Ivy’s smile faded. For a moment, she stared off into space and muttered, “It feels like so many people have passed away lately.”
Sure, people die every moment somewhere in the world, but for it to happen so often, so close to them, all in just over a month—Emma, Micah, Farley Shepherd, Sheridan—it was hard not to feel overwhelmed.
“Everyone dies eventually. No one gets to escape that,” Jamison tried to comfort her.
“I know,” Ivy replied, forcing herself to perk up. “You should get ready for bed. I’ll go wash up too.” She managed a small smile, waved goodbye, and ended the call.
She set her phone down, but her thoughts drifted to Sheridan’s death, then circled back to Emma and Micah. A heavy gloom settled over her.
After she finished washing up and lay in bed, her phone chimed–a WhatsApp message from Katrina.
Kiki: Ivy, are you still awake?
Ivy: Yeah, what’s up?
Kiki: Naylor just told me… Emma’s fiancé passed away too.
Ivy’s brows furrowed. So Katrina already knew.
Ivy: Yeah, Jamison just told me too.
Kiki: Guess what goes around comes around. Honestly, I’m glad. Justice is finally served.
You couldn’t really blame Katrina for sounding so harsh–Sheridan’s reputation was toxic. There had always been rumors about him forcing himself on girls, but he always seemed to slip through the cracks, protected by the Carter family’s wealth and influence. And that time when Sheridan drugged Katrina, hoping to take advantage of her–if she hadn’t had the luck to bump into Naylor, her life would’ve been ruined. She would’ve lost the one thing most precious to her, and maybe even ended up with HIV. So when Naylor told her the news, she honestly felt a sense of relief. If the law couldn’t punish him, maybe fate would.
Kiki: You and Dr. Ludwig are like avenging angels right now. Just don’t let yourself get too caught up in it.
Ivy: He was a monster. He deserved what he got. I’m not about to lose any sleep over it.
Kiki: Good. Just making sure.
After that, Katrina stopped messaging. But Ivy, remembering the third person in the house, couldn’t help but ask: Is Naylor all settled in? Where’s he sleeping?
Downstairs, Katrina was being held tightly by someone determined not to let her out of his arms. She texted back: Yup, all set. He’s sleeping downstairs. Don’t worry, he won’t bother us up here tonight.
Ivy almost laughed but managed to hold it in. Katrina’s reply practically screamed “nothing to see here!”-which only made it more obvious.
Naylor, noticing his girlfriend’s conversation, gave her waist a playful squeeze, making her jump and the two of them tumble into a flurry of laughter and protests, and as things escalated, Naylor’s intentions became pretty clear.
Katrina suddenly felt his body change, and she froze, not daring to move. They locked eyes for a moment before she suggested, gently, “Maybe you should go take a shower?”
“What about you?”
“I’ll go upstairs and shower too.”
“Come back down when you’re done, or I’m coming up to get you,” Naylor threatened, not even trying to hide it.
“…Fine,” Katrina said, trying to sound agreeable. “I’ll sneak back down after I finish.”
Naylor could see right through her, but he had his own plans. He got up, let her go for now, grabbed his clothes from his bag, and, following Katrina’s directions, headed to the downstairs bathroom.
As soon as he disappeared behind the door, Katrina breathed a sigh of relief and hurried upstairs. Passing by Ivy’s room, she made a point to cough and call out, “Night, Ivy!”
Ivy, who was reading, looked up in surprise–she actually made it upstairs? Naylor let her go?
Katrina had no intention of going back downstairs. She even locked her door before bed, just in case.
When Naylor finished his shower and returned to the guest room, he found it empty. He just chuckled quietly to himself, didn’t call or text Katrina, and left it at that.
His calm acceptance actually made Katrina a little uneasy–was he mad at her? But it was late, and she couldn’t exactly sneak back downstairs now. That would just be embarrassing.
So, she went to sleep.
By 1 a.m., the whole house was silent and still. In the faint glow of the hallway, a tall figure crept silently upstairs.
You might wonder–how did Naylor know which bedroom his girlfriend was in?
At first, he didn’t. But after his shower, he’d called his best friend, explaining that he was dutifully “on security detail” at his wife’s place. He also asked for a quick rundown of the upstairs layout. He just needed to know which room was the master–once he avoided that one, it was only a matter of time before he found the right door.
As luck would have it, he guessed right on the first try.
He tried the handle–locked. He just smiled, pulled out a key, and slid it quietly into the lock.
Yes, when he’d asked about the house, he’d also gotten the scoop on where the spare keys were kept. Jamison wasn’t even sure if the keys were still there, but told him the old hiding place anyway.
Naylor checked, and there they were.
So, after nearly three hours of lying alone and wide awake, he finally managed to sneak into his girlfriend’s room and slipped into bed beside her.
Katrina was fast asleep. At first, when she felt something move in the bed, she thought she was dreaming. But then, when a hand turned her face toward him, she woke with a start-
Chapter 778
“Mmph-!”