Crystal's One Night of Love

Right then, Henry figured it out.

Crystal’s foremost priority was her children. He came after them.

The discovery made him ill at ease.

As he gazed down upon her delicate features, he seemed to see another version of himself, a version that held all memories of him.

He did not give in to her. But the next day, he found himself returning to the Miller residence.

They sky grew dimmer as the evening progressed.

Henry did not head indoors immediately. He leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette and taking slow drags, smoke veiling his face.

The Miller residence echoed with children’s laughter and spirited play in the living room, infusing the surroundings with vibrant energy. Yet, this liveliness felt somewhat foreign to him.

After he finished smoking, he walked into the living room.

A young and unfamiliar handsome boy occupied a seat.

Toys were scattered around him, and he seemed somewhat awkward.

Before Henry could inquire about the boy, Crystal walked over with a tray of freshly baked cookies. She crouched down before the boy and said tenderly. “Christopher, these are fresh from the oven. Give them a try.”

The boy appeared somewhat bashful as he sampled a few cookies.

“Is it good?” Crystal ruffled his hair affectionately.

“It is!”

Skyler came up next to him. “Christopher, Mommy put lots of milk in them! Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”

A blush crept onto the young boy’s face as he nodded in agreement.

Henry’s brow furrowed with concern.

No matter how he looked at it, this boy named Christopher appeared like a young daughter-in-law raised by the Miller family.

He felt that a conversation with Crystal was imperative.

Later at night, when the children had finally gone to bed, Henry knocked on the door of the children’s room. “Convenient to talk? I want to discuss something about Skyler with you.”

Crystal was always open to discussing their children, so she looked down at Skyler who was nestled in her arms and murmured, “I’ll be in your room in a moment.”

A while later, she entered his room, which was dimly lit.

Henry, who had taken a shower, sported a casual white bathrobe that highlighted his strong build.

While Crystal sized him up, Henry did the same and snorted. “You’re all bundled up. Why, are you afraid I’ll do anything to you?”

Crystal ignored him. She settled on the couch across from him and asked gently, “What is it about Skyler you want to discuss?”

“Who’s Christopher to the Millers? Who is he to Skyler? And if my guess is right, he has Rh-negative. blood, doesn’t he?” Henry didn’t beat around the bush.

Crystal lowered her gaze. “You’ve got it right.”

Tension hung in the air.

Henry looked at Crystal.

her pale pink sweater dress, she projected a gentle demeanor,

wanting to attract his parents’ attention, he said in a low yet stern voice, “That’s a living, breathing human being, not some item you can trade! Crystal… how much

out a

me of being immoral.

the brunt

the

that, she hung

knitted

hour later, Edith arrived, handed over the document,

passed the document to Henry. “The answers you’re searching for are within these

stiffened after reading the contents.

imagined himself performing

It was him.

pumped two hundred

the one who had engaged in golf rounds

decided to have Christopher’s continuous presence by Skyler’s side throughout their upbringing

it was all him, or perhaps the other version of

head to look at

***

After a while, she murmured, “Henry, even if I don’t want to, I have to admit that you two are different

three years, Henry had

his core, and he had been prepared to make

the figure before her displayed, he was not

up on him, but that she simply received nothing besides sorrow from

stood in the darkness of the night, loneliness radiating off

ever so

had many ways to plead his case, yet the words refused to cross his lips,

longing for the

was snowing

enveloped them in warmth, courtesy of the heater. The floor-to-ceiling window was covered in a

as she said, “Henry, you turned

before her was not the Henry Miller

were fundamentally incongruent.

their shared intimacy, she felt empty inside.

was enough to make a man’s heart

unhurriedly, then wrapped his arms around her lithe form from behind. He leaned into her ear and whispered, “Is he truly remarkable? What is it about him that

this way, but the discomfort still grew

himself. cavorting unabashedly in the embrace of their shared bed, her

thought of it kindled an acute sense of unease within him.

her head slightly.

her from her cheek to her ear, down to her neck. Those tender, reverential kisses mirrored an act

turned around and reciprocated his kiss.

against the crook of his warm neck, she said, “If you want to

night grew deeper, Crystal went

him to watch it at

in a bathrobe, leaning against the

was stunned by the

study and Crystal tending to him with care in his embrace. She was pregnant at the time, around

her long legs on the

heart threatened to pound

saw another version of himself gently tugging Crystal’s long hair and tenderly kissing her. “That’s enough,

witnessed them sharing a heartbreaking

blue light illuminated the dimly lit