[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603221FDDD1-72":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},72,4,"Chapter 4: \"I Was Just Dealing With Hailey.\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That night, Everett Harrison and I slept in separate rooms for the first time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I sat on the edge of the sprawling, empty bed, the silence pressing down on me. I suddenly remembered what he had told me on our wedding day. He had been so firm about it: even if we fought, we would never sleep in separate rooms. To him, if a disagreement survived the night, it meant the relationship had developed a crack that could never be repaired. He wouldn't allow it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I quietly turned off the light.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Deep into the night, I felt a hand reach out toward me. Warm breath brushed against my neck, carrying a desperate, wheedling undertone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Can you forgive me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I lay still, letting him hold me while my eyes remained fixed on the window.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why did you come in?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Everett scooted closer, his voice thick with sleep and apology. \"We don't go to bed angry. I didn't forget that.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A single tear hit the pillowcase. I had made up my mind, hadn't I? So why did the sound of his voice, that single reminder of his rules, make me hesitate?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Behind me, Everett continued to whisper his excuses.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evelyn, I was just so wound up by that little brat Hailey today. That’s why I was in such a bad mood, and why I completely forgot to get you a gift.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My heart gave a sharp, familiar throb. I asked, keeping my voice as casual as I could manage.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What happened with Hailey?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It wasn't my imagination—his voice suddenly sparked with life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She messed up a critical set of contracts. I gave her a piece of my mind, and instead of taking it, she caught an attitude. She was sobbing and throwing a tantrum, and in the end, I was the one who had to go and soothe her. It’s exhausting, honestly.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Mid-sentence, Everett seemed to realize he might be crossing a line. He scrambled to backtrack, his tone turning brittle and hollow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Honey, you know there’s nothing going on between me and Hailey.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I rolled over, staring up at the ceiling.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Right. I know. Otherwise, you never would have married me, would you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The hand he had resting on my waist pulled back, retreating inch by slow inch. He let out a low murmur, a sound thick with a strange, lingering regret.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah. In the end, I married you.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272927285]