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墨書 Inktalez
A charming urban bar filled with exquisite wooden furniture and soft lighting. The clock shows that it is now 9:30 in the evening.
The dazzling neon lights illuminate the city's night sky as Evan walks into "Midnight Whispers," a high-end and enchanting bar.
This is his and Michelle's favorite place, where they have spent countless wonderful times together.
But tonight is different, because Michelle did not show up.
Evan sat at the bar, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand, his gaze fixed on the amber liquid at the bottom of the glass.
He had been waiting for Michelle to show up. They had agreed to meet at eight in the evening, but time kept passing, and there was no message from Michelle on his phone.
The agreed-upon seven o'clock had long passed, and it was already half past nine. Evan looked at the dimly lit bar counter, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.
Suddenly, the bar door was pushed open, and a strange atmosphere followed.
A woman in a sexy little black dress walked in. Her name is Victoria.
Victoria has an eye-catching figure and an unforgettable face.
Her appearance made many male customers sneak a glance.
The woman's name is Victoria. She caught a glimpse of Evan and felt that he not only had a good appearance and style, but also exuded a lonely atmosphere that made him even more attractive.
More importantly, as soon as she walked in, she immediately attracted the attention of all the men present, except for him. This action successfully aroused her competitive spirit.
She looked around the bar and finally set her eyes on Evan.
To her, Evan is a perfect target: mature, handsome, and seemingly well-off financially.
Victoria walked up to the bar, casually found a seat, making sure there was only one seat between her and Evan. She ordered a martini in an almost artistic manner.
"Hi, my name is Victoria," she said confidently, taking the initiative.
Evan turned his head, drawn in by her beauty and presence, but feeling a sense of unease and alertness in his heart.
"I'm Evan, nice to meet you," Evan responded, although he was still thinking about Michelle in his heart.
"Are you waiting for someone? You don't seem very happy tonight," Victoria keenly noticed Evan's change in mood.
Evan felt a little uneasy for a moment, but he politely replied, "I'm Evan, and I was indeed waiting for someone, but it seems she's not coming."
"Me? I often go out alone," Victoria bit her lip, "but tonight, I wanted to find someone interesting to accompany me."
Evan felt a surge of excitement and hesitation. He knew this was a dangerous game, but after two months of tension and pressure, the temptation seemed to be getting to him.
The two began to chat, discussing work, life, and even their views on marriage. Cindy laughed and said, "I don't have much faith in marriage either. I think it's just a social institution."
Evan was taken aback, as this woman seemed to share remarkably similar views with him.
"So, Evan, would you be willing to spend an unforgettable night with me?"
Evan felt a sudden dizziness and his heart raced. Victoria's voice was like a beam of light in the fog, gentle yet irresistibly attractive.
His sharp intuition told him that this was a dangerous path, but feelings of loss and loneliness were like the mist in a dark forest, clouding his alertness.
"I..." Evan finally spoke, his tone filled with hesitation and struggle.
Victoria seemed to see through his inner struggle. She smiled and slowly approached his ear, gently saying, "Don't overthink it, let everything happen naturally."
At that moment, Evan's phone suddenly rang again, and he saw that it was Michelle calling. He instantly came to his senses, picked up the phone, and hesitated whether to answer.
Seeing this, Victoria smiled and said, "Go ahead, answer it. I won't mind."
Evan struggled for a moment in his heart, but in the end, he put his phone back in his pocket without answering.
"Well then, let's continue," Victoria said, placing her hand on Evan's waist and smiling seductively at him. Her eyes were full of temptation, making it hard to resist.
Victoria smiled satisfactorily, knowing that she had won. At least for now. She wore a smug and teasing smile, as if she already knew what would happen next.
Evan felt deeply guilty, but he couldn't find a reason to refuse. He felt like he was bound by various emotions and pressures, unable to break free.
In that moment, he chose to escape, to escape from Michelle, to escape from his responsibility to her, and to escape from his deep-seated fear of marriage and relationships.
On the other side, Michelle, who is busy juggling work and family, finally finds a bit of time to pick up her phone wearily, wanting to make the call that has been waiting for her all night.
Michelle looked at the time on her phone and it was already 11 p.m. She took out her phone and dialed Evan's number, but he didn't answer. She felt a tightness in her chest, a sense of foreboding.
Evan and Victoria walked to his apartment. He used the key to open the door, and as soon as the door closed, Victoria, as if driven by some force, hugged him tightly.
She wrapped her delicate arms around his neck and brought her mouth close to his ear: "I know you want this too." Her voice was like a call of forbidden fruit.
Evan felt a surge of uncontrollable passion, temporarily pushing aside thoughts of Michelle and succumbing to a moment that shouldn't have happened but was irresistible. Pressure, responsibility, fear, guilt... these emotions swirled within Evan, but ultimately were drowned out by the temptation and alcohol before him.
The night grew darker, as if it wanted to swallow everything. Victoria and Evan held each other tightly, spending the night together.
