I was both happy and exhausted, starving as I tangled with Claire until midnight, using up every ounce of strength. My back and waist ached so badly I could barely move.
But hunger eventually forced me awake—I got up to look for food, only to find Claire was nowhere to be seen.
The bed was cold, the living room and bathroom were empty.
I thought she’d gone out to grab a late-night snack and was about to call her—when I heard a noise coming from the study.
Barefoot, I walked over and found the door half-open.
Inside, Claire sat on the desk wearing a sheer nightgown, holding a glass jar, talking to herself as if sleepwalking.
“My relationship with him is purely physical—nothing more complicated. Don’t overthink it or be sad, okay? You know I’d do anything for you, even this.”
“Oh, and good news—you’ll be back soon. Don’t be mad, just give me a little more time, wait for me, okay? I’ve missed you day and night—no one knows how hard this has been.”
“At least you can still stay with me. If we could stay like this forever, you with me, me with you—wouldn’t that be perfect?”
As she spoke, Claire gazed at the jar with deep affection, and the amulet pendant on her chest glowed faintly red.
Whatever was in that jar was wrapped in black cloth, as if it were her most precious treasure. She slowly bent down and kissed the jar, reluctant to pull away.
That same passionate kiss had just been on me hours ago—and I had been foolishly pleased, thinking I was the only one she loved.
But now she could look at a glass jar with such tenderness?
What on earth was inside that jar?
I was about to step in and ask when a sudden clap of thunder outside interrupted me.
Claire startled, quickly hid the jar inside a secret compartment behind the bookshelf, and reset everything, pressing a hidden switch to conceal it again.
To my shock, the hidden switch was right behind our wedding portrait—specifically at the spot where my stomach was in the photo.
Each time she pressed on my “stomach,” the switch triggered—it left me feeling uneasy.
I didn’t dare linger. I hurried back to the bedroom and pretended to sleep.
A few minutes later, Claire returned, climbed into bed as usual, and curled into my arms, kissing my neck with soft moans.
“I love you, I love you, honey, I love you...”
I murmured “I love you too” as if half-asleep, but my mind stayed wide awake until she finally fell asleep.
Only then did I relax enough to drift off.
When I woke the next morning, Claire was gone.
She had left me a text saying she had gone to the clinic early to prepare for Ryan’s dental implants and hadn’t woken me so I could rest.
I had wanted to stay in bed a bit longer—but the memory of last night came flooding back, and I could no longer sit still.
While Claire was gone, I snuck into her study, found the hidden switch, and opened the compartment.
But it was so small—I searched everywhere but couldn’t find the jar I’d seen the night before. I even turned over the entire study and still found nothing.
Had I imagined the whole thing?
But I had really found the switch and opened the compartment!
