Niamh before she turned back to the terrace. She was no longer interested in watching them kiss.
At the hotel suite.
It was already midnight.
Upon returning from the beach, both Kendrick and Niamh went straight to bed.
Sleep refused to come to him and the man sat up, looking down at the small woman deep in sleep by his side. He lifted his hand to caress Niamh’s cheek.
“I’m sorry I lied to you, Nia.”
Kendrick furrowed his brows in frustration before he leaned down to kiss Niamh’s lips.
At that moment, his phone vibrated and he was notified of a text message.
Kendrick’s instincts told him that it would be bad news.
He reached out to take his phone to read the message and his eyes darkened at its contents.
After reading the contents of the message, Kendrick looked up to glance at Niamh.
Afraid to disturb her sleep, he lifted the covers lightly and got off the bed.
Just as Kendrick slipped on his slippers to leave, he heard Niamh murmuring his name, “Kendrick.”
Kendrick halted and turned around guiltily. When he realized that Niamh was only sleep talking, he let out a sigh of relief. However, guilt bubbled in his chest.
‘Nia.
‘I’m sorry.
‘I’ll come back to you once I deal with this.’
Kendrick promised silently before pulling on his wind blazer. With light steps, he left the suite.
The hotel’s terrace was empty and silent now that the party had already come to an end.
Kendrick walked inside to see a woman sitting by the bar.
Under the faint yellow street lamps, the woman could be seen holding a glass of wine and casually sipping on it. Her purple curls were splayed over her smooth shoulders, and her curvy figure looked more alluring under the lights.
Even so, Kendrick was not interested in admiring such a beauty. He made his way to stand behind the woman and spoke calmly, “I never thought we’d meet again, Shirley.”
The woman, Shirley, paused mid-drink and placed her glass down before flicking a lock of her dense curls. Then, she turned around completely.
The street lamps shone on her slightly intoxicated face, giving it a more enchanting tint.
In her heels, the woman slowly walked toward Kendrick and reached over to touch his face. However, Kendrick quickly avoided her.
“Don’t fool around.”
“How is this fooling around?” The woman quirked her lips into an amorous smile. “Did you forget those six months, Kendrick? About the numerous times we ‘fooled around’?”
She reached out to place a hand on Kendrick’s shoulder as she spoke.
Kendrick grabbed the woman’s wrist coldly and pushed her away.
“I see you as my friend, Shirley. But if you don’t want to be friends, I don’t mind being strangers the next time we meet.”
Kendrick stated his ground, his firm voice leaving no space for negotiations.
“I’m grateful that you gave me a chance to return to the woman I love the most, but gratefulness is all there is. I don’t feel anything else for you.”
“But I do. I have feelings for you.” The woman arched her brows bewitchingly. “I’ve been looking for you ever since you left without saying goodbye last time. I can’t forget your warmth, your scent, and your—”
“Shirley,” Kendrick frowned icily as he interrupted. His gaze was determined and scorching. “I already have someone I love. I will not love another but my wife for the rest of my life.”
“Your wife? Ha.” The woman scoffed disdainfully. “Your wife is indeed a gorgeous woman. I’m sure there are plenty of men who fancy her, aren’t there?”
Kendrick’s gaze darkened as displeasure bled from his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing much.” The woman waved her hand while she looked at Kendrick, seemingly intrigued. “You seem to have recovered a lot. It appears that Adam is indeed more skilled than me. He actually came up with a reagent to dispel the poison. Hmm, I suppose their deaths were not for naught.”
The woman sneered as a thick layer of hatred tinted her eyes. Even so, there was an interesting spark that ignited in her eyes for Kendrick.
“You can always look for me if you need me, Kendrick. I’ll be there the moment you call.”
“Never,” Kendrick replied curly, “ Please wake up.”
Kendrick turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk away, he vaguely caught a familiar face in his line of vision.
“Nia?”
Kendrick’s heart lurched as the figure turned and ran not too far away. He quickly chased after her.
On the other hand, Jennifer watched gleefully as Kendrick panicked. Then, she turned back to the bar and picked up her glass again.
She swirled the liquid in her glass and scoffed indignantly.
“There’s no way I’ll lose to you, Adam. Did you think you’d really be able to save Kendrick? Hmph. There’s no way I’ll let you stick your hand in my experiment subject!”
Kendrick ran from the terrace all the way back to the hotel’s entrance but he suddenly lost sight of Niamh.
He was worried that Niamh would get the wrong idea after what she heard from their conversation. Not to mention that it was midnight and Niamh was in a strange setting. Kendrick was scared that Niamh would get lost.
He quickly returned to the suite. Seeing the empty bed, Kendrick felt his heart sink deeper.
He took out his phone to search for Niamh’s location. Just as he was about to walk to the entrance, he heard the sound of water running coming from the bathroom.
Kendrick’s footsteps came to a sudden halt as he looked up to see Niamh squinting blearily while walking out of the bathroom.
Dressed in a loose sleeping gown, it did not look like she had left the room at all.
“Where did you go, Kendrick? I thought you went to the bathroom,” Niamh mumbled as she walked toward the man drowsily. She then leaned into his chest adorably.
Kendrick quickly raised his hands to hug Niamh back as his heart thumped erratically.
“I was a little hungry so I went to eat something at the restaurant.” Kendrick could not help but lie.
Niamh did not suspect him and buried her head into Kendrick’s broad chest intimately as she spoke coquettishly, “Are you done eating, then? Come back to bed with me. I’m sleepy.”
“Alright. I’ll come with you.” Kendrick then bridal-carried Niamh to the bed. Taking off his jacket, he got in bed as well.
Just as he lay down, Niamh burrowed into his arms. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
Kendrick’s heart felt sweet but it was even more so remorseful. He placed a peck on the space between her brows and whispered, “Goodnight, Nia.”
Niamh smiled sweetly and contently before she fell comfortably asleep in Kendrick’s warm embrace.
Kendrick did not think too much either. Tightening his arms around her, he held his beloved to sleep…
Morning came.
Niamh woke naturally from her dreams and saw Kendrick still asleep. She pecked his cheek before she got up to get ready. She called for breakfast.
By the time Kendrick woke, the server had arrived with their breakfast.
With the cooling breeze, Niamh and Kendrick enjoyed their breakfast lazily on the open balcony in their suite.
Niamh placed the bacon from her plate onto Kendrick’s. “Eat more, or you’ll get hungry again later.”
Kendrick paused in memory of what happened yesterday and reined his thoughts back before smiling. “I have enough to eat, Nia. You should eat more though, you’re too skinny.”
He brought the bacon right to Niamh’s mouth to feed her.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.