Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 19

Chapter 19:.

I didn’t expect Shane to lose his wits after a handful of taunting words.

Louise turned to me and smiled, but I couldn’t feel happy about this development.

My instincts told me that the stakes in this casino were very high, and nothing that any of us common folk could afford to even contemplate.

Shane came from a poor family. He had studied and worked hard to escape that kind of life, and I respected him for it.

I never imagined he would squander his savings supporting a woman. Now, he was even inviting more responsibility by walking into a casino.

He may have hurt me deeply, but I still cared enough to not want him to squander his fortune so carelessly. It wasn’t

as if money grew on trees. More importantly, he was his parents’ only child, and the elderly couple hadn’t yet retired.

“Shane, are you sure you should be here?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derek frown at my words, but he disappeared in the next second.

However, my concern flew over Shane’s head. If anything, he seemed even more motivated after hearing what I had said.

He walked over and sat down in the chair right across from mine. Then he pulled out a bank card and tossed it on the table with an arrogant snort.

“Are you implying that I can’t afford to be in a place like this? I’m going to play today, Eveline.”

I felt my jaw drop in amazement. I didn’t know I could be so childish and closed-minded.

At that moment, I felt Derek reach over and drape an arm around my shoulders. Then came his soft whisper, tickling my ear lightly.

“Eveline, being too soft-hearted can be a bad thing sometimes.” I stiffened, and the truth of his words hit me like a physical blow.

Even Derek, a man I didn’t know all that well, could see that I had spoken for Shane’s sake. Yet the very man I had been married to for two years had taken my question as an attack.

It was absolutely pathetic.

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“Deal the cards,” Felix barked suddenly, gesturing to the staff manning our table.

Before I knew it, we each had three cards in hand.

I had thought Derek would also participate, but he had declined the card the clerk had initially offered him. Instead, he merely sat back and fixed his eyes on my hands.

One of his arms was still around my shoulders as he leaned down to inspect my letters. He was so close that his hair brushed my cheek from time to time.

It was a very strange atmosphere. Shane and I were still husband and wife, but here we were, sitting at a card table, held by two different people. The table suddenly seemed like a stage for our personal vendettas.

As it was, I knew nothing about the game. I didn’t know the rules and could barely follow what was going on. All I knew was that, after a few rounds, the big pile of chips in front of me had disappeared.

I looked around and realized that Louise and Felix hadn’t lost or won much. It seemed that only I had lost my chips to Shane.

I began to squirm in my seat. Even though Derek had already offered to pay if I lost, I would be truly embarrassed if I made him lose a lot of money because of my ignorance.

“Your wife has beautiful luck, Derek,” Felix sneered.

His comment fueled my discomfort.

“He’s right. I don’t think I should play any more cards today, should I quit?” I started to push my chair back as he spoke, preparing to leave the table.

Derek quickly squeezed my shoulder. A lazy smile slowly spread across his handsome face.

“It’s okay, play as you like. It’s just the beginning. We don’t know who’s going to win in the end.”

I didn’t even trust myself, knowing how clueless I was. So I wondered why Derek was so confident in my abilities.

As for Vivien, she was never one to keep her cool. She had a smirk on her face as she looked at all the chips Shane had won so far.

Not that I was any better at keeping my composure. I was feeling very frustrated with myself, and I knew it showed on my face.

“Relax, Eve. Your man can afford it, even if you lost every game tonight.”

Louise was saying this on purpose to irritate Shane more.

But the man was in such a good mood, she simply bounced off him. With the amount of money Shane now had, he didn’t seem to care about anything else.

I lost several more rounds after that. I was starting to really fear that I might hurt Derek’s finances.

“How about I quit now?” I turned to give him a look. I hadn’t felt him approach at all, but he was so close that my lips accidentally brushed his chin.

My face burned at the unexpected contact.

Derek looked puzzled too, but his surprise soon turned mischievous. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said softly with a sly smile. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”

Her voice carried to the rest of the table, and I was sure they had all heard what she had said. I silently prayed that the floor would open up beneath me and swallow me whole.

But then I saw Shane’s expression darken. He pulled Vivien against him and touched her chest as he stared at me. What a perverse and immature display of revenge.

“Hey, if you’re just going to flirt all night, you might as well go home,” Felix said jokingly, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

Derek ignored him and gave me another long, loving look before finally turning away. “Okay, then. Let’s play one last round. It’s your turn to be the banker, Eveline. Let’s play for something big this time, shall we?” After saying that, she pushed all my remaining chips to the center of the table.

“Okay, count me in.” Felix put his cigarette back between his teeth and threw all his chips away as well.

Louise glanced around the table and smiled, and quickly followed suit.

Shane, however, said and did nothing.

He knew he was in a quandary. For one thing, he wasn’t as rich as the other players. Naturally, he couldn’t decide to bet everything he had on the spot.

But Vivien wasn’t so indecisive. Being the greedy idiot that she was, she leaned forward and pushed all of Shane’s chips. It was clear that she didn’t want to be belittled by backing out of the game now

“Of course, we’re in too!” she said.

I took a deep breath, fiddling with my fingers. Derek reached out silently and held my hand under the table.

“Show your cards,” he said calmly. “This is going to be the last round.”

Felix looked at his hand and cursed under his breath. He threw down his cards, followed by Louise. Shane was still staring at his cards. He had his eyes fixed on the card table, obviously scared of losing.

Vivien was also holing her cards. Shane slowly revealed her hand, and as soon as her cards landed on the table, she practically jumped out of her seat.

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