Observing his brother wallow next to him, Liam couldn"t help but be bothered by his negative energy. He"s used to Daniel"s coldness but the expression that he had at that moment was far from it. "What"s going on with you? Did you guys fight?" He asked, worried that he"s seeing his brother like that again. The last time that he saw him drinking like there"s no tomorrow was when Samantha ran away last year. Daniel started drinking during the day and it went on for weeks; he was a mess.
However, with the look on his eyes at that moment, Liam could tell that his expression looked darker than before. It was as if Daniel lost all the hope in the world.
"I wish that was the case," Daniel sighed. Lifting the gla.s.s and bringing it to his mouth for another shot.
Seemingly confused, Liam turned all his attention and questioned, "What do you mean? Why would you wish for the two of you to fight?"
Daniel chuckled mockingly, "Fighting is better. I wish we could just fight. That way… I know that we"ll still be okay after it dies down." Daniel downed the gla.s.s and poured another one. He shook his head when what he just said replayed in his mind. "Fighting is better than separating. And it"s definitely better than her dying."
Liam ran a hand on his face, he was even more confused after what he just heard. How can his brother wish that they would just fight instead? Is he nuts? How big was their problem that he would prefer that? Surrendering, Liam just patted his brother"s back and drank his own whiskey in silence.
Without talking, the two of them drank at the bar — at the same time that the younger brother shooed whoever came up to them to flirt.
Liam believed that whatever his brother"s problems were, he would be able to solve it. After all, he was Daniel Cho.
But what he did not realize was that Daniel Cho"s strength was also his weakness. And at that moment, everything around him had just collapsed. How was he going to face Samantha now? He had promised her the day before that he was going to do everything that he could to save her. It looked like his promises were going to have to be broken.
"Come on, we"ve been here for hours. It"s almost midnight and your wife has been calling you since. Let"s go home." Liam urged Daniel to get off the stool.
With great difficulty, he managed to get Daniel to his Maybach and ordered a.s.sistant Ahn to drive him to the Cliffside Villa.
"Brother, I don"t know what happened to you guys but I know that you"ll be able to get through this. Both of you have already experienced a lot together, what"s one hurdle, right?" Liam said as he fixed his brother Daniel in place at the back seat of the car, buckling the seatbelt on him.
Daniel scoffed at what he just heard from his brother. "What hurdle? This isn"t a hurdle… it"s a catastrophe. It"s the end of the world, dork." He slurred his words while his eyes were closed and his mind spun around.
Shaking his head, Liam gestured for Ahn to go and then closed the car door. He watched as the Maybach was already out of sight before he went back inside his bar. He was so tired and busy that day and all he wanted was to get home and see Becca.
…
Cliffside Villa
Samantha laid down on the sofa in the living room, waiting for her husband to come home. When she called earlier, it was Liam who picked up the call and Liam told her what Daniel was doing. She had already guessed that something was wrong since she had not heard from him all day and when she found out that he was drinking, her heart began to unsettle.
She chose to wait for him to come home as she sat alone, worried and nervous. She could feel her body started to weaken again that"s why the entire day she just stayed at home. Daniel had hired a private nurse to look after her while he was out and Samantha only felt weaker when she could not do anything else.
Daniel had actually convinced her to go to the hospital but she decided against it, afraid that he would suddenly agree to Devyn"s condition if he sees that she looked weak. So as much as she could, Samantha remained strong and did not allow herself to let go of what she was fighting for.
She had just closed her eyes when she heard the sound of the gates being opened and the car coming in the driveway. She got up in a hurry from the sofa, feeling a little dizzy from the sudden movement and peered through the window in which she saw a.s.sistant Ahn helping Daniel out of the car.
But just as Daniel had his feet on the ground, he retracted his arm from Ahn"s grasps as he wanted to walk by himself. "I"m okay, you take the car and go home," he said without turning back and headed towards the main door.
Samantha hastily opened the door and their eyes met. "Daniel," she called.
The moment that he saw her in front of him, Daniel"s heart crumbled. He was feeling numb because of all the liquor that he drank but just the sound of her voice calling for him and the weak look that she had, his intention wavered.
She looked so fragile at that moment that he wanted to protect her in his arms but before he could even take a step, Samantha had already pounced on him. "What took you so long?" She worried, her heart pounded in her chest when she smelled alcohol on him.
Feeling her warmth, Daniel succ.u.mbed to his weakness and held her tightly. Samantha could feel that he was in a vulnerable state but she strengthened herself and took him inside, thanking Ahn for bringing his husband home.
She struggled and brought him up to their bedroom, making him sit on the bed as she carefully removed his coat and his tie.
He watched her as she moved about until he caught her tiny wrist, stopping her from moving further. He brought her down and made her sit next to him.
Daniel did not speak and just looked at her with his blurry gaze, blinking his eyes to steady his stare. Samantha"s heart skipped because of how intense he was looking at her. The man who was always composed was looking miserable in front of her. His hair was disheveled, he was reddish because of drinking alcohol and yet she loved him.
Despite the influence of liquor, disappointment was evident inside him. His guilt was eating him up and yet he could not bear to accept that his only solution was a ticket to a future without her.
"Aren"t you tired of me yet?" He asked in a serious tone, surprising her and catching her off guard.
Samantha"s brows knitted when she heard him and the first thought that came to her mind was their future together. She had pictured how happy they were, forgetting that she"s actually sick.
She was annoyed because of his question but she responded in a calm tone, "Why would I? When I was miserable back then, you did not give up on me, Daniel. So no, I will never get tired of you. Even if you push me away, I will not let go."