Substitute Woman

But he had forgotten that Wendy was severely allergic to alcohol.

“Wendy, just drink this glass and we’ll let the earlier misunderstanding go. It’s Kyle’s birthday today, her happiness is the most important,” Nathan said.

Wendy looked at him deeply, unable to stop herself from saying, “I’m allergic to alcohol. If I drink, it’ll cause serious problems…”

Before she could finish, Kyle’s eyes once again welled with tears and Nathan cut her off impatiently, “It’s just a small glass of wine, what could possibly go wrong? Stop being so dramatic, will you? Worst case, I’ll have someone take you to the hospital afterward.”

Wendy didn’t want to argue anymore. What was the point? Everyone was waiting for her to drink it, as if not drinking would make her a criminal.

She shut her eyes tightly and downed the wine in one go.

Only then did Nathan finally smile in satisfaction, reaching out to pat her head gently, as if offering comfort.

Everyone carried on as if nothing had happened, the atmosphere at the party growing lively once more. Nathan's eyes remained fixed on Kyle, full of affection and longing.

He didn’t notice that Wendy’s entire body had turned red, her face starting to swell and she was beginning to show signs of suffocation.

She rushed to the restroom, trying to clear her head with cold water. When she turned around, she found Kyle leaning against the doorway, waiting for her.

Kyle sneered, “You saw the kissing video I sent you last night, didn’t you? Do you know how much Nathan loves me? He even said he’d die for me. And you? You’re just a stand-in and a body double at best. Know your place and back off willingly.”

She kept on taunting, but Wendy could no longer hear her clearly. An uncontrollable sense of suffocation tightened around her throat.

Kyle noticed what was happening and smirked smugly. “Hahaha, you're swelling up like a pig’s head! What do you think? If I lock you in here, how long will it take for Nathan to even notice you’re gone?”

Like a demon, she stepped forward and shoved Wendy hard into the restroom, slamming the door shut and locking it tight.

Wendy was engulfed in unbearable pain so that she didn't even have the strength to bang on the door. She could only lean weakly against it, struggling to breathe.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Nathan was being encouraged by the crowd to play a mouth-to-mouth passing game with Kyle, who had just returned from the restroom.

The atmosphere between the two was charged with flirtation. Although they could’ve easily passed the item to each other, they deliberately drew it out to mimic a kiss. Their gazes lingered on each other with unmistakable intimacy.

Nathan seemed to be fully immersed in the gentle allure that was Kyle. But before long, he began to grow distracted.

His heart pounded uneasily in his chest, as if something was slipping away without a sound and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t grasp it.

He suddenly looked up, scanning the surroundings before abruptly asking, “Where’s Wendy? Where did she run off to on her own?”

The people around teased him, “Nathan, Kyle is standing right in front of you, why are you still thinking about that stand-in?”

Kyle caught sight of the worry on Nathan’s face and a flicker of resentment flashed across her features. She replied breezily, “She might’ve gotten upset earlier and gone home on her own. She’s a grown woman, what could possibly happen? Let’s keep playing.”

Not wanting to dampen Kyle’s mood, Nathan did his best to keep her entertained and happy.

By the end of the night, both of them were drunk. Kyle twisted in his arms like a snake and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist.

But as he held her, something felt off. For some reason, the moment his hand touched Kyle’s waist, a vivid image of Wendy came to mind, how she would lie in his arms each night, how her waist fit perfectly in his embrace.

An unsettling unease grew within him.

Abruptly, he pushed Kyle away and strode quickly toward the restroom.

He had been keeping an eye on Wendy out of the corner of his eye all along, so he vaguely remembered. After she entered the restroom, she never came back out.