chapter 5

"Hm? Who said that you were cheap? I just want to keep you company," the man replied in an easy-going manner.

But she desperately wanted to be heard, to be understood, to have someone share her grief and worries. To be given what Stanley and Jenna have so cruelly taken from her.

It was as if the stranger could hear her thoughts. "Besides, my name is Bernard Dax. I think you need a listening ear, right?

"He finally says his name," Zoe muttered.

"Can you kindly tell me yours?" He asked gently.

She continued eyeing him suspiciously in hopes of figuring out his true intentions.

"Zoe—my name is Zoe Martins."

"I'm here to get drunk and rant about my problem. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't make fun of me."

Bernard grinned. "Of course not."

He realized that there was no more whiskey left inside both bottles they were drinking from. "I will be right back," he told Zoe.

'Who cares?' Zoe thought to herself.

He got up and reached out to the bartenders for more bottles of drinks.

She wished that Bernard never returned. Zoe wished to be left alone.

He got back and chuckled showing his white teeth. He opened the two bottles of whiskey he had brought with practiced ease and handed Zoe one bottle like a gentleman.

Zoe hesitated for a second. Getting drunk with a stranger isn't safe in this world. But Bernard's gaze was assuring her that everything would be fine. 

She bravely grabbed the bottle and took one big gulp without thinking twice.

Bernard was carefully watching Zoe. "There you go. We are here to chill and talk about our problems after we get drunk."

He also took one big gulp of his bottle in one smooth motion. "Ahh… that hits the spot, nice." 

They grinned together. 

This was her plan from the beginning anyway. There was no difference whether this man was here or not.

Zoe stared at her bottle of alcohol, preoccupied with her thoughts, clueless about Bernard sitting opposite her. There was a long, understood silence between them. Until Bernard finally gathered the courage to ask.

"Who made you cry?

"Forget it." Zoe clicked her tongue and looked away. She wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Hey, don't be tense. I just want to know the bastard who made you cry, and I want to know about you."

"Huh, how am I supposed to trust a stranger? Zoe rolled her eyes.

"You can tell me all of your problems; you know my name. You just need someone to vent to."

"And why do you care and want to know about a complete stranger's life?" 

"In that case, let me introduce myself properly…I'm Bernard Dax. I'm very much single. And I am the CEO of a well-known hotel here in Wimland. I have been in a few relationships which ended sooner. I ended my last relationship because I found out she doesn't love me. I guess, I haven't been lucky enough to be in a long-lasting relationship with someone who loves me.

This man was so good-looking to be single. Zoe suspected that he might be telling lies just to hear her problem. 

But something else made her weak all over, hearing him say he was a CEO. She has always wished that Stanley would get a job like other men, so he could take care of their family. But he chooses to be a useless husband. 

Zoe nodded silently; she lifted her bottle and took a large gulp of her whiskey; she waited until her throat burned. She took it as a sign that it was time to pour out whatever pain she had been keeping buried deep down. Opposite from her, Bernard mirrored her action.

"I guess you are waiting to hear all my problems after I have listened to yours."

"Well, I don't know how to explain my problem," Zoe sighed. "I've never told others about my worries or my pains because I don't want to appear weak."

Bernard nodded as he took a gulp. "But relationships are often the main source of problems for most women." 

"So, the only reason for your tears, and you being in a bar alone must be a fight between you and your man— I'm a married woman," she finished. 

He continued, without being shocked when he heard she was married, "You need to be taken care of and not the other way round."

Zoe's jaw dropped as his explanation showed his accurate observation of her.

"How did you know I am not being taken care of?

"If you were being taken care of, you wouldn't be here at this time wallowing in pain and drinking alcohol alone," he responded.

But he caught her off guard with how observant he was.

"Well, I'm a married woman, married to Stanley Martins. I work as a secretary in an advertising agency. But I am here because my husband cheated on me."

Zoe's hands came to her face, and she burst into tears.

She waited for a reaction from Bernard. But he didn't react.

Zoe wipes her tears away and takes a deep breath. "He cheated on me with my sister. The same sister I pitifully allowed to stay in my home."

"Huh, that's surprising," the man finally commented, shaking his head and taking another drink from the whiskey bottle. "Does your husband have a job?" Bernard asked out of curiosity.

"No, he does not have a job; I'm the breadwinner, and he sits at home all day without showing seriousness in getting a job," Zoe responded and became sober instantly.

Her tears threatened to roll down her cheeks, so she quickly wiped them away. It was ridiculous for her to cry for that good-for-nothing husband, especially in front of a stranger.

"Do you still love him, even after all this he did to you? You must have worked so exhaustedly just to support him."

Zoe paused and thought for a moment. She'd be lying if she said she doesn't love her husband anymore.