Chapter 9: I Want to Wear Her Nightgown

"Miss, I’m fine, it’s just that your picture frame seems to have broken..." The worker's apologetic voice pulled her back. Vivian Hale snapped out of her trance, staring at the photo on the floor, her pupils trembling. That was... She walked over and picked up the yellowed photograph. "It's alright. I'll just replace the glass and reframe it later."

It was a photo of her and Adrian Cross as children. She was wearing a floral dress, standing beside Adrian, who already wore a look of aloof pride despite his young age. Behind them was her most familiar sight: the villa's garden. Purple irises swayed gently in the breeze. Her pinky finger and Adrian's were tightly locked together.

Vivian’s chest felt tight as a complex web of emotions intertwined. She remembered it—the first time she ever played with Adrian. The neatly dressed little boy was always alone, peeking at her from behind a plane tree. Her nanny had told her that there was something wrong with the Cross family's child and forbade her from getting close. Vivian didn't listen; she took the initiative to walk over and take his hand. "You're very handsome. Let's play together." That day, Adrian's eyes lit up like a puppy's.

Until they were separated later on, Vivian never understood what the nanny had meant. Aside from being a bit clingy toward her, Adrian was no different from anyone else. It was only after they grew up that he developed those layers of self-important pride. Not only did he never mention this photo again, but he remained tight-lipped about any memories of them playing together as children.

Vivian gave a self-deprecating smile in her heart. What she cherished was not worth mentioning in Adrian’s eyes. This wasn't the first time. Perhaps in Adrian's heart, those beautiful childhood days spent together were merely insignificant memories; it was all just her own unrequited sentimentality.

Vivian placed the frame back on the bookshelf and turned to organize the movers. "Everything is about packed. You guys head out first; I'll follow shortly." "You got it!" The workers picked up the last of the boxes and left.

Vivian did the final walkthrough. She hadn't touched the items that were out in the open in the villa. Since Adrian rarely came back, he wouldn't notice. She stood at the entrance, her hand tightening around the doorknob. Finally, she took a deep breath and slammed the door shut on the last trace of pain from this marriage, along with three years of memories, locking them inside the villa.

Then, she sent a message to Adrian. "Honey, I'm heading out on my trip now." As expected, there was no reply. Chloe Bennett was currently riding high on her triumph and wouldn't let Adrian go easily.

For this move, Vivian had specially chosen a flat-level apartment near the river, two units per elevator, with a one-month lease. Just as she was about to start tidying her new home, her phone rang. It was a call from Adrian, his tone sounding somewhat anxious. "Vivian, where are you?"

Vivian was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Adrian to return to the villa today; it seemed he hadn't completely let his guard down. She needed to give things a little nudge. Softening her tone, she replied gently, "Honey, did you forget? I'm going on my trip. You were busy, so I asked Pearl to go with me. I'm over at Pearl's place now, helping her pack. We leave tomorrow."

Adrian clearly let out a sigh of relief, though he began to grumble. "Why didn't you tell me? I came home to change and saw you weren't out. I called for you and no one answered—it gave me a scare."

Hearing this, Vivian found it ridiculous. Hadn't she sent him a message? Since their marriage, he had never truly cared about her itinerary, yet now he feigned thoughtfulness. However, this pretense was only because there was no one at home to wait on his daily needs. "Sorry, Honey. I'll arrange for the housekeeper to come over and look after you right now. It'll be hard on you being home alone for a few days."

Adrian paused for a moment. "Fine. When are you coming back?" Adrian knew Pearl's family had some background. Coupled with the fact that Vivian had always been sensible, he wasn't overly worried.

Vivian glanced casually at the calendar. "Pearl's in the mood to stay out for a while. I'm not sure how many days we'll be playing." At this, Vivian paused, her tone becoming playful. "While I'm away, you have to be a good boy at home alone. Don't go 'snacking' outside, or else—" She didn't finish the sentence, just gave a little hum of a laugh.

Adrian paused for several seconds on the other end before offering a string of assurances. "How could I? Wife, you know you're the only one in my heart. All these years, you've always been the person I care about most. No one can compare to you." He spoke with sincere emotion.

With a smile on her face, Vivian suppressed her nausea and asked back: "Really?" She had stopped believing Adrian's words long ago. The other side fell silent for a second before he suddenly spoke with immense seriousness. "Vivian, in the three years we've been married, maybe I've done wrong things when emotions got the better of me. But no matter what, I am absolutely certain that you are the person I want to spend my life with. When you get back, let's have a child."

Vivian's body went rigid. Adrian rarely used sweet talk, let alone such humble words. Her blind love had given Adrian the ultimate power of control. Could it be that he truly sensed something?

Vivian's heart wavered for a split second, but it was quickly buried. She continued to respond sweetly, "Okay, I believe you. Pearl is calling me, I have to go now." She hung up the phone.

Quiet returned to the living room. Vivian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the call log on her phone. Countless thoughts piled up in her mind, leaving her momentarily in a state of confusion. She was just about to go take a bath when a ding-dong notification interrupted her thoughts.

Vivian picked up her phone; it was an alert from the security camera outside the villa's bedroom. Because Adrian was away for years at a time, she often heard rustling noises in the middle of the night. Fearing there were thieves, she had installed a few cameras. She had originally intended to tell Adrian, but he was always so busy with work that she forgot. But now, the monitor showed an unauthorized entry?

Vivian instinctively opened the surveillance feed, and in the next second, her entire body went numb. The person on the monitor was Chloe Bennett. She was wearing a high-end designer dress, her makeup exquisite. Her rhinestone-encrusted fingers brushed across the mahogany banister as she surveyed everything in the villa with satisfaction, looking for all the world like the mistress of the house.

Adrian hugged her from behind, his tone indulgent. "You kept pestering me to come. I don't know what's so great about looking at an old villa. Are you satisfied now?"

Chloe gave a flirtatious huff and tilted her chin up. "You can't give me the title, so everything else she has, I want too!" With that, her eyes darted around. She turned to hook her arms around Adrian's neck, her eyes like silk. "Bring me the nightgown she usually wears. I want to wear it while we do it. In the future, even if she's sleeping beside you, the person you think of has to be me!"

The "pure white jasmine" was speaking words that were incredibly smutty and filled with a perverse contrast. Adrian's breathing heavy as he lost control. He buried his head in the crook of Chloe's neck, his hands reaching under her skirt, kneading forcefully. "You little vixen!"

The ambiguous moans and gasps of their pleasure continued to broadcast. "Adrian, does she call your name like this in bed? Do you feel more than you do now?" "I've never touched her. The scars on her body... they're too disgusting..."

Vivian gripped her phone tight, her fingernails nearly embedding themselves into her palms.