After I stood in the blowing icy wind to clear my head, I finally keyed in the passcode to enter the apartment. However, the door would not open because it had been locked from the inside.
Frustrated, I banged on the door.
However, either my knocking sound was drowned out by the sound of the hairdryer or swallowed by Miranda's happy laughter, but no one came to open the door for me.
I squatted by the door, my legs eventually going numb. It was not until midnight the door finally opened.
Miranda gasped and covered her mouth in surprise when she saw me. "Miss Jennings! When did you get back?"
Charlie's eyes lingered on my pale face before he spoke, his tone laced with annoyance, “If you were back, why didn’t you just come in? Was there any reason for you sitting out here like this? Could this act of yours somehow make you feel better?”
My voice was hoarse as I walked past them, "The door was locked. I couldn’t get in.”
The odor of their reunion that stuck with them disgusted me. I ignored the fleeting guilt that crossed Charlie’s face and heard him say softly, “I’ll take Miranda home first. It’s late and it’s not safe for her to be out alone.”
I passed care and only hummed indifferently before heading straight to the second floor. All I wanted was a hot shower to warm my body and the comfort of my bed for a good night's sleep.
I was also too exhausted to dwell on the fact that Charlie was worried about Miranda’s safety but didn’t seem to care about his wife being in danger if she came late at night.
Nor did I have the energy to question what Charlie and Miranda did in the apartment, why the door had been locked, why they had been showering and drying hair together, or why their scents clung to each other.
Actually, the relationship between me and Charlie had never been like this before.
We had been together for six years and engaged for two. Our relationship was built on a solid foundation of love.
Charlie was a handsome man and a role model teacher. Although he was the dean, he was still down to earth and often connected with students from all departments of the college.
He had an unbreakable natural boundary. Admirers, whether they were students, colleagues, or strangers on the street, always surrounded him. Yet, he carried himself with a firm declaration to others, “I have a wife. Please don’t get too close."