After about two minutes, Betty had dressed herself, looking just as she did when she first entered, except now her hair was disheveled and her eyes were misty with tears, revealing a profound sadness and weariness.
Throughout this process, Michael had forced himself not to open his eyes or unblock his ears, so although he heard some odd noises, he was clueless about what had actually happened.
He might have thought Betty was still hesitating, perhaps waiting for a night of passion, or maybe waiting for her to compromise.
But he was wrong.
After dressing, Betty walked out of the room emotionlessly, not forgetting to turn off Michael’s room light before she left.
Even though Michael’s eyes were closed, the thinness of his eyelids allowed him to sense the light.
When Betty turned off the light, the room plunged into darkness, and Michael felt it too.
It was only after Betty left the room and turned off the light that Michael finally opened his eyes.
But upon opening them, he was stunned to find the room empty, with only his underwear and pajamas scattered on the bed.
Betty and her clothes had vanished, as if she had never been there at all.
Michael sat dumbfounded for a long time before he realized what had happened.
He quickly perked up his ears to listen for any sounds outside the bedroom, perhaps still hoping that Betty had just gone to the restroom and would soon return to his bedroom for some intimacy.
But he waited a long time, and Betty never came back.
The entire house fell into silence.
Eventually, Michael realized what had happened; he had pushed too hard, played too much, and finally crossed Betty’s boundaries.
Betty had given up.
Michael collapsed onto the bed with a thud, his eyes filled with regret.
He had overstepped, and now he was tasting the bitter fruits of his actions; he had lost everything.
Both were engulfed in a complex mix of emotions, predominantly sadness, but in my heart, I felt an immense relief.
I had initially thought Betty putting on a condom meant she was going to have sex with Michael, at the very least oral sex, but I never expected things to turn out this way.
This scenario was exactly what I preferred to see.
I felt a sudden ease in my heart, lit a cigarette, and let the nicotine flow through my body, easing much of my fatigue.
I even felt a bit hungry at that moment.
Although I didn’t know how the situation in the video would unfold next, the current scene provided me with some comfort.
I called the hotel to prepare a lavish lunch, which would soon be delivered to my bedroom.
Smoking my cigarette, I waited for my lunch, continuing to watch the video.
Since last night, my nerves had been on edge, but now I could finally relax a bit.
On the other hand, Betty returned to her own bedroom in a daze, sitting on the edge of her bed in a stupor.
After a while, she took out her phone and dialed my number, only to find it still turned off.
Although Betty was heartbroken, she wasn’t too surprised; it seemed she had anticipated my phone being off.
Betty put down her phone but turned on the screen saver, which displayed a background image of a photo taken shortly after Michael arrived at my house, featuring the three of us.
In the photo, Michael looked a bit restrained and unhappy, as he was still not quite accustomed to being at my house.
I had a slight smile, but it wasn’t very natural, probably because I was somewhat reluctant to adopt Michael, so my smile was somewhat forced.
The most naturally smiling person in the photo was undoubtedly Betty.
Having a son at last, her long-missed maternal love found a place to thrive, making Betty look truly happy in the photo.
Betty gazed at the photo with deep emotion, but given the small size of her phone screen, I couldn’t tell if she was looking at Michael or me.
Her expression was complex, filled with guilt, sadness, helplessness, and a hint of fear.
After a while, Betty put down her phone and turned to lie back on her bed.
She didn’t lie down fully but propped herself up against the headboard, sitting there as she stared out the window.
The curtains were open, and she watched the night sky through the window, her eyes flickering with memories, happiness, sorrow, and mostly confusion and helplessness.
Meanwhile, Michael tossed and turned in his bed, filled with regret.
He didn’t know if Betty’s behavior was just for tonight or if it would be the same going forward.
Had Betty given up on him completely?
He realized he had gone too far.
Numerous times, he sat up, thinking about getting out of bed.
It looked like he wanted to go to Betty’s room—perhaps to comfort her, or to apologize?
But apologizing would mean compromising with Betty, and would he still have his desires fulfilled in the future?
That was Michael’s dilemma.
As Michael wrestled with his thoughts, Betty’s eyes shifted through countless complex emotions, finally settling on a decision.
Though still confused, there was a newfound determination in her gaze.
Betty slowly got out of bed and walked towards the door.
Just as I was about to discard my cigarette butt, having just finished smoking, I saw Betty heading for the door, which made me tense up again.
Had Betty had a change of heart?
Was she about to compromise after some thought?
I discarded the cigarette butt and was about to put on my headset again, but before I could, Betty reached the door.
Just when I thought she was going to open it, she unexpectedly locked it instead.
With a soft click, Betty locked the door and then lay back down on her bed.
Betty knew Michael well enough to fear that he might come to apologize or, worse, force himself on her again in a fit of madness.
So, with that small lock, she completely isolated herself from Michael, at least for the night.
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Betty lay on her bed, her back to the door.
Although her eyes were closed, tears occasionally squeezed past her tightly shut eyelids, trickling down her nose and onto the sheets.
Betty’s actions tonight were perhaps driven by Michael’s attitude, which had completely chilled her heart and led to her breakdown.
Everything had pushed her beyond her limits of endurance.
As expected, after everything quieted down, I fast-forwarded the video.
Less than two hours later, Michael could no longer stay put; he knew Betty was either angry or deeply hurt.
After wrestling with his thoughts for a long time, he jumped out of bed, opened his room door, and walked out.