"No."

“Aurora mentioned wanting to break up with me yesterday. Don't let your wife know about it.”

Bennett sneered, "You should be grateful she doesn't know."

Breck was rendered speechless.

"Bye."

The sound of the ringtone reverberated in Breck's ear as Bennett's sudden disconnection of the call caught him off guard.

Slowly, he returned the phone to his pocket, feeling a mix of surprise and frustration.

As Bennett looked out through the French window at the dreary autumn landscape, he felt dissatisfied with everything lately. The barren trees and gray skies reflected his own sense of disappointment.

Before long, Claudia stirred awake at three o'clock.

Stretching and yawning, she opened her eyes to find Bennett still beside her. Surprised, she remarked, “Did you take a nap too?"

Aware that napping wasn't Bennett's usual habit, Claudia appreciated his genuine company.

Assuming he would head to work after she fell asleep, she was touched to discover him still by her side.

Feeling content, Claudia snuggled into his arms.

Bennett reciprocated the affection and embraced her, wrapping his arms around her. He then leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Breck invited me to play cards tonight. Would you like to join us?"

Claudia was tempted to go, but the hickey on her neck made her think twice. She knew that even if she wore a turtleneck sweater to conceal it, she would feel overheated and uncomfortable with the heating turned on.

With that thought in mind, she shook her head. "No, I want to go to bed early tonight."

After speaking, she realized that her words might have sounded strange, especially since she had just napped. She opened her mouth, attempting to explain. But she soon realized that clarifying her statement was pointless.

Looking into Bennett's smiling eyes, she raised her hand to cover his mouth. "No dirty thoughts allowed!"

Bennett chuckled. "If you weren't having dirty thoughts, how would you know I was?"

Claudia found herself momentarily speechless. She pushed Bennett away and declared, "I'm getting up to practice the piano!"

Bennett lay to the side, watching her rise from the bed.

The aftermath of last night's powerful autumn rain had caused an abrupt drop in temperature.

Before going to bed, she didn't feel cold. But now she awoke to a dull hue and an overcast sky. She opened the curtain, and a cold draft blew in, causing goose bumps to appear on her arms.