Chapter 4 – WHAT TO DO NEXT

Chase sat up in bed, rubbing the heaviness in his eyes but it didn't seem to be any good. He brushed back his tousled-from-sex hair and let out a breath.

Last night…

The innocence of that woman's voice, the intensity of feelings in her eyes, and the precision with which her curves were carved. The beautiful curls that danced across her face, her melodious moans when she cried with pleasure. It was beyond incredible the amount of effect she had on him to make him mad enough to wish she was his woman.

But where was she?

He touched his lips and when he stared down at the sheets, he was convinced she had been here in his room.

She hadn't been a dream!

Chase's gaze shifted to the nightstand and the pile of cash next to a written note moved him.

Did the woman from last night leave that here?

His guess proved to be precisely that when he grabbed the note and scanned through it.

Hi… It's me, the woman you had a one-night stand with. I'm sorry… but please, forget it ever happened. I'm a married woman and last night happened due to my negligence. I'm really sorry, please accept my apology.

Chase reread the note and squeezed it over the palm of his fingers, anger stemming from him as gazed at the pile of cash on the nightstand.

What in the world did she think of him?

How could she call last night… a mistake?

He remembered the kneading of her breasts and how vulnerable she'd been underneath him. How her body ignited his passion and help him make her cum?

Chase was not a dunce. He'd seen beautiful women. Many of high caliber, some of them had even had cosmetic procedures to commensurate their already breath-taking beauty to appeal to him. Indeed, they were appealing but he wasn't attracted to them. Not even his own wife, a beauty queen who hadn't undergone any cosmetic enhancements.

Many would wonder, why would a man who had a beautiful wife have a one-night stand with a woman who didn't compare to his wives’ beauty.

Chase didn't know either.

But he did know that his mystery woman had sparked a flame within him that he thought would remain missing in his life. Something his wife had never been able to get out of him. Not that he even remembered the last time he'd been intimate with his perfect wife.

Ring!

Ring!

The ringing of the phone got Chase's attention and now he just had to pick it up while trying to cater to the rejection of the mystery woman that had left no trace of who she was. She hadn't even dropped her name.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chase, it's about time you picked up. What were you up to last night? I tried reaching you, couldn't get through. Don't tell me you're buried in work during your break, Mr. Workaholic?" An enthusiastic yet teasing voice responded.

Chase rubbed his temples.

It was his close friend and cousin, West, who derived pleasure in taunting him.

---

Mackenzie had thought tiptoeing into the house for her not to alert her husband on her night out escapades but the moment she arrived at the top of the stairs, she met her mother-in-law in the walkway.

"Mackenzie," her mother-in-law's gaze fixed on her, causing her to freeze. "Where were you last night? You didn't even bother to swing by the mansion and share the good news with me and your grandfather."

Mackenzie felt a shiver run down her spine.

"G-good news?" Her words came out in a stutter.

Nothing good had come out from the previous day's endeavors, especially not her drunken night's endeavor.

But the deed had been done and to face her behavior now made her feel like a failure. What was the point of last night if she couldn't even own it? To look at her mother-in-law now made her want to break. How much to face her husband?

He was a proud cheat, she was not.

"You know…" her mother-in-law hinted with a subtle wink, "your little trip to the hospital."

Mackenzie was well aware of that.

But to be honest...

She just couldn't.

"You don't have to tell me about it right now!"

"What—"

"You can share it with the whole family during dinner."

"Dinner?" Mackenzie's voice came out in a small whisper.

"Exactly. Your grandfather has requested that you and Jeffrey join us for dinner. And there's one more thing, your brother-in-law and his wife will also be there, so be prepared."

"Shall I inquire about the dinner menu, so I can oversee the kitchen sta—"

"—No!" Her mother-in-law's interruption was a touch too swift, prompting Mackenzie to give her a skeptical look.

It had always been normal for Mackenzie to supervise cooking at her husband's house and organize special dinners for gatherings at her father-in-law's place, so her involvement in meal preparation was usually appreciated. Mackenzie couldn't help but wonder why this time was any different.

"Well," her mother-in-law said playfully, dragging a perfectly manicured finger across her neck. "What I'm trying to say is… you don't need to cook tonight, or for any upcoming meals. Look at you," her mother-in-law's expression turned concerned, and Mackenzie found it difficult to decipher if the concern was genuine or not.

"You appear pale, and those dark circles..."

