Charlotte went upstairs to ask Elijah about clothes. She just opened the door without knocking. She didn't see Elijah inside, he seemed to be in the bathroom, so she went to the closet to see if there was anything that would fit her, she would figure out the styling later.

She opened two cabinets, but none of them had anything suitable for her. Only the last cabinet was left unopened, maybe there would be something, so she opened it but frowned because all the clothes hanging and folded at the bottom were women's clothes.

Why are there women's clothes here?

The bathroom door opened, so she looked. She looked away from Elijah because he was only wearing a towel around his lower body.

"Why are you poking around in that cabinet?"

"I just wanted to see if any of your clothes would fit me, but in this last cabinet of yours, why are there only women's clothes?"

Elijah approached her, so she slightly moved away from the cabinet.

"These belong to my sister, whenever she stays here."

"Does she sleep here too... besides you?" She glanced at the bed and then at Elijah's face.

"No."

She was a bit confused; there were no beds in the two rooms. Where does his sister sleep?

"She stays here at my house all day. She just changes clothes and then stays at a hotel at night."

"Why didn't you put stuff in your two rooms? You're making it difficult for your sister to keep coming back to your house."

He went behind her, probably to get his clothes.

"She rarely comes home here, so I didn't plan on putting anything in the two rooms. Even my friends are not staying here to sleep."

Elijah's logic was unclear, even though no one sleeps here, even his friends. What if it's for an emergency, and there's no choice but to go home? Where would she sleep, on the floor?

"Maybe you have some small clothes, can I borrow some?"

"I don't have any small clothes that would fit you. Just choose from my sister's clothes."

"Is that okay?"

"Yes."

Elijah left with the clothes he would wear to the bathroom.

She held onto clothes, all of them were sexy, there were dresses but still sexy, and there were T-shirts but too tight. Elijah's sister had a sexy body. She was still staring at the clothes hanging when Elijah came out of the bathroom.

"Are you still not done picking clothes?"

"Not yet."

She heard him sigh softly. "I'll choose for you, you'll take forever to find something. Get out of there for now."

She went to the side, and he started rummaging through his sister's clothes, but some fell, so she picked them up. He was too rough with the clothes, not even being careful despite their apparent value.

"You're taking too long."

"Shut up!"

She just glared at him without looking. Even he couldn't pick something that wasn't too sexy.

"I think, this one is okay."

He held up a T-shirt and high-waisted pants. It was a better choice than what she saw earlier.

"Thanks." She took them from Elijah's hand. She checked the waist size, it fit her, she had the same waist size as Elijah's sister.

"Before you shower, tidy this up."

From the look of the inside of the cabinet, it seemed like someone was looking for something important inside, so all the clothes were messy. There were a lot, and some even fell on the floor.

"Okay."

She took all the unorganized clothes and placed them on Elijah's bed, and as she started cleaning up, Elijah just sat on the bed, looking at his phone.

"Aren't you leaving yet?"

He glanced at her briefly. "I will after you."

"Aren't you in a hurry?"

"Would I be sitting here if I were in a hurry? I should have left earlier."

"I'm just asking," she muttered.

"Hurry up so I can leave."

"You go, this will take a while."

Annoyed, he grabbed the pants beside her, and Elijah started folding them. Turns out he knows how, he didn't even help her earlier.

When they finished folding and organizing inside the cabinet, she quickly went into Elijah's bathroom. She showered quickly because it was already late for her meet-up with Mary.

After coming out of the bathroom, she was blow-drying her hair, but Elijah still hadn't left.

"Aren't you planning to leave?"

"I am."

She frowned as she walked towards the bed. "Can I borrow a comb?"

"I don't have a comb."

She looked at Elijah in confusion. "Even guys with short hair still comb their hair, and you don't have one?"

"I just use my hands to fix my hair."

She looked at his hair; it was fine, but it was still better to use a comb. She just used her hands on her long hair, drying it more to prevent dripping.

She stood up and hung Elijah's towel back in the bathroom. "I'm leaving."

"Wait a moment."

She stopped walking. Elijah stepped in front of her. "This is your allowance for today." He handed her some money.

