Chapter 36
Chapter 36
'I don't love you anymore.'
After sending this text message, I felt relieved. I refused to think of those messy things anymore, and I didn't want to restrain myself from my past. I wanted to have a short-lived romance.
It didn't matter if it was out of pity.
As long as one spoiled me and made me feel what love was, I would accept it.
I put away my cell phone and strolled through the ancient town until night. As it was a remote place, when the town fell into darkness, there were not many people on the street. Truth was, it was a bit scary to travel here alone.
I quickly hailed a taxi and left. Then, I received a call from Merlin on the way.
He asked me with a deep voice, "Where are you, babe?"
Although I rarely got in touch with Merlin, I understood that he was a man that could easily make girls happy. When I spent time with him, he would take care of my feelings. That was why the first thing I did after coming to Eldham was to contact him. He was a playboy that wasn't stingy about love. Coincidentally, what I lacked the most currently was love.
If my life was limited, then I should indulge myself.
I looked outside the window and said, "I'm in a car."
"Is that so? Send me your live location."
Merlin was not a talkative person. After saying those words, he hung up the phone. I happened to see May send me a message. 'Where are you? I'm back in Bryxton to meet you.'
I typed back and said, 'I'm in Eldham.'
I asked the driver to stop halfway. After paying for the fare, I stood by the roadside waiting for Merlin.
It was cold in Eldham, so I tugged the coat closer to my body and played with my phone. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
May asked me, 'You are in which part of Eldham?'
I sent her a smiley emoji and asked, 'Why do you want to know?'
'You are alone and I am worried for you.'
She replied confidently. After some thinking, I sent her the location of the hotel.
Merlin quickly came, driving a black Bentley. The lights were so strong and were hurting my eyes that I had to block the ray with my hands. Then, Merlin got out of the car and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He jokingly asked, "Missed me?"
Nine years ago, Merlin and I had lost our loved ones in an air crash. When we went to claim the
corpses, I cried, heartbroken. Merlin, who was twenty years old, stood by the seashore with red eyes and said nothing.
The rescue team picked out a few bodies from the sea. However, they couldn't find the bodies of my parents and Merlin's mother's. In the end, we held the funerals on that crash site, and we would visit the site with Merlin every three years.
Merlin even attended my wedding. However, I didn't know about it at that time. Only after the wedding did he send me a message. 'Babe, you were beautiful in the wedding dress. I wish you a happy marriage.'
We had a special relationship.
He was the treasure that my parents left for me when they passed away.
He was a close friend whom I didn't meet much, but could be depended on and trusted.
I nestled in his embrace and didn't struggle. "Yes. I missed you so much."
Hearing this, he smiled brightly and said, "Me too. I heard that you died a few months ago. When I was going to send someone to investigate your death, you revived instead! Come on now, you made me worried!"
No one knew that I was a friend of Merlin Craig from Eldham. So, it was expected that no one would tell him about me. In addition, the man kept flying worldwide and was not interested in his home country's affairs.
I patiently explained everything to him. As he listened, he gradually tightened his arms around my shoulders. As if he had gone through the incident, he softly comforted me and said, "It's okay now. Trust me, babe. We have experienced too much death. God will never treat us cruelly anymore from now on."
I looked up at his firm chin and smiled. "True."
He raised his hand and touched my face gently. "Let's go," he murmured. "We'll have some fun soon."
He opened the car door for me. After I got into the car, I asked him, "Where are we going?"
He curled his lips at that. "Take a guess."
I spread my hands and asked helplessly, "I can never guess it."
Merlin closed the door and then went to the driver's seat. Then, he bent over to fasten my seat belt, but he sighed abruptly. "My dad scared a woman away from me some time ago."
I pointed out the facts and said, "You were not going to marry her either way."
Merlin was a womanizer, and he treated everyone tenderly. However, he was also ruthless. Once one proposed marriage to him, he would immediately break up with the woman even though they were lovey-dovey a second ago.
"What's good about marriage, anyway?" he countered, to which I instinctively replied, "It's nice to have a family—"
He squinted at me and said, "You divorced before you could do that."
Upon hearing that, I was at an utter loss of words.
At that point, I didn't want to talk to him anymore. He then drove me to the infamous red-light district in Eldham.
It was prosperous here, and the lights were bright. The people around the entrance looked like they were having a good time. Merlin took my hand and led me to a hall. On the stage, couples were dancing with enthusiasm.
The waiter brought us to a relatively secluded place, and Merlin ordered some wine. After the waiter left, he asked me with a smile, "Renee, have you not been to a place like this before?"
I shook my head and asked curiously, "How did you know?"
I was a prim and proper lady. Since I took over the family, I have had a simple life. After marrying Nicholas, I poured all my energy into him and my company. I had never set foot in a red-light district before.
"You look like a fish out of water, and you keep looking around with curiosity." After a pause, Merlin teased me, "Look at how nervous you are! It's alright; you can play to your heart's content as long as I'm here."
The wine chose that moment to arrive. Merlin popped open the bottle and handed it to me, but I waved my hand and refused. "I can't drink alcohol. I'm on medication and the doctor forbids me from drinking it. Don't mind me. I'll just watch you drink it."
Hearing this, Merlin quickly took the wine back and said, "I forgot."
His eyes flickered, and I could only guess if he had really forgotten about it.
He drank the bottle instead. Several women approached him when we were sitting around, but he declined. He held my hand and explained with a gentle smile, "Sorry, I'm with a woman now."
Those women sheepishly left. Laughing, I urged, "You can go with them."
Merlin chuckled, his handsome face full of tenderness.
"However, they're not as pretty as you."
I couldn't react to his flirtation.
He abruptly stood up and asked, "Renee, do you want to have a dance?"
I was not good at dancing, but he took my hand and led me to the stage just as I was about to say no. The stage was full of dancing couples, and I was uncomfortable as our bodies stuck together.
Putting his firm arms around my waist, Merlin said, "Dance and release your tension!"
At first, I thought I couldn't dance. However, I started to get into the groove with his encouragement. Merlin got livelier while dancing, and the black hair on his forehead fell on his face. At this moment, he was looking at me with bright eyes.
I couldn't help laughing. There was an unnoticeable sheen of sweat on my face, and I could feel a passion for life that I had never experienced before.
Someone cleared the stage for us. Merlin gradually let go of me. I was grooving along with the rhythm and staring at him while sweating profusely. Then, he slowly curled his lips and abruptly hugged my waist.
The very next moment, he had my lips sealed completely.