Chapter 44: I feel so hot
Mariam had just finished preparing the bed when she stepped into the hallway—only to freeze at the sight of Daniel striding toward her, Anna cradled firmly in his arms.
The moment Anna caught sight of the housekeeper, her eyes widened theatrically.
"Mariam!" she shrieked, her voice echoing down the corridor. "Help me—your master is kidnapping me!"
The old woman blinked, utterly speechless.
"..."
Anna wriggled in Daniel’s hold, her words growing louder, more dramatic, as if she were the heroine of some tragic play. "Save me! He’s taking me against my will!"
Mariam nearly dropped to her knees, torn between horror and disbelief.
But Daniel didn’t so much as glance at her. His jaw was tight, his steps unwavering as he carried Anna straight into the bedroom.
Before Mariam could even gather her wits, the door shut with a heavy thud, cutting off both Anna’s cries and her own rising panic.
The silence that followed only made Mariam’s pulse quicken.
"Madam, what have you done..." Mariam whispered under her breath, pressing her trembling hands together as if in prayer. With one last worried glance at the closed door, she quietly slipped away.
***
Inside the room, Daniel strode in with heavy steps and dropped Anna onto the bed. She bounced once against the mattress before quickly pushing herself upright, swaying but defiant, as though ready to fight him.
Her lips parted, a retort already forming, but Daniel’s voice cut in—sharp, controlled, and edged with irritation.
"Don’t you dare say a word. Sit down where you are, Anna."
His annoyance wasn’t born of her drunken state—no, that he could have tolerated. What clawed at him was the fact that she had chosen to get drunk with someone else. That she would rather celebrate with people she barely knew, than with the man who was supposed to be her husband.
For once—just once—he wanted Anna to share her secrets with him, to let him into her world, to choose him.
But no.
Instead, she kept him at arm’s length, hiding her motives, keeping him in the dark, and giving her laughter to others while leaving him only silence.
His jaw tightened as he looked at her, his eyes stormy with everything he couldn’t say.
"How dare you scold me, Daniel Clafford? D-did you forget I told you I won’t obey you?" Anna slurred, ignoring the way his eyes burned into her.
She was drunk, yes—but when it came to defying him, her head was crystal clear.
Daniel’s lips curled into a dry scoff. "Obey? Since when have you ever obeyed me?" His voice cut like steel. "Look at yourself—does the lady of this house get drunk and stumble home like this?"
His words struck harder than he intended, and for a flicker of a moment, Anna’s bravado wavered. She tilted her head, glancing down at herself—the wrinkled dress, the flushed face, the mess she was in compared to how she once carried herself.
Her lips pressed into a pout, as though conceding her defeat without saying a word.
Daniel exhaled sharply and turned away. He scoffed at her silence, but beneath it, his chest tightened. No matter how furious she made him, he couldn’t just leave her like this.
Shrugging off his suit jacket, he tossed it onto the couch. His fingers worked quickly, rolling up his sleeves, loosening his tie. He was still seething, but the thought of her sleeping reeking of alcohol was unbearable. He was already heading toward the bathroom when a knock interrupted.
With a clipped sigh, he changed direction and pulled the door open.
Kira stood there, head slightly bowed, a glass of honey water in her hand.
"Give it to me," Daniel said at once, stepping into the doorway, his broad frame deliberately blocking her view of the room.
Kira blinked, caught off guard, but quickly offered the glass. For a fleeting second, she thought she glimpsed something unusual—relief softening Daniel’s hard features.
But just as he turned to go, her voice called after him.
"Master."
He stilled, his head turning slightly as her hand slipped into her pocket. She pulled out a card, holding it delicately between her fingers.
"Madam dropped this when she rushed out this morning," Kira lied smoothly, her eyes downcast in feigned innocence. "I thought it best to return it."
Daniel’s gaze lingered on her for a long moment before shifting to the card. Finally, without a word, he took it from her hand.
Kira’s chest fluttered with satisfaction. For once, she felt certain she had planted the seed she wanted.
But her triumph shattered in the next second when Daniel turned away and shut the door firmly in her face, leaving her standing in the corridor with nothing but silence.
"..."
Kira’s nails dug into her palm, her smile slipping as the weight of rejection stung once again.
Daniel slipped the card into his pocket without a second thought, but when his eyes lifted, the sight before him left him frozen.
"I feel... so hot," Anna mumbled, fumbling at the hem of her top. Her clumsy fingers tugged, trying to peel the fabric away, her body swaying unsteadily.
A shaky breath escaped Daniel’s lips before he caught himself. In two strides, he was at her side.
"What are you doing?" His voice came rough, sharper than intended. He caught her wrists, pushing her hands gently but firmly away. "Leave it."
She looked up at him then, eyes glassy with drink, and her expression shifted in an instant—from confusion to a flash of irritation.
Daniel ignored it, instead lowering himself to one knee before her. He lifted the glass of honey water Kira had brought. "Here," he said evenly, "drink this. You’ll feel better."
Anna narrowed her eyes at the offering, suspicion clouding her drunken haze.
"Don’t worry," Daniel added dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I haven’t poisoned it. Not yet."
That earned him a blink, and slowly—reluctantly—she relaxed, reaching clumsily for the glass.
"Tch. Let me." Daniel steadied her chin with one hand and tipped the glass to her lips, helping her drink.
She squinted up at him, muttering something under her breath, but still drained the glass until it was empty.
It was the first time Daniel had ever seen Anna obey him without a fight. Oddly enough, the small act left a quiet sense of relief settling in his chest.
When she finished, he set the glass aside and rose to his feet. "I’ll get a towel. You need to be cleaned up."
But just as he turned, a small, warm hand closed around his wrist, halting him.
"Why are you being so kind to me, Daniel?"
Her voice was soft, almost fragile, but laced with doubt that pierced through his composure. He looked down at her flushed face, her hazy eyes staring at him as though searching for answers.
For a moment, he didn’t breathe.
Then Anna clicked her tongue, her lips curving into a humorless chuckle. "Still... I’ll divorce you. The moment I achieve my dreams, I’ll throw those papers in your face. I won’t let you keep me tied to you."
The words landed like a slap, sharp and merciless, shattering whatever fragile calm had begun to form.
Daniel stood frozen, her drunken vow reverberating in his chest like a cruel echo. For a moment, he could only stare at her, the weight of her promise—’I’ll divorce you’—settling over him like ice. His jaw tightened, words pressing against the back of his throat, aching to be spoken.
But before he could say anything, Anna let out a soft huff, her grip slipping from his wrist. She toppled backward onto the bed, limbs sprawled carelessly, and within seconds the steady rhythm of her snores filled the room.