Her mother-in-law abruptly gasped and caressed Mackenzie's face. "Don't tell me that stubborn son of mine is stressing you too much. Really, he can be a lot to handle sometimes but I can assure you that he loves you very much!"

The atmosphere between them suddenly changed as Mackenzie stared down at her feet as though indignant to speak.

Her mother-in-law also picked up on this but brushed it off with a nervous laugh. "Why don't you go to your room and rest, huh? Relax and tell me if you need anything, okay."

After patting Mackenzie's palms, she walked off with an enthusiastic stride.

Mackenzie just knew.

Her mother-in-law was treating her well because she thought she was pregnant.

Mackenzie bowed her head. Even though she did not like that her husband had cheated on her, she felt that maybe things would somehow work out and they would remain a happy family.

She entered her room and pulled open the cabinets where she usually kept her supplements but what she saw next made her almost have a heart attack. It was a pack of condoms!

She knew that she and Jeffery never used condoms when they were together because they were planning on having a baby, but for Jeffrey to have this many condoms?

Mackenzie checked the nearby garbage can and immediately leaned back against the wall from the sight of the multiple used condoms.

Now that she paid attention to the room, the smell of cum reproached her. She couldn't even cry anymore.

Jeffrey had taken even that from her. Her will to grief for the loss of the affection of her husband.

So she left the room, taking with her a vitamin supplement and her bag.

Downstairs, there was a small room next to the patio.

In the past, it had been her safe haven because she could engage in a hobby she was fond of. Woodwork.

Since her teen years, she'd been interested in woodwork in furniture that she usually extended her help to those who needed her assistance and for free as well.

Even though she got married, her interest in furniture didn't cease but unfortunately, her mother-in-law didn't like that, so she threw out some of the furniture that she made leaving only a few scraps.

Mackenzie caressed the surface of one of the stools from the past that she had left incomplete.

After all, her mother-in-law had told her,

"Woodwork is dirty. You can no longer do that! Now that you've married my son, you have to pay attention to everything you do so as not to put him and our family to shame!"

Mackenzie didn't know how long she stood there, admiring her incomplete crafts and wishing she could experiment with them for a bit when she heard voices coming from the patio. She couldn't help not hearing the disturbance, after all, this room of hers was the closest to the patio.

Mackenzie moved closer to the window and opened just a creak and saw her husband and mother-in-law standing outside. They looked to be in a heated conversation judging by the tones of their voice and body language.

However, Jeffrey seemed more laid back.

Usually, Mackenzie would avoid listening to a conversation between the mother and son but she felt drawn to hearing this one. For some reason, she felt as though there was a message in their conversation that was meant for her.

"Jeffrey, could you please try to be a little kinder to Mackenzie?"

"You're referring to that hag?"

Mackenzie's eyes widened.

Hag?

Hearing that word from her husband's lips made her feel low. Although she understood that when she first met Jeffery, she hadn't paid too much attention to her looks but after they got married she'd touched up her looks to appear more attractive to him. Did he not even consider that?

"Whatever! I heard that you didn't go to the office this morning and instead you went to a hotel with some gorgeous lady. I heard she ditched you and that's why you're back home early and not because you finished your work on time."

Silence

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? What the hell do you think of me!"

"Mother, it's not as if my contributions matter. Just let my assistant do all the work as usual."

"You idiot!"

"But you know it's true, mother. As long as you have my back, nothing bad will happen. And about Mackenzie, there's no problem. Even if I cheat in her face, she won't ever leave me. That's just the way she is, that weak woman."

Mackenzie easily let go of the window and leaned back against the wall.

"A weak woman, he said." She muttered with a pained expression.

"Still, be good to her. She's pregnant. Right now is a crucial time for her and us as well."

"Ahh, that woman is such a bother. Why did she have to get pregnant so easily back then if she was going to deliver a dead child."

"I know right? Back then, I was the one who persuaded you to marry her because she was pregnant. If I knew that it was no good, I would have told you to desert her but anyhow, now she's pregnant again. If she gives birth to a son, ten percent of the Axford conglomerates will be yours. That was the percentage of the share your father promised you back then, I don't believe he'll forget about it in a hurry."

"Yeah."

"That's all you have to say? That's no good! You have to promise me that you'll be good to Mackenzie. Don't forget, this is for your sake."

"Fine, mother. I'll do as you say."

"That's my good boy!"

That was all Mackenzie heard before the voices and footsteps vanished.

It was right then that she made up her mind on what to do next.

And it definitely didn't have to do with getting back on good terms with her husband.