?strongChapter 81:/strong

“How on earth did you wind up back here in the master bedroom?”

Carrie, who had vomited and subsequently passed out, retained no recollection of the night’s events.

She threw off the covers and stood up, challenging Willow’s interrogation. “This is my bedroom. What’s stopping me from returning to it?”

Willow responded with a scornful smirk. “Well, it’s because Mr. Norris gave me specific instructions. He arrived homest night, handed you over to my care, and insisted I clean you up and sequester you in the guest room, dering he didn’t want you sullying his space. I made sure you were asleep before I left. I never anticipated you’d slip back here. Trying to keep up with you is exhausting.”

Carrie froze, a sharp pang of realization piercing through her, from her fingertips straight to her heart.

Once more, she found herself caught in her own foolishness. Despite the ring truth before her, she had woven fantasies of him looking after her throughout the night.

Indeed, when she had been feverish and unconscious before, he had shown no concern. Why would he bother now, just because she was drunk?

She struggled to suppress the agony that threatened to overwhelm her, reassuring herself that this lesson was necessary. It steered clear of any potentialplications and avoided the difort of a possible encounter today.

Maybe, given enough time, the lingering ember in her heart would extinguish, never to be rekindled by a passing whisper of emotion.

Once Willow had exited the room, Carrie revitalized herself, gathered her belongings, and left.

Upon stepping outside, she immediately checked her phone, noticing a barrage of missed calls from Camille.

Right as she was about to return the call, Camille rang again.

“Carrie, is everything okay? Yesterday, when the driver arrived to pick you up, the staff at Oasis Club informed him you had left with someone else. I’ve been trying to find out who it was, but they’re tight-lipped! If you hadn’t picked up today, I was on the verge of calling the police!”

Touched by her friend’s concern, Carrie bit back her grievances and responded with a hint of resignation. “I bumped into Kristopherst night and, in the confusion, thought he was just another gigolo. He ended up taking me to Bayview Vi.” Realizing Carrie was safe at home, Camille’s tension eased, her curiosity piqued by the intriguing revtion. “You thought he was a gigolo? Did anything happen between you two?”

Carrie reflexively dismissed the idea. “No, absolutely nothing happened. How could anything happen? I ended up vomiting all over his car, and all he did was drop me off at home before leaving.”

Yet, the brief intimate moment haunted her, stirring a sense of unease within her…

Surely, a kiss that was never fully realized didn’t really count as something significant, did it?

Camille, failing to pick up on the shift in Carrie’s voice and feeling somewhat guilty herself, remarked with a cheerful tone, “Why don’t we go shopping and grab some lunch today? I promise, no bars. Just aid-back day for the two of us. What do you say? Meet at Evergreen za?”

With no other ns in mind, Carrie consented. “Alright, see you at Evergreen za soon.”

Unbeknownst to Carrie, Willow had been covertly watching her.

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