Her eyes widened. Did she leave her family's money in Elijah's room, the money their family gave them pinned in their clothes on their wedding day?"

"Is this the money I separated from our family?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"This is from me, my own money."

She moved his hand holding the money away. "Where's the money? I'll just get my fare from there."

Elijah's gaze locked onto hers, not even blinking or moving his lens. She blinked, so she took the money he was giving her.

"Once I give you something, take it. I'm your husband, so even though we got married under strange circumstances, we're still married. What's mine is yours, from now on. Do you understand, Charlotte?"

She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

"I put aside the money you're talking about, so don't worry about where it is."

He stepped closer to her, so she raised her eyebrows slightly. But she was more surprised when he touched her cheeks. "I made you blush, are you okay going out with your cheeks all red?"

Why was he so close?

"I-I'm... I'm fine even if my cheeks are red." Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears.

He nodded and removed his hand from her cheek, then stepped back two steps.

"Let's go, I'll accompany you. I'll drop you off near where you're going, but remember what I said, you're not allowed to come home late if you decide to go home alone."

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Elijah left the room, leaving her standing there, still holding onto her chest, trying to calm her heart before following him. She seemed nervous about Elijah approaching her.

Charlotte stepped out of the room and walked out of the house. Elijah was already inside the car, waiting for her to get in.

"Where are you meeting your friends?"

"At my friend's house."

She noticed Elijah's eyes squint slightly. Maybe his vision is getting blurry.

"Which friend?"

"Mary."

He nodded and started the car. She wondered why, with so many cars, Elijah only used one when going to their house. There were a lot of cars parked inside the yard, why weren't they used?

"Do you know how to drive a car?" Elijah asked.

"No."

"But you know how to start it?"

"I've seen my dad and brother do it."

"Did you know what you did last night while you were asleep in the car is dangerous? Even if the car is running, there's a tendency to run out of gas. What if it runs out? The engine will die, and there won't be any air inside. Don't do it again, Charlotte."

She didn't respond because she felt guilty; she went there out of anger last night. How did Elijah open the car? The keys were with her.

"How did you open the car?"

"Key."

She sniffed. "The car keys were inside."

"I have a duplicate."

She nodded. Elijah was smart.

"What's your friend's address? We might have passed it."

She gave Mary's address. They were already close, she realized. Good thing Elijah asked.

"Remember our agreement."

"Yes, I won't forget."

She got out of the car and closed it. She stood on the side, waiting for Elijah to leave first. When the car started moving away, she rode a tricycle to Mary's house.

When the tricycle stopped in front of Mary's house, she noticed the cars of her friends Angelo, Jenny, and Luis parked outside. She paid the tricycle driver and walked towards Mary's house. She rang the doorbell, and it opened after a moment.

"Oh, it's you, Ma'am Charlotte. Your friend and Ma'am Marry have been waiting for you inside."

"I took a bit long. Where are they?"

"They're in Ma'am Mary's room."

"Okay, thank you. I'll go there."

She entered the house and walked straight to Mary's room. When she opened the door, a noisy and messy room greeted her, with pillows being thrown around, and the bed was messed up, with the blanket on the floor. She picked it up and placed it back on the bed.

"Can you guys stop? You're making a mess."

They stopped. "Charlotte's here. Let's start," Mary said, looking at Angelo.

"What are we starting?" she asked.

Mary looked at Angelo. "We're going to drink until we get drunk."

"We have class tomorrow, and you just decided to drink now?"

"It's because of Jenny; she couldn't yesterday, so we're doing it now."

She couldn't yesterday either because of her marriage with Elijah.

"You guys go ahead. I'll pass for now."

"Okay, but you have to stay here and not go home."

She nodded. She sat on the sofa beside Luis, who had been quietly watching them the whole time.

"You seem spaced out."

"I'm just sleepy. I thought we were meeting for school stuff today, but it turns out it's just for drinking. I woke up early for nothing."

She couldn't help but laugh. Among their friends, Luis was the smartest and always had his nose buried in books. He didn't like being disturbed when studying, but it seemed like the three of them had convinced him to come here somehow.

"What are we going to do here? I don't want to drink alcohol either."

