Chapter 40 Two Couples

Another toll man strode into the police station, but this one carried a distinct smell of alcohol. It was Dante.

He must have come straight from the club. Upon spotting Anne, he paused, turning to one of the officers nearby. “I’m here to bail them out. Where do I sign?”

Before the officer could respond, Anne stood up, her demeanor icy. “There’s no need for that, Dante. Someone’s already taking care of it. You can go now.”

Dante blinked in surprise, a grin spreading across his face. "Someone's bailing you out, and yet you're still sitting here? Come on, Anne, we’re married, after all. You pleaded with me, and here I am. Why are you being so stubborn?”

Anne felt her eyes welling up. “I didn’t plead for help! You can leave anytime you want.”

The word “plead” felt insulting. Anne’s composure began to crack.

Seeing the tension rise between them, Meryl quickly intervened. “Hey, why don’t we all just take a breath?”

Dante fell silent, turning to leave the station, where he slumped into the backseat of his car and lit a cigarette. The designated driver glanced back at him. “Mr. Paltrow, are we leaving?”

Dante exhaled a cloud of smoke, rolling down the window to let it escape. In the dim light, he caught a glimpse of Anne, her shoulders shaking as she silently cried.

Frustrated, he turned away. “Not yet.”

Inside the station, Meryl gently wiped the corner of Anne’s eye. She could tell that Anne still had feelings for Dante; after all, Anne wouldn’t be crying the moment he walked in if she didn’t. The two women seemed to be in a standoff.

Meryl decided to cut through the tension. “Look, Anne, Dante showed up pretty quickly. That has to mean something, right? Maybe he still cares.”

Anne bit her lip, shaking her head. “We’re getting a divorce. What’s the point of talking about this now?”

Dante had agreed to the divorce, and all that was left was to sign the papers. But lately, he hadn’t even come home. Anne had tried to confront him at the clubs Dante frequented, but he was nowhere to be found. It was all so confusing.

Meryl couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some kind of misunderstanding between Anne and Dante. She sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy. “I think you should reconsider the divorce. Maybe Dante’s avoiding home because he’s not ready to let go. If you still have feelings for him, why not try talking it out?”

Anne didn’t respond, lost in her thoughts.

Just then, Chandler emerged from the back office. The three of them stepped outside together.

Dante, having just finished his cigarette, leaned against the hood of his car with a smirk. “Well, well, looks like someone did bail you out. But let’s be real—Meryl’s the one getting rescued, right?”

Anne was speechless.

As Dante walked to the backseat and yanked the door open, he shot a look at Anne. “Get in. Are you trying to be a third wheel?”

Anne shot Meryl a glance before retorting coldly, “Dante, your mouth is the only thing that’s tough about you.”

With that, she climbed into the car without a second thought.

Dante chuckled mischievously. “Oh really? Just my mouth? You might want to test that theory, Anne.”

At his words, Anne’s face flushed with anger. She shot him a glare and snapped, “You’re unbelievable!”

Dante didn’t respond further, sliding into the car and waving goodbye to Chandler as the driver started the engine.

Outside the police station, only Meryl and Chandler remained.

Meryl hadn’t expected Dante to make a dirty joke in front of everyone, and it left her feeling flustered. She looked up at Chandler, her cheeks flushed.

Chandler, with his calm demeanor, gently took her hand. “Your hands are freezing. What’s going on?”

He tucked her hand into his pocket, warming it with his own.

Once they got home, Meryl’s first stop was the bathroom, where she hurriedly washed away the bloodstains that had marred her clothes.

When she finally walked out, it was already 3:30 in the morning. The room was dimly lit by a single warm lamp. Chandler, dressed in a silk pajama set, leaned against the headboard of the bed.

The top two buttons were undone, revealing a hint of his alluring collarbone.

Chandler didn’t ask about what happened at the bar or why she was covered in blood. Instead, he simply patted the empty half of the bed beside him and said, “Come on up.”