Love Is a Sweet Addiction

“Hen-pecked?”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“No, I will miss you.” Esther held Terence by the arm and walked to the door with him. She smiled and urged, “Hurry up, or you will be late for work.”

“Then, see you.” Terence raised his hand and rubbed Esther on her head habitually. Then, he turned around and walked downstairs.

Esther watched Terence disappear from the staircase. Then, she turned around to return to her room.

Right then, Esther saw a familiar figure, so the smile on her face faded. Esther glanced at the woman before her. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

The corners of Anne’s mouth curled up into a sneer. Then, Ann said, “I didn’t know that your relationship with Mr. Terence was so intimate.”

“Not so intimate as yours with Mr. Terence.” Esther smiled at Anne. Then, Esther pushed the door of her room open.

Instantly, Anne stepped forward and blocked Esther’s way.

This move startled Esther. She took a step back instinctively and glanced at Anne. “What are you doing? Both of us are pregnant, so it is not suitable for us to be so close to each other, isn’t it? That either of us gets hurt does nobody good.”

Anne squinted at Esther and said coldly, “Since you are good with Terence and bearing his child, why do you still entangle with James upon your arrival? What do you want?”

Esther’s return upset Anne because she couldn’t bring the child in her belly into the world. Meanwhile, she did not know how to retain James without this child.

Anne thought, ‘James will fall for Esther again if she uses some tricks now.

I can see that James is interested in Esther again because of the separation. It is said that the best thing is what one can’t get…’

Esther was speechless. “Anne, let me make one thing clear. It is James who pesters me, and I don’t want to get entangled with him at all. Please talk with your man, and tell him not to appear in front of me again.”

Anne didn’t know how to talk back. Then, she gritted her teeth and said, “If you don’t seduce him, will he do so?”

“Anne!” Esther was furious. “Who is the bitch seducing my ex-boyfriend? You know better than me. Because I am not interested in James anymore, I forgive you and even feel indebted to you for taking such a good man away from me. However, don’t go too far as every man has his breaking point.”

Esther didn’t understand why Anne could be so shameless to accuse the victim and warn her to stay away from James again and again.

When Esther found out about the affairs between James and Anne, she didn’t ask Anne to leave James but broke up with James without hesitation. How ridiculous Anne was now!

Anne didn’t admit her faults but warned Esther stubbornly, “No matter what happened in the past, now I am married to James and bear his child, so please stay away from him. Otherwise, I will not let you off easily.”

“You are right. We are married and bear children. I love Terence very much. Therefore, please keep an eye on your husband, Miss Anne, and don’t let him disturb me again. Thank you!” Without hesitation, Esther entered the room and left the furious Anne behind.

Glaring at the door that Esther had shut, Anne gnashed her teeth in hatred and thought, “James doesn’t listen to me at all. It doesn’t matter because I will make James hate your guts again.

I succeeded once, and there will be a second time.

…

Terence had promised to go home as early as possible. However, it was his first day to work after his return to City R, so he went home late that night.

Terence said over the phone that he still had work to do, and no further explanation followed. Then, he told Esther to have an early night.

Sensible, Esther didn’t ask any questions. She knew that men didn’t like to be interfered with by women or being controlled, especially Terence.

At night, the cook prepared chicken soup for both Anne and Esther. Esther went downstairs and found that the servants pointed at her and discussed Terence’s identity stealthily.

Esther even heard a servant say in an extremely sympathetic tone, “At the risk of being a widow in the future, Ethers managed to marry the sick Mr. Terence and became his wife. However, she didn’t know Mr. Terence was a fake Gibson till now. How poor she is!”

Esther didn’t take these rumors seriously. She walked to the dining table silently, sat down, and drank her chicken soup.

She was pregnant now. For the baby in her belly, she would drink chicken soup anyway.

When she drank half a bowl of the soup, Anne’s mocking voice came from behind her. “Elisa, you did prepare Auntie the chicken soup. Won’t it be a waste of our food if her child isn’t a Gibson?”

Elisa looked at Esther awkwardly and said, “It was Mrs. Gibson who asked me to do so.”

“Oh, I see.” Anne nodded, sat down in the seat opposite Esther, and drank her chicken soup slowly.

Esther finished her soup quickly. During the process, she did not lift her eyelids or shoot a glance at Anne. Then, she went straight back to her room.

Perhaps because of the bad weather, it was exceptionally quiet in the Gibson’s tonight.

Outside the window, the rain would pour down at any second. Esther sat on the bed and could not help sending Terence a message. “Terence, it’s going to rain. Be careful, and don’t catch a cold.”

Terence replied in time, which was rare. “Don’t worry, I have a car and an umbrella.”

“Great,” Esther replied with a smile.

She was used to waiting for Terence to come home at night even if they slept in different rooms. Esther wouldn’t feel relieved till she heard the sound made by Terence’s car.

Terence was late tonight, so the sound of his car had not come yet. Esther was so tired that she dozed.

Suddenly, a noise outside the window woke Esther up.

Instinctively, Esther considered this noise another threat, which she had gone through before. Therefore, she sat up on the bed, stared at the looming shadow outside the window gauze, and tried hard to distinguish whether the noise was made by humans or the wind.

Esther thought, ‘Another weird sign? Why does this always happen? Is there a culprit? Am I oversensitive?

If someone does so deliberately… Again and again! I am fed up with these little tricks if he isn’t.’

She bit her lip, got out of bed, found a flashlight, and went straight to the French window. Then, she pulled the window gauze aside and walked out of the room.