Charles's POV:
I could see Scarlett from where I was standing.
"Honey!" she called.
I knew that tone so well that I almost blurted my usual response out loud. But the call wasn't for me anymore. It was now for the man whose arm she grabbed with one hand while holding a beautiful gift box in the other.
She was not calling me. She was calling William.
In the blink of an eye, I felt empty inside. For a moment, I considered rushing up to Scarlett and asking her if she had really forgotten me.
I hadn't seen her in a long time. She had lost a lot of weight. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a white silk ribbon. The ribbon was intertwined with her dark hair in a loose braid that sat atop her shoulders. Under her curly eyelashes, her beautiful eyes shone as brightly as stars against a midnight sky. My heart skipped a beat.
"What are you going to buy? Let me come with you," Scarlett said. She seemed to be very happy as shown by the tender smile on her face and the sweet timbre of her voice.
William took her hand, returned her smile, and said, "I'm going to buy some essentials for couples if you know what I mean."
The intimacy between them was like vinegar to my tongue.
Scarlett burst into laughter, suddenly realizing what William meant. She playfully smacked him in the chest and muttered, "You are so naughty." If she hadn't said that, I would've forgotten one thing. A long time ago, I hugged her and said something similar, and she said the same words in the same flirtatious tone. Hearing her speak that way to another man, I felt like a huge invisible hand just clamped around my throat.
William giggled with her and then towed her to the store he wanted to visit. Scarlett was still limping a little. It was obvious that she hadn't fully recovered from her injury.
Their bodies were so close that it made me ball my hands into fists and look away. I couldn't watch another second of their romantic bliss. I didn't expect that a myriad of feelings would attack me this way upon seeing Scarlett again a year after our separation. I couldn't decide how I truly feel at the moment. Everything was just welling up inside me all at once.
It took all my physical strength to fight my urge to grab her and take her home. I knew I didn't deserve her. Her gentle smile and kind heart no longer belonged to me.
Did she really lose her memory? I thought it was possible. Otherwise, how could she take William as her husband? But when I saw her in that news segment, she behaved normally.
Also, when I talked to Tracy the other day, I could tell that she was hiding something from me. I allowed myself to get lost in my reverie.
"Hi, sir. How may I help you today?" a sales clerk approached me and asked.
"No, thanks. I'm fine," I said quickly and took another look in Scarlett and William's direction. I took a deep breath and decided to follow them.
Scarlett's POV:
William took me to a lingerie store that had an ambiance that resembled a cozy coffee shop. Pretty mini crystal chandeliers lined the ceiling and scattered warm yellow light all over the place, making the products look enticing. I looked around and saw all kinds of beautiful, sexy, and daring underwear.
"Pick the ones you like, honey. I'll buy them, and then you can show them to me at home," William whispered in my ear.
"What?"
"You heard me. Go shop."
I grabbed a shopping trolley from nearby and started checking out the store's stuff. For some certain reason, I couldn't help looking outside.
"Are you ready?" William asked, walking up to me.
"I think so," I answered, whipping my head back to him. He was smiling mischievously at me.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you sure you want to show me these?"
I quickly looked down and found that the items in my trolley were several extremely sexy bras and nightgowns.
I swallowed, and my face instantly flushed like a cooked shrimp. I felt like my parents just caught me watching porn in my room. I was so embarrassed that I prayed for the floor to split and swallow me.
Looking at the sales clerk who was watching me with an ambiguous grin, I said in a trembling voice, "I'll take these, please."
"You have excellent taste, miss. These are our best-selling lingerie," the sales clerk beamed, took over the shopping trolley, and led me to the checkout counter.
After paying the bill, I felt someone hold me from behind. I turned my head and caught a glimpse of William's smiling face. We were so close together, and it made me feel a lot of confusing emotions.
"Are your new lingerie paid for?"
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