When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 96: A Distracted Day

Nothing Sharon Winters said could get Hazel Hawthorne’s attention. She spent the entire morning slumped over her desk, utterly dejected. She had no inspiration for the design draft Holly Shaw had assigned her and was in a complete stupor. During the lunch break, seeing that Hazel was still listless, Sharon couldn’t help but ask what was wrong.

The cafeteria was crowded, and Hazel Hawthorne found the topic embarrassing. After a long hesitation, she leaned close to Sharon Winters’s ear and whispered, "Have you ever had a wet dream?"

Sharon Winters froze for a second. "A wet dream? You had a wet dream?"

Horrified, Hazel Hawthorne quickly covered Sharon Winters’s mouth. "Keep your voice down! Are you afraid people *can’t* hear us? I was just asking if *you’ve* ever had one."

Sharon Winters pried Hazel Hawthorne’s hand away, gasping for air. ’My voice wasn’t even that loud,’ she thought. ’Hazel’s just being overly sensitive, always worried someone will overhear.’ "It’s not weird to have a wet dream," she said. "Why are you reacting like this? Have you really never had one before?"

From Hazel Hawthorne’s reaction, Sharon Winters knew this must have been her first time. She pulled Hazel closer and whispered in her ear, "I had my first one in high school. I had a huge crush on this celebrity at the time, and I dreamed about him."

"You had one in high school?" Hazel Hawthorne’s jaw nearly hit the floor in astonishment. She stared at Sharon Winters in disbelief. ’Why does she look so proud of it?’

"When you have a wet dream, you’re probably the only one who knows. But have you ever experienced the feeling of getting caught? It was complete social suicide! I was so mortified. I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life." Hazel Hawthorne looked utterly horrified, unwilling to relive the details of that morning.

"Tch, having a wet dream isn’t something to be ashamed of. We’re adults. Isn’t it normal to have physical needs? Don’t you?" Sharon Winters asked, puzzled. "Have you and Aiden Xavier never... done it?"

Hazel Hawthorne was speechless. ’How could I tell Sharon that Aiden Xavier and I have never even held hands? We’re both so chaste. Besides, our relationship doesn’t allow for any further development.’

"Hazel," Sharon Winters said, placing a hand on her shoulder in an earnest tone. "Don’t be so sensitive. A wet dream is a small thing. You really don’t need to be like this. You look like you’ve done something terrible."

with Hazel’s strange behavior that morning and said instinctively, "Don’t tell me this is why you were so out of it this morning? That’s a bit of an overreaction. I have them occasionally, too. It’s not just you and me; other women do, too. If

and ask someone else, Hazel Hawthorne quickly stopped her. Just then, Nathan Miller and Aaron Shaw walked over. Hazel quickly made a "zip it" gesture, and Sharon

welcome back," Nathan Miller said gently, though his eyes were

suggestive smile. Hazel’s lip twitched, and she pretended

if we

cheerfully,

good reason, so she just stayed silent. ’Thankfully, Sharon didn’t let Nathan Miller sit next to me. At least she has that

out she’d been fired, she had been job hunting when

silently beside her, her mind completely elsewhere. Her phone vibrated next to her, and she instantly snatched it, thinking it was a message from Aiden Xavier. But when she opened it, it was just a generic news

on Hazel Hawthorne’s face. He asked, half-joking and half-serious, "Hazel, are

didn’t answer, Sharon Winters secretly nudged her arm. "Are you waiting for Mr. Xavier’s call? Did you two have

Hazel Hawthorne said with a flat expression, putting her phone away. ’My reaction must

lately. Now that he’d suddenly gone silent today, Hazel Hawthorne found she wasn’t used to

"You’ve been distracted all day. What’s wrong

didn’t fight. Do I really seem that

with eyes

face. ’Is it that obvious? I don’t even know

out a mirror. "Look. Don’t you just look

from side to side. ’She’s just

on his profile picture multiple times, wanting to ask if he was coming home that night, but she would type out the words only to silently delete them. ’Wait,’