Chapter 2
The room went dead silent. Charlotte looked down at me, and for the first time, a crack showed on that stunning face of hers, as if she were trying to figure out whether I'd truly gone crazy or was pulling some new stunt.
"Alexander," she finally said through clenched teeth, "are you sure you know what you're calling me?"
"Honey, obviously." I answered like it was the most natural thing in the world and hugged her leg tighter. "Aren't you my wife, Charlotte Summers?"
Charlotte's pupils shrank hard. It wasn't strange that we knew each other; what shocked her was that I'd used a clingy pet name so mushy it could give someone goosebumps.
[Program Notification: According to the original memory, although the host and Charlotte Summers were engaged, the host always found Charlotte boring and looked down on her as a dull workaholic. In public, he addressed her as 'Ms. Summers' or 'that woman.']
The voice in my head chimed in right on cue and filled in the background.
My heart skipped a beat.
So the old me was an asshole? No wonder my wife was so cold to me. No way—I had to fix this and let her know the new me had turned over a new leaf.
"Honey, I know I was wrong before. I was a bastard. I was trash." Tears streamed down my face as I laid it on thick like an award-winning actor. "But this car crash woke me the hell up. While I was unconscious, all I could think about was you. You gave me the will to live. You pulled me back from death's door!"
"Honey, please give me one more chance. From now on, Alexander Grant lives for you and only you!"
As I talked, I secretly watched Charlotte's expression. Her face stayed blank, but the fingers gripping the armrest had gone white from how hard she was holding on.
She was wavering.
So I kept pushing, hugging her leg and whining, "Honey, the floor's cold. My legs are numb. Can you help me up? I want a hug."
Charlotte took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling noticeably. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the complicated emotions were gone, leaving only icy calm.
"Get up," she said.
"Not until you agree to hug me," I said shamelessly.
She stayed silent for a full thirty seconds, so long I thought she might call security to drag me out.
In the end, she still gave in.
"... Fine."
Just one word, light as air, but it made me so happy I could explode. I let go at once and shakily pushed myself to my feet while Charlotte stood up too, taller than I'd expected, almost eye level with me in heels.
She just stood there quietly, making no move at all.
I didn't care.
I lunged straight at her and threw myself into her arms. Damn, she smelled amazing—a cool, clean scent like pine after fresh snow drifting right into my nose.
Her body was slim but not soft. Even through the thin layer of fabric, I could feel how tense her muscles were while I clung to her like a koala and buried my face in the curve of her neck.
"Honey, you smell so good," I said from the heart.
Her body stiffened again. I could even hear her heartbeat suddenly speed up—thump, thump, thump—strong and steady.
So even an ice queen's heart could race like this.
"Done yet?" she asked coldly above my head.
"No," I mumbled. "I could hold you for a lifetime and it still wouldn't be enough."
She didn't say anything else, and she didn't push me away either. So we just stood there in the hospital room in an insanely weird position.
Until a man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses pushed the door open and walked in.
"Mr. Grant, you..."
The moment he saw what was happening, his voice died. His mouth dropped wide enough to fit an egg, and his expression shifted from shock to horror to complete what-the-hell disbelief.
"Mr. Carter?" I called out tentatively.
The system in my head immediately filled me in.
[James Carter, your chief assistant. He handles every matter you're too lazy to deal with. Extremely loyal and highly capable.]
"Y-yes, Mr. Grant," James stammered, pushing up his glasses as if trying to confirm he wasn't hallucinating.
"Not Mr. Grant." I frowned in displeasure. "Call me Mr. Grant, or... Ms. Summers's husband."
As I said that, I rubbed against Charlotte a little more, making my claim.
James's jaw nearly hit the floor.
And in my arms, a suspicious flush quietly crept up the tips of Charlotte's ears.