Chapter 97: She Misunderstood

Melinda's cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, her rosy lips and delicate collarbone tugging at his heartstrings.

But tonight, he couldn't touch her. Instead, he decided to stay and take care of her.

He lay quietly beside Melinda, the darkness filled only with the sound of their intertwined breaths.

He reached out and gently wrapped his arm around her. His embrace was tender yet strong, giving Melinda an inexplicable sense of security.

"Melinda," he whispered softly, his voice full of affection, "don't worry, I'm here."

In the middle of the night, Melinda suddenly opened her eyes, groggily trying to get up to go to the bathroom, only to find her arm pinned down by someone.

She turned her head and blinked, seeing Raymond's face so close that it made her a bit dazed. How had she never noticed before how incredibly handsome Raymond was?

But then she exclaimed, "Raymond, what are you doing in my house?"

Raymond was startled awake by her shout. "You're awake!"

His deep voice was filled with tenderness. "Melinda, I was wrong. Please forgive me. I don't like Celestia, I like you."

Just as Raymond was about to move closer, Melinda suddenly felt a wave of nausea and couldn't help but retch.

The sudden change left Raymond stunned. He looked down at the woman in his arms, her face contorted in pain as she continued to vomit.

"Are you okay?" Raymond panicked, quickly patting her back to try to ease her discomfort.

Melinda just shook her head, indicating she was fine.

She felt a sudden urge to vomit, as if she needed to expel everything from her stomach to feel better.

Seeing her in such distress, Raymond's heart ached.

He quickly got up to fetch a towel and a glass of water, carefully wiping her mouth and cleaning up the mess.

After a while, Melinda finally felt a bit better.

She lay on the bed, looking extremely pale and weak.

Raymond sighed, thinking that if he hadn't used Celestia to provoke her, she wouldn't have gotten this drunk.

Melinda soon fell back into a deep sleep.

Raymond's white shirt was stained, so he took it off and threw it on the floor, putting on a hotel bathrobe instead. He sat on the sofa, his eyes never leaving her.

Melinda woke up again, groggily calling out, "Water... I need water..."

Hearing her voice, Raymond immediately jumped up from the sofa. He quickly walked

to the bed and brought the prepared warm water to her lips.

After drinking the water, Melinda suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest and falling back asleep.

Raymond couldn't help but smile at her.

He gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'll always be here with you."

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, hitting the bed. Melinda squinted against the light and slowly opened her eyes.

A white bathrobe?

Melinda was startled. She seemed to be holding onto someone. She instinctively looked up along the bathrobe...

She let go as if she had been shocked, exclaiming, "Why are you here?"

Last night, she remembered Delilah bringing her home. Why was she waking up with Raymond?

"Where's Ms. Lewis?" Melinda looked down at the bathrobe she was wearing. Her dress was gone.

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñe5s.com to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now!

Even worse, she realized she was wearing nothing but the bathrobe. "Who changed my clothes?"

"You threw up last night. The hotel maid helped you change," Raymond replied with a smile.

Melinda immediately crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him warily. "Then why are you in my room? Where did Ms. Lewis go?"

"This is a hotel. She went home," Raymond replied in a low voice.

"Why are you wearing a bathrobe?" Melinda noticed his bathrobe, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger.

She doubted whether Delilah had been there at all and whether Raymond had touched her bathrobe.

"You threw up all over me," Raymond reminded her, his tone tinged with helplessness.

Melinda's face heated up. She did remember vomiting, but she had no recollection of who she had thrown up on.

Though skeptical, she decided to believe him for now.

"I don't need you to take care of me. You can leave now," Melinda said coldly, turning her face away.

Raymond didn't move. He took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice, "Before I go, I want to explain what happened with Celestia these past few days."

"No need to explain. I'm not interested," Melinda refused without thinking. She got up, intending to find her bag.

However, Raymond reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into his arms.

"You..." Melinda's face turned red with anger. When would Raymond stop?

"You're not going anywhere until you hear my explanation," Raymond commanded, holding her tightly.

Melinda gritted her teeth. "Can I choose not to listen?"

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñe5s.com to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "No," Raymond said firmly, his eyes locking onto hers. "Then answer me this: why did you take Leo to drop off Sam at school? When you were flirting with him, did you ever think about me? When you were with him, did you even bother to answer my calls?" Melinda's mind went blank. How did he know she had taken Leo to drop off Sam? But she wondered, what did it matter to Raymond who she was with?

"So, the next day, I deliberately sent Celestia flowers, didn't clear up the rumors at work, showed up at the restaurant where you were eating, and even called you to my office to see the couple's bracelet I ordered."

Before she could respond, Raymond continued, his voice trembling slightly. Raymond's words felt like cold arrows piercing Melinda's heart, sending a chill through her.

She stared at Raymond in disbelief, as if seeing him for the first time. Raymond took a deep breath and continued, "I did all of that out of jealousy. When I saw you with Leo, I was so jealous I could barely stand it."

Melinda's lips trembled. She wanted to say something but found herself speechless. Raymond's words echoed in her mind, cutting deep into her heart.

"Did you give the couple's bracelet to someone?" After a long pause, Melinda finally found her voice, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. Raymond looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He gently flicked her forehead and said, "It's in my drawer. Come to my office tomorrow to get it." "What?" Melinda's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Raymond's deep eyes, feeling her heart race.

Raymond smiled meaningfully. "Who else but you could wear that bracelet?"

Melinda's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Raymond's affectionate gaze, feeling a sudden rush of emotion.

Her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. Raymond watched her shy reaction, feeling a surge of emotion.