However, the phone lying on the bedside table became a silent witness.
On the screen, the missed call from Michelle is flashing.
Evan lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His gaze gradually focused on an irregular flaw on the ceiling, like a giant question mark symbolizing his current state of mind.
Victoria had already entered the bathroom, her joyful laughter mixed with the sound of water. He closed his eyes, and the sound of the water in the bathroom became increasingly distant, his state of mind becoming more complicated.
In an instant, Evan felt an extreme sense of emptiness and self-blame in his heart. He gripped the bedsheets tightly, feeling a pain in his chest as if it had been torn by something.
"Are you okay?" Victoria walked out of the bathroom, completely naked, and gently touched his face.
"I... I need some time to think," Evan replied incoherently.
"Think about what?" Victoria's tone revealed a hint of displeasure.
"I don't know why I did this. I always thought that staying single was a way to avoid this kind of mess, but it seems that even so, I made a decision that I regret."
Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, slipped under the covers, and then turned to look at him: "There's no need for regret, it's just a kind of happiness, isn't it?"
Evan turned his face, his gaze still empty: "This is not the happiness I want."
"Hmph, then what do you want?" Victoria's voice grew colder.
"I don't know, but this definitely isn't," Evan's voice was filled with regret.
Victoria didn't say anything more. She put on her clothes and casually took out a business card from her bag, placing it on the bedside table.
"If you change your mind, you can always find me," she said as she walked to the door, a contemptuous smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
As the door closed with a loud 'bang', Evan suddenly felt a suffocating heaviness. He picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately didn't call Michelle.
He recalled the wonderful times he spent with Michelle and their views on the future and marriage.
He began to regret his actions just now, which contradicted the values he and Michelle had upheld together.
He gripped the sheets tightly, a deeper wound cutting across his heart.
Suddenly, he realized that even though he had chosen not to marry, even though he had tried to avoid the burdens and confusion brought by love and marriage, he still couldn't escape the fragility deep within his own heart.
He ran his hand through his hair, sighed in frustration, and picked up his phone to see three missed calls, all from Michelle.
Then he saw a text message from Victoria: "Last night was great, looking forward to seeing you again, Evan."
Evan's mood became complicated. He was a mature man, well aware of the consequences of a one-night stand.
However, after a big argument with Michelle, the two temporarily separated, and when he was feeling extremely low, none of it seemed to matter as much.
The phone vibrated again, it was Michelle calling. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately answered.
"Hi, Michelle, I'm sorry, I... I had some things come up, so I couldn't make it to the bar to meet you."
Michelle's voice came through the phone, with a hint of weariness and disappointment: "It's okay, I understand. I had a last-minute issue with a project and couldn't make it as planned."
"Yeah, we've been really busy lately, haven't we?"
"Yeah, too busy," Michelle paused for a moment and then said, "We need to find time to talk properly, Evan."
"I feel the same way, Michelle. Let's find some time to reschedule, okay?"
"Sure, we'll be in touch then."
The call ended, Evan placed his phone back on the table with a heavy heart.
He realized that the night with Victoria might make things even more complicated between him and Michelle. He looked at Victoria's text again, hesitating whether to reply or not.
Just then, another text message came in, this time from Victoria: "I'm free tonight, how about you?"
Evan stared at these few words, feeling a great internal struggle. He knew that continuing his relationship with Victoria could bring unpredictable variables into his life.
But at the same time, Victoria seemed to satisfy a long-hidden need of his - a need to escape reality and seek momentary excitement.
Finally, he picked up his phone and began to reply: "Sorry, I have plans tonight."
He pressed the send button, feeling somewhat relieved but also a little lost. However, he knew it might be the wisest choice, especially considering the unresolved issues with Michelle.
Evan took a deep breath and composed himself.
When he picked up his phone, he found a message from Michelle last night: "Where did you go? Sorry, I was too busy with work and forgot to tell you I couldn't make it out. Can we reschedule?"
Evan looked at the message, unsure of how to respond for a moment. He knew that Michelle was not the type to control him, but he also knew that he had stepped into a territory he shouldn't have.
He quickly sent Michelle a simple message: "Had something come up last night, will talk to you in detail later."
Before long, Michelle replied: "Okay, I understand that work is busy. But you suddenly went off the grid, and it made me worry."
Evan took a deep breath and set down his phone.
Evan's heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle, and he knew that he would be facing more inexplicable difficulties in the future.
He picked up his phone and looked at Michelle's profile picture, feeling a mix of emotions. He was well aware that even as a non-marriage advocate, it didn't mean he could do as he pleased in matters of the heart.
He opened Michelle's message again and decided to tell her everything truthfully, regardless of the outcome. As he began to type, his fingers hesitated at the moment of pressing the "send" button.
This hesitation, like an insurmountable chasm, made him realize that even if he remained unmarried, he could not escape the test of love and responsibility.
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