"Let's just eat. We'll have their appetizers; it looks more like a meal than snacks."

Their friends' drinking sessions were always like a feast, with a lot of food on the table while they drank. Even the helpers were still cooking snacks for them. It was fine with their parents for them to drink as long as it was at home and not in bars or outside. It was safer at home; at least if someone got drunk, they could sleep there instead of having to go home. But they never went to her house; her brother's friends were always there. Even her friends hadn't been there yet.

"Hey! You two, sit in front of the table. You're here to eat anyway."

So, she and Luis sat on the floor. The table was low, so they didn't need chairs. While waiting for the snacks Mary's helpers cooked, and they chatted. However, when the helpers brought the food and drinks, they all got busy with their tasks.

Even though it was still early, they started drinking right away. Their alcohol tolerance was high, so even if they drank until night, they would still be alive. She was not good with alcohol. One glass was enough for her, and she just ate what was on the table afterward.

Hours passed, and it was already afternoon. She and Luis were engrossed in playing a scramble game. She didn't notice the time.

"Guys, I'm leaving."

Everyone raised their eyebrows. It was evident that some of them were already drunk; their faces were flushed.

"I'm leaving too; you guys take care of yourselves, you're all grown-ups now," Luis said.

"You two are unfair. Maybe you're just going home to have a date," Jenny teased.

She rolled her eyes at Jenny's comment. "No, I'm going straight home. I don't know about Luis, maybe he has somewhere to go."

"I do. I have to pick up my little sibling from our grandma's house because they have school tomorrow, so I need to leave."

Angelo scratched his head. "You two always leave together with reasons, so because of that, each of you has to drink two glasses of alcohol before going home."

"I have to drive, so I can't," Luis said.

"Nah, this isn't strong enough to get you drunk, so just drink it," Mary insisted.

She took one glass because they couldn't finish if Angelo wasn't satisfied, but when she drank it without stopping, it felt like someone drew a very spicy line in her chest.

"What is this? It feels like rubbing alcohol."

"It's strong liquor, that's why it's strong," Mary said.

She grimaced at the taste, which was spicy, bitter, and cold in her mouth. "Don't let Luis drink this; he might have an accident. It's too strong!"

"Okay, fine, but you're not safe either because you're not driving. Here's another one for you before you go home."

Could she even drink that? She took the glass of alcohol, drank it straight, then grabbed some food and shoved it into her mouth to get rid of the taste.

"You're weak with alcoholic drinks, Charlotte. Be careful on your way home," Jenny reminded her.

They left Luis's room, and she felt like she couldn't even move her face properly.

"Are you okay? Can you still make it home?"

"Yeah."

"Shall I drop you off at your house?"

She shook her head repeatedly. "I can go home by myself. The trip won't take long. Just drop me off at the tricycle stop on the corner so I won't have to walk."

"Okay, let's go."

They just said goodbye to Julie, the helper close to their family who always accompanied them whenever they went to Mary's house. Then, they left Luis's house.

Eijah was standing in front of his house, waiting for Charlotte, it was already five o'clock, and she still hadn't arrived. On the first day of their agreement, it seemed like she was already breaking it.

When six o'clock struck, he decided to go and pick her up. He knew where Charlotte's friend's house was because he had followed the tricycle she rode earlier before finally leaving the area.

He stood outside, arms crossed, as he watched the gate. Suddenly, a woman who seemed intoxicated stumbled into his yard.

He quickly walked over to Charlotte. "Good thing you didn't break our agreement right from the start." She didn't respond, just kept her head down, but her stance was unsteady.

"Charlotte."

"Hmmp.."

Something was off about her. He lifted her chin to meet her gaze. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at him.

"Are you drunk?"

Charlotte furrowed her brow. "N-No..."

He brought his nose closer to her mouth and couldn't help but grimace at the strong smell of alcohol lingering on her breath. "I knew it."

He held Charlotte's arms and guided her inside the house, leading her to the second bedroom.

After coming home from work, he went straight to buy a bed, a cabinet, and other furnishings for the room, like a small table, Charlotte's study desk, and a sofa. The room was now fully equipped; they just needed to get Charlotte's clothes from her house.

It seemed Charlotte also drank when she wasn't at her parents' house.

