CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 338: FORBIDDEN THOUGHTS

In the car, the driver was driving, and Simon Rhodes held Susan Wilde in the back seat.

Perhaps it was due to motion sickness. Susan had been quietly drunk in the private room for such a long time but ended up throwing up on Simon’s chest shortly after getting in the car.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and cautiously asked, "...Are you okay, boss?"

Simon just slightly furrowed his brow, pulling tissues to wipe as he said, "It’s fine."

Even though the driver drove very steadily, Simon hadn’t finished cleaning up when Susan vomited on the seat again.

He took a deep breath, simply holding her body to keep her from swaying and bumping into the car door.

"Ugh—"

Hearing Susan gag again, Simon gently patted her back with his hand.

"Ugh—"

Reflexively, he caught her vomit with his hand, only frowning slightly. More than disgust for the vomit, his eyes were filled with sympathy for Susan’s discomfort.

Seeing that Shawn had already brought her to such situations to be mistreated by other men, he couldn’t stand idly by in their "marital" issues.

Holding onto the title of her husband, yet doing nothing but causing her harm.

This made his determination to take Susan away from Shawn even stronger.

The car finally came to a smooth halt. Simon opened the car door, ignoring any distaste, as both he and she smelled sour.

"Go get the car cleaned," Simon instructed before leaving.

Carrying Susan back to the room, he directly placed her in the bathtub.

He looked at her, then at himself, unsure whom to clean up first.

She was in no condition to bathe herself, and he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation.

Knowing she had a good relationship with Shannon Quinn, but Shannon was pregnant, so she couldn’t be asked for help, he thought of Erin Bishop.

Not having her number, he called Zane Rhodes.

Zane was at a nearby bar with Erin, having a good time. Driving over would just take a few minutes.

Erin walked in and asked, "Where’s Susan?"

Simon replied, "In the bathroom."

As Erin walked toward the bathroom, she asked in confusion, "What on earth is going on? How did Susan end up at your place?"

Simon said, "It’s a long story."

Erin entered the bathroom and saw Susan lying in the bathtub, muttering, "Is she heartbroken or something? She doesn’t normally drink, did she go binge drinking?"

Simon replied, "It’s a long story. Help her wash up first, I’ll find some clothes."

Erin remarked, "Oh my, did she crawl out of a dumpster? She’s a mess."

Though she complained, Erin closed the bathroom door and proceeded to clean Susan up.

"Mr. Rhodes, please help hold her, I can’t lift her," Erin called out to the door after finishing the wash.

Sitting on the sofa chatting with Zane, Simon immediately got up, came in, and carried Susan out.

"Should I take her home?" Erin asked.

Simon’s steps paused as he headed toward the bedroom, saying, "Let her stay here tonight; she’s too drunk for anyone to care for her properly."

Erin trusted that Simon wouldn’t do anything to Susan, given that she was drunk and he didn’t even dare to bathe her, not to mention doing anything else inappropriate.

Erin believed in Simon’s character.

"Then we’ll leave now, our friends are still waiting for us."

Simon nodded and smiled, "Thank you both."

"It’s you taking care of this little drunkard that’s the trouble, Mr. Rhodes. Oh, it would have been better if Susan had married you in the first place; none of this would have happened."

Simon smiled without saying a word, and Erin seemed to mention it casually as she changed her shoes and left with Zane.

The room quieted down, and Simon looked down at the woman in his arms.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled again.

He thought to himself: it would’ve been better if Susan had married him.

He laid her on the bed, letting her head hang slightly off the side, took out the hairdryer, and ran his fingers through her damp hair, gently drying it.

He still missed her long hair from before.

After drying her hair, he laid her body flat on the bed.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, her little face was flushed, and she looked adorably silly.

Seeing the scar on her forehead that hadn’t healed, it felt like something was tightly gripping his heart.

He wanted to treat her well but didn’t have the proper identity to do so.

He couldn’t bear to see her get hurt by Shawn anymore. He wanted to protect her at all costs, regardless of his identity or reputation, just to keep her safe.

In the early morning, Susan awoke on a soft and comfortable big bed.

The smell of rosemary incense felt familiar, and she took in her surroundings, her memories overlapping.

She thought she was back in that big rainstorm night when she couldn’t go home.

Upon thinking carefully, she recalled everything from last night.

It seemed she owed him another favor.

She lifted the blanket and got out of bed to find that all her clothes had been changed.

She paused for a moment, too lazy to pursue who changed them for her.

She pushed open the bedroom door and went out, hearing sounds coming from the kitchen.

Silently, she stood by the kitchen door, watching Simon Rhodes preparing breakfast with his back to her.

At that moment, a wrong thought crossed her mind, fleeting yet rendering her lost in thought for a long while.

"Awake? Feeling unwell anywhere?"

Watching him, Susan shook her head but said, "A bit dizzy."

Simon asked, "Do you know how much you drank last night?"

Susan didn’t reply.

Simon said, "Go freshen up, breakfast will be ready soon."

Susan went to the bathroom. The new toiletries were placed conspicuously, making her appreciate Simon even more.

Compared to him, she realized how much she had overestimated Owen Bellamy, the person she loved to no end.

While she was with Owen, it seemed she was the one who had to compromise in the relationship.

Every time they quarreled, he rarely put aside his pride to comfort her.

She once endured a cold war for a week but eventually couldn’t hold back and approached him, coaxing him not to be angry anymore.

Thinking back now, during those cold spells, he probably wasn’t sulking with her but busy with other women.

For him, those cold wars were probably like a holiday.

When they were together, he sometimes bought her small gifts.

Those times she was too easily satisfied; even when he brought her a cup of bubble tea after work, she felt it was his way of being kind to her.

"Don’t dawdle, hurry up and finish washing, breakfast is ready." He knocked on the bathroom door, urging.

Susan pulled her thoughts back, washed her face, tidied her hair a bit, and walked out.