Chapter 24: CLEAN UP

I followed her at a slow pace, stepping onto the tiled kitchen floor. My eyes immediately landed on the stovetop. There was a blackened, charred mass sitting right over the burners, a heavily burnt sketchbook. Wow. Hubert didn’t just tell her to burn it; the bastard must have thrown it right onto the stovetop burners before he stormed out.

I knelt down beside her and picked up the ruined book, flipping through the crispy, ash-flaking edges. Near the very back, I found a single page that had somehow escaped the flames completely untouched.

I crouched lower right next to Sarah, holding the page open so she could see it. She slowly lowered her hands from her face, her tear-stained eyes shifting from the floor to meet my gaze.

"Well," I said, looking down at the detailed illustration of an anime girl with massive breasts. "Gotta say, this is actually pretty awesome."

"No..." she exhaled, her voice incredibly hollow. "My hobby just completely ruined a marriage... a mere fucking drawing did this..."

"Hey, don’t do that," I said, my voice dropping into a firm, reassuring tone. "A hobby doesn’t destroy a relationship, Sarah. This isn’t about a piece of paper. This is about his massive ego and his need for control. A real partner doesn’t burn the things you love just because he doesn’t understand them."

I placed a steady hand on her bare shoulder, both of us still crouched tightly together on the kitchen floor. Ugh, guess I had to lighten her mood up.

"Tell you what... mind if I borrow this book for absolutely no reason at all tonight? I didn’t pay my internet bill this month, so, you know... it’d really help a guy out."

Sarah’s eyes widened instantly. Her crying stopped dead.

Shit. Did I push it too far? I just wanted to break the tension.

Then, a faint, low chuckle escaped her lips. The chuckle grew louder, bubbling up into a genuine laugh until she finally lost her balance and sat all the way down on her seat right there on the kitchen tile. I let out a light laugh too, sliding down beside her. We both leaned our backs against the lower kitchen cabinets, the sharp smell of burnt paper still lingering heavy in the air.

"You... seriously have the absolute worst timing in the world..." she chuckled, her laughter slowly fading out. She turned her head, looking straight at me.

"Yeah..." I murmured, leaning in just a fraction, my gaze locking onto hers. "I know."

Her smile vanished completely, and so did mine. The playful atmosphere evaporated, replaced by an intense, heavy silence. Our faces were literally inches apart, her soft breaths falling against my lips. Was it finally happening? A kiss? Fuck yes.

We were both leaning. Not just me. Both. Fucking-A!

Suddenly, the system interface flared to life right between us, dazzling my vision with a stark, neon notification.

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MAJOR OPPORTUNITY DETECTED

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[SUGGESTED DIALOGUE]

"I’m sorry, Sarah. But unlike

Hubert, I care about you. You

are stressed, can’t think straight.

I wouldn’t want to take advantage

of you."

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COST: 20 Lust

EST. GAIN: 300SP

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Are you fucking kidding me? The system was literally cuck-blocking me right at the finish line. But... if playing the long game meant securing the absolute maximum payout, I had to swallow my impulse. I was going to turn down the kiss.

"I’m sorry, Sarah." I stopped leaning in, breaking the magnetic pull between us. I reached up, gently placing the tip of my finger right under her chin to keep her looking at me. "But unlike Hubert, I actually care about you. You’re incredibly stressed right now, and you can’t think straight. I wouldn’t ever want to take advantage of you like this."

The system pulsed violently, shifting the crimson numbers right before my eyes.

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 15% [▼%10]

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 100% [!]

> Threat: None

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Her eyes went completely wide, absolute shock washing over her features. She pulled back slightly, her gaze dropping down to focus on a loose piece of charred paper on the floor. She looked utterly stunned. To be honest, even I hadn’t expected to pull off a line like that, but seeing her reaction, I knew the system’s calculation was flawless. She felt entirely safe with me now.

"I’ll clean up," I said smoothly, pushing myself up to my feet. "The stovetop, the floor, all of it. Why don’t you go take a warm shower and just try to relax? I’ll be long gone before you get out, so don’t worry."

"Chance, I..." she started, her voice breaking with an entirely new wave of emotion.

"Ssh," I smiled warmly, extending a helping hand down to her. "Come on. Up you get."

She looked up at me, a shy, incredibly vulnerable smile touching her lips as she reached up and clasped my hand. "T-thank... thank you, Chance."

Yeah, well. Fucking whore. Thank you, too, for having such a monumental idiot for a husband.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