Love Died on Valentine's Day novel Chapter 3

Manuela didn't return to the bedroom until late at night.

She thought I was asleep. She gently lifted the blanket and lay down beside me.

Within half a minute, the screen of her phone lit up.

The light illuminated her flushed face and silly grin.

She turned her head and called me twice. Seeing I didn’t respond, she quickly got up, put on a robe, and went out.

The sound of the door closing echoed. I slowly opened my eyes, went to the window, and saw a black SUV parked downstairs. A young man in a white T-shirt and jeans was leaning against the car.

Manuela quickly ran out and threw herself into his arms without hesitation.

The two of them, dry wood meeting a raging fire, couldn’t even wait to find a place and embraced right there by the car.

They tangled for a while, then the man opened the back door. Manuela climbed in, followed by the man.

The light inside the car flickered on and off.

I tortured myself by smoking one cigarette after another, staring at that car until they finished.

Not long after, Manuela pushed the door open and walked in. The satisfied look on her face hadn’t faded yet. When she saw me standing by the window balcony, smoking, she was so startled she almost screamed.

She panicked, stammering, "H-honey, you’re not asleep yet?"

I turned around and, using the streetlight outside, scrutinized the blush on her face. "Yeah, I was a little thirsty, so I went to get some water, then I felt like smoking, so I had one."

Seeing that I was so calm, Manuela’s heart settled. She walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist.

She traced circles on my chest. “You were standing out here smoking. Did you see anything?”

“What do you want me to see?”

Manuela stiffened, her movements halting. Seeing her like this, I chuckled. "Of course it was pitch black. It’s the middle of the night. What else could someone be doing outside, besides robbery or adultery?"

She relaxed. She wrapped her arms around my neck and jumped on the opportunity to change the subject. "Honey, we haven’t been intimate for days. Let me make it up to you tonight.”

Her delicate hand slipped into my pajama top and began to slide down. My stomach churned. I grabbed her hand, said casually, “I just smoked, so I’m worried about the smoke getting on you. Sleep now."

Manuela looked disappointed, fell back onto the bed, and, having been recently satiated, soon fell asleep, snoring softly.

I lay in bed, unable to sleep, and stared at the ceiling until dawn.