He left Charlotte's room and went to his own to get a t-shirt. All his sister's clothes were for going out, so he didn't take any from her closet.

He returned and found Charlotte lying on the floor. He closed his eyes, then walked over to pick her up and put her back on the bed.

Now he was staring at Charlotte's face, contemplating how he would change her clothes.

"Perhaps there would be no harm in changing her clothes himself, but he also considered the possibility of her waking up and feeling that he was taking advantage of her vulnerability. He sighed and concluded that, regardless of what she might say, it was in her best interest to change into clean clothes since it was a new bed."

He tried to wake Charlotte, but all he got was a groan in response, so he decided to change her clothes himself.

He took a cloth and tied it around his eyes so he wouldn't see Charlotte's body while she was undressed. As he undressed her, he made sure not to touch any sensitive parts of her body.

After putting his oversized t-shirt on her, he removed the cloth from his eyes, took a blanket, and covered her. He was about to leave; he was already close to the door when he heard a noise. He quickly turned to Charlotte and saw her vomiting right on the bed.

"Charlotte!"

He approached her, unsure of what to do now that it was too late, with vomit scattered all over the bed. He held his head, even her hair was soaked in vomit.

Frustrated, he clenched his fists. In anger, he lifted Charlotte and placed her in the bathtub, turning on the shower.

She woke up at the first splash of water, looking like she might drown.

"Turn off... the shower!"

He turned it off immediately. She looked at him with disdain. "Why did you bring me here?!"

"That's your punishment. You got drunk and vomited in the room. We'll have to change the bedsheets because of your actions."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "I didn't vomit."

"You want proof? Look at the bed, it's full of your vomit. Since you're awake, you'll clean it up."

Annoyed, she stood up, but as soon as her feet touched the tiles, she stumbled and fell. He couldn't catch her in time because it happened so quickly.

She closed her eyes, sitting on the bathroom floor, still feeling dizzy.

"I might have to add more rules for you, Charlotte, because you're stubborn."

He left her and went to get clothes, even though they were too big for her, from his room. He entered Charlotte's bathroom and helped her stand up.

"Here are my clothes, change into them."

Charlotte took them. "What about my underwear? They're wet."

He closed his eyes. "You should have reminded me to get your suitcase from Auntie's house. You have school tomorrow, right? What will you wear?"

Charlotte looked like a scolded child. "Wear these for now even if you don't have underwear. I'll check if my sister has any in her cabinet."

He left Charlotte in the bathroom, checking his sister's clothes for underwear, but he couldn't find any. However, he noticed two circular items in a small drawer, placed in a small bag. They seemed to be used when not wearing a bra. He took them and knocked on the bathroom door, making sure Charlotte was changing before he entered.

When she said she was okay, he went in but noticed her arms covering her chest.

"Use these; my sister doesn't have bras here."

He handed them to Charlotte. "I don't know how to use these."

"Figure it out because it's your fault for leaving without thinking about your belongings at Auntie's house. Then you come home drunk. Find a solution to that!"

He left the bathroom, leaning against the wall, exhausted. He glanced at the bed; the room now smelled sour. Was this what it was like to have a wife? Always had a headache because his wife was younger than him.

He shook his head, then took the bedsheets and placed them downstairs. He instructed the maid to wash them immediately because there was vomit on them.

Returning upstairs, he saw Charlotte sitting on the bed, her head bowed. She was still dizzy from the strong alcohol.

Even after removing the vomit-stained bedsheets, the room still smelled bad. He approached Charlotte.

"Are you still feeling dizzy?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"This is why you left, just to drink at someone else's house. Next time, you can't come home drunk, even if your friend invites you. If you want to drink, you can do it here."

"I don't want to."

He frowned. "Are you not going to follow me?" She didn't respond. He sat down beside her. "Remember that you have something to protect, something you don't want anyone to know about. So next time, be careful and follow all my instructions so we don't have any problems. Do you want to eat?"

She still had her eyes closed. He lifted Charlotte and leaned her against the pillow.

"Do you want to eat?" he asked again.

She nodded. He stood up and briefly observed Charlotte before leaving to tell my maid to cook.