His Perfect Wife Strikes Back

20 The Masquerade

The lights above my head illuminate the dance floor, and the light and ambiguous dance music encircles the men and women like a soft and smooth ribbon. I took Frade's hand and was nervous because I hadn't danced with a man in a long time. Even after I married Ron, he rarely took me to parties like this.

"Follow my steps, slowly!" Frade pressed against my back. His whisper, caught in the dance music, floated into my ear like a thin cotton wool. One of his hands caressed my lower abdomen, and even the slightest touch from him made me feel like an electric shock. My arms were immediately covered with bumps.

I'm slowly getting back to the way I felt when I went to prom in college. A yellow light lingered for a few seconds on Frade's half-masked face. I looked up at him. On the other side of the mask were his distinct features.

He had deep, tender green eyes, a tall nose, and a thin mouth. Half of his exposed face was so charming. The other half of his face was covered with a silver mask, making it hard to see. It was like his hidden heart, which I could never see clearly.

The dance music ended, but he still hugged me. We just kept dancing until everyone else was slowly leaving. It was just him and me on the dance floor until the next dance.

Our eyes met and we didn't care about other people's eyes at all. The tip of his nose was right in the middle of my nose. I didn't say anything, but my heart was beating fast. I stared longingly at him, waiting for his next move.

"Keep your head up, be confident. You deserve it..."

His words paused. I saw him looking warily behind me. I turned my head and saw a man and a woman walking in front of me. The woman in the orange skirt wore silver high heels, and the gold collar around her neck was dazzling, as haughty as her posture.

The man next to the woman was thin and small in a gray suit, his eyes always moving behind his mask. He was hunched like a weasel, looking for prey.

They don't look like regular guys!

"Wow! Who is this?" said the weasel-like man first, his voice hoarse and hideous. The man circled me and Frade and even sniffed as he passed.

"Sarah, tell your dog to stop barking!" Frade said, hiding me behind him.

"Hello, Frade! Long time no see!" The woman named Sarah looked me up and down. "Have you got a new woman?"

"It's none of your business!" Frade said in a cold, impatient tone.

"You're such a fickle man!" Sarah's red lips curled upward, and she stared at Frade provocatively. "You have no idea how much I've missed you!"

It was obvious that they were having an affair. I think they slept together. Maybe it was a one-night stand. I tried to let go of Frade's hand, but he wouldn't let go.

"My father wants to see you!" Sarah looked up at the second floor. I saw a fat old man with his hands on the railing. He had been watching us from the start.

"I have a message for you from the Plutocrat Federation!" Sarah purposely turned her hips away. "Take it or leave it!"

Frade stared at Sarah as she walked away, and I could see the answer in his eyes. So I took the initiative to let go of his hand. This time he did not refuse.

"Do what you have to do!" I pretended to smile at him. "I'll take care of myself!"

A sensible woman should know when to let go, and he and I are not true couples. And why would I want to keep him?

"I'll be right back!" Said Frade. "Wait for me here!"

Then he went off in the direction Sarah had gone, and I felt a little lost. It made me uncomfortable to see the weasel staring at me with drooling eyes not far away.