Chapter 9
Sharon turned her head and saw a young man approaching with a few rowdy friends in tow. He walked with the kind of swagger that came from never being challenged–arrogant, untamed, and always playing to an audience.
She recognized him instantly.
Nate Hendricks. One of Carter’s bros, and one of Kelly’s many.
orbiters.
From the very beginning of Sharon’s relationship with Carter, Nate had looked down on her–mocking her at every turn, never missing a chance to sneer. After Kelly came back, he was the most eager to stir things up, practically acting as Kelly’s personal messenger.
If Kelly so much as sneezed, Nate would be the first to call Carter, urging him to rush over. He’d even told Sharon more than once that she should step aside and make room for Kelly.
Now, he stood in front of her, a smirk tugging at his lips, eyes gleaming with ridicule.
“Well, welk Shouldn’t a housewife be home learning how to be a good little full–time wife–how to keep her man from straying? What are you doing here, showing your face in public? That’s not exactly the mark of a good housewife.”
Sharon could host a formal dinner or make a perfect bowl of soup–graceful in the parlor, capable in the kitchen. She was so flawless that it was almost irritating.
Once Nate found out, he’d slapped a nickname on her-“Housewife.”
And from that point on, everyone in Carter’s circle followed suit. Whenever they saw her, they called her that.
His tone now was deliberately grating, his posture smug. Wendy’s brows drew together in a frown.
Sharon’s expression chilled.
Nate, far from backing off, let out a low whistle and looked at her with mock alarm.
“Oh no, don’t tell me you’re mad again? Come on, Housewife. Don’t tell me you can’t even take a joke?”
His buddies jumped in immediately.
“Yeah, seriously. You’re Carter’s wife–you’re supposed to be gracious. Don’t be so petty, you’re making him look bad!”
“And really, Nate’s not wrong. You are just a housewife, aren’t you? Taking care of the husband and kid.”
“Exactly! How could someone like you even compare to Kelly? She graduated from Bell University!”
“Never heard of Bell University? Ha! That’s ‘cause it’d blow your mind–it’s one of the top five music academies in the world.”
Wendy turned sharply toward Sharon, surprise flickering across her face. “Kelly went to Bell University? How come I’ve never even heard of her?”
Nate let out a snort and gave Wendy a dismissive glance.
“Such ignorance. There’s a whole world out there you haven’t even seen, sweetheart. Try getting out more.”
Already, he was being rude–after just one encounter.
Wendy’s frown deepened. “Sharon, who is this guy? Why is he so obnoxious? No one even said a word to him, and he just inserted himself into the conversation like some self–important old man.”
Sharon replied coolly, “One of Kelly’s lapdogs. You can call him a simp.”
“Ohhh, so he’s her simp,” Wendy said, feigning sudden realization, the irritation vanishing from her face. “Well, that explains it. No wonder he’s so gross. Got it.”
Chapter 9
+25 BONUS
Nate’s face darkened, but before he could fire back, Sharon gave him a sweet smile.
“Come on now, Mr. Simp. I was just teasing. Don’t tell me you’re the one who can’t take a joke?”
Wendy, who’d been quietly fuming over everything that had just happened, caught Sharon’s tone and immediately played along.
“No way, seriously? A grown man who can’t handle a little ribbing That’s so weak. Makes all you guys look bad.”
Sharon nodded mildly. “Be nice. He’s clearly not used to the real world. Let’s not stoop to his level.”
Everyone’s expression shifted, each in their own way. Even the slowest among them could tell now–they were being called out. Their words from earlier were being thrown right back in their faces.
Wendy laughed mockingly. “Lick, lick, lick, and in the end, the lapdog gets nothing. Well, he’s pitiful enough–I won’t bother lowering myself to his level. Come on, Sharon, let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere fun.”
Sharon gave a small nod and turned to leave.
Nate’s jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might crack. He stared after them like he’d just swallowed something rotten.
His buddies glanced around at each other, unsure.
One of them let out a dry chuckle, trying to recover the moment. “Man, those two women must be tired of living. Calling Nate a simp? No way! Nate’s definitely not some simp, he’s-”
The sentence froze on his lips.
Because… yeah. Harsh as their words were… weren’t they also kind of true?
Nate did seem a bit like a simp.
Another guy caught on quick and jumped in. “No, no–Nate isn’t a simp! He’s… he’s like a knight. A loyal protector for Kelly!”
The others latched on fast. “Yeah, totally! A protector! Guardian of the goddess!”
Just then, a soft voice broke the awkward scramble.
“Nate, what are you doing out here instead of going into the private room?”
Nate turned around and saw a man and a woman slowly walking over.
The man was tall, handsome, with a calm kind of arrogance. The woman beside him was delicate, lovely–fragile, almost. 1
The moment Nate saw them, his whole face lit up.
He walked quickly over, falling into step beside them, voice already rising with drama. He began spinning his version of events, accusing Sharon of every sin he could think of.
“Carter, Kelly–you won’t believe who I just saw. Sharon! She’s actually here. And get this, she was saying she came out to have fun. Just imagine that–running around like this instead of staying home like a proper woman!
“I bet it’s because she’s too free these days. Nothing better to do but fool around. She used to make one medicinal meal a day for Kelly at the very least, it should’ve been three!
“Carter, a woman like that has no sense of duty or virtue–you really shouldn’t spoil her.”
Kelly frowned slightly at that.
“Have fun?” she echoed, turning to look at Carter. Her brows knit together. “Carter, it’s late. Do you think Sharon left Theo alone at home again?”
At the sound of Sharon’s name,
Carter’s expression shifted, his brow tightening ever so slightly.
Kelly kept her eyes on him, studying the faint shadow on his face.
Chapter 9
+25 BONUS
“Theo’s health isn’t good,” she murmured. “If he’s alone at home are you sure he’ll be alright?”
Carter’s lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. There was something colder in his face now, something darker.
“He’s at my parents‘ house tonight.” 1
He had planned to use Theo to teach Sharon a lesson. To make her understand what it meant to step out of line.
What he hadn’t expected was for her to not come home at all.
Kelly stood silent for a few seconds. Then, slowly, she seemed to understand.
“Carter… Sharon’s been staying at home all the time, looking after Theo and you. Maybe she just needed a break. Everyone gets tired.”
Her voice was soft. Almost guilty. “It’s my fault for not being considerate. I shouldn’t have let her cook medicinal meals for so long. She must be exhausted… It’s understandable she doesn’t want to keep doing it.”
She hadn’t even finished when Nate exploded again, eyes wide with disbelief.
“What?! Sharon stopped making the meals for you? If it weren’t for her pushing you into the water, your condition wouldn’t have gotten worse in the first place! And now she just walks away like nothing happened? How dare she?!”
Kelly hurriedly grabbed his arm, trying to calm him down.
“Nate, I told you—it had nothing to do with Sharon. I was the one who slipped. It was just an accident…”
“Kelly, you’re too kind! Sharon practically tried to kill you, and you’re still defending her?”
Nate turned to Carter, his face a mix of outrage and disbelief.
“Carter, are you really just going to let Sharon get away with bullying Kelly like this?”
Chapter 10
