Chapter 92 - A Fever and a Wild Night

Chapter 92: Chapter 92 - A Fever and a Wild Night

Ashley looked at herself in the large mirror mounted on the wall of their bedroom.

She was wearing a tight red one-shoulder dress that hugged her figure perfectly, especially around her hips.

She looked incredibly sexy in the dress, especially because of the weight she had gained.

"I don’t think you should wear that," Clara commented from the bed, where she was lying beside Catlyn, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Why? I think I look amazing in this dress," Ashley replied confidently.

"Oh, you definitely do. Maybe a little too much."

Clara looked her up and down.

"If you wear that, the birthday girl might get completely overshadowed."

It was Chloe’s birthday, and ever since her daughter was born, she hadn’t really had much time to have fun. So for her birthday, she had suggested that she and Ashley go out for a girls’ night.

They were going to a nightclub to dance and have some drinks.

"Yeah, maybe you’re right," Ashley admitted.

Chloe was very pretty, but Ashley was in a completely different league, especially when she actually made an effort to look her best.

Ashley had been unsure about going out at first.

She had barely gone anywhere without Catlyn since her daughter was born, and she wasn’t used to spending an entire evening away from her.

When she mentioned it to Clara, however, Clara encouraged her to go. She didn’t want Ashley to feel trapped at home or miss out on enjoying her youth, even though she was a little worried about letting her go out without her.

After changing into a less revealing dress, Ashley was finally ready to leave.

"See you later, my little princess," she whispered, kissing Catlyn, who was sleeping peacefully.

Ashley then walked over to Clara and kissed her.

"I’ll see you later."

"See you later. Have fun," Clara said, sounding a little sad to see Ashley leaving to enjoy herself without her. Still, she was happy that Ashley was going out to relax and have some fun.

Ashley picked up her purse and left.

When Ashley arrived at the nightclub, Chloe was already there with two of her friends, Sylvie and Sandra, who lived in the same building as Chloe.

The place was crowded, the music was loud, and people were already dancing.

"Happy birthday!"

Ashley hugged Chloe.

"Thank you!" Chloe replied enthusiastically.

"Hey, girls," Ashley said, greeting Chloe’s friends.

Ashley was already familiar with Sylvie and Sandra. She often spent time with them whenever she visited Chloe, so she was quite close to them.

"Hey," Sandra replied.

"Hi, Ashley. It’s been a while," Sylvie said with a smile.

"Here, have a drink," Chloe said, handing Ashley a shot.

"Oh, no," Ashley complained with a smile. She had almost forgotten that drinking was also part of the night.

"Oh, yes. Tonight, you’re getting drunk and letting Clara take care of your baby for once," Chloe declared, determined to make the most of her birthday.

Chloe raised her glass.

"Girls, let’s drink to my birthday!"

"To your birthday!" Ashley, Sylvie, and Sandra said together before clinking their glasses.

That was the beginning of their night.

After that first drink, they kept drinking one shot after another.

After about five shots, Ashley could already feel the alcohol starting to take effect.

It had been a long time since she had last drunk alcohol, but she hadn’t missed it at all. She had never been much of a drinker in the first place.

"Guys, let’s dance and sober up a little," Sylvie suggested.

Everyone got up and headed to the dance floor.

On the dance floor, Ashley moved to the music without any hesitation. The alcohol had already loosened her up, and she was having fun.

It was hot and crowded, and after a while, she could feel herself starting to sweat.

She looked beside her and saw Chloe and the others having the time of their lives, laughing and dancing without a care in the world.

Then, suddenly, someone stepped behind Ashley and grabbed her by the waist.

Ashley immediately pulled herself free from the unwanted embrace of a stranger.

"Hey, beautiful. Let’s dance," said a muscular man who looked to be in his thirties.

"Sorry, but I’m already married," Ashley said politely, pointing at her wedding ring.

"That doesn’t bother me," the man replied with a smile that was clearly meant to be seductive.

He tried to move closer again.

"Hey, asshole. She said no," Chloe interrupted, stepping in front of Ashley.

She grabbed Ashley’s hand and pulled her off the dance floor and back toward their table.

A few seconds later, Sylvie and Sandra left the dance floor as well.

They went back to drinking as if nothing had happened. Things like that happened often in nightclubs, so they didn’t think it was worth worrying about.

"Hey, beautiful. Come join us at our table," the same man called out after following Ashley.

"And you can come too," his friend added, pointing at Chloe as he tried to support his friend.

"Thanks for the invitation, but we’re both married," Ashley explained again.

The man was really starting to annoy her, but she didn’t want to cause a scene, so she remained polite.

"Come on. What do you want? I can buy you anything you want if you come to our table."

The man tried to impress them by pulling out a thick wad of cash, looking quite proud of himself.

The girls couldn’t help but laugh.

"Sorry, man, but I don’t think you can afford what I want. But don’t worry, I can afford it myself," Ashley said as she pulled out her card.

The card was sleek and made of dark metal, with a simple, elegant design. There were no flashy details, but the premium logo on the front immediately made it stand out from an ordinary credit card.

The two men looked slightly unsettled. It was becoming obvious that their target was far wealthier than they were.

"Don’t be such bitches. Come have some fun with us," the man said bitterly, clearly humiliated by the rejection.

Ashley looked at him for a moment.

"Excuse me? Did you just call us bitches?" Ashley asked, visibly annoyed.

"You heard me," the man replied.

"You know what? You’re right. I am a bitch," Ashley admitted.

The man looked surprised.

"You want to see just how much of a bitch I can be?" Ashley added, raising her hand.

Suddenly, the five men sitting at the table right beside them stood up and moved toward the two men.

"Excuse me, sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave," one of them said.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" the man replied. He was clearly too drunk to think straight.

"We’re the bodyguards of the ladies you’re bothering," the guard replied.

The two men tried to argue, but the bodyguards quickly escorted them out of the nightclub, leaving them no choice but to leave.

"Wow, five bodyguards. Your wife must really love you," Sylvie said, surprised by what she had just witnessed.

"I was surprised too that there were so many of them," Ashley admitted with a smile.

"Well, let’s forget about this idiot and keep partying," Chloe said, refilling her glass.

The others did the same.

Back at home, Clara was sitting on the bed when she suddenly heard Catlyn crying through the baby monitor.

She immediately got up and went to her daughter’s room.

Catlyn was awake in her crib, moving her little arms and crying loudly.

"Hey, sweetheart. What’s wrong?"

Clara carefully picked her up and held her against her chest.

Catlyn continued crying, pressing her face against Clara.

Clara gently rubbed her back.

"Mom’s here. It’s okay."

As she held her, Clara noticed that Catlyn felt warmer than usual.

She touched her forehead again.

"You’re a little warm..."

Concerned, Clara quickly grabbed the thermometer and checked her daughter’s temperature.

When the result appeared, her expression changed.

38°C.

"Catlyn..."

Clara immediately checked the temperature again, hoping she had somehow made a mistake.

The result was almost the same.

Her heart started beating faster.

"You have a fever."

She thought about calling Ashley, who would probably know what to do.

But then she imagined Ashley receiving the news while she was at Chloe’s birthday party.

She knew exactly how Ashley would react.

She would panic, blame herself for going out, and probably rush home without thinking about anything else.

Clara didn’t want her wife to spend the rest of the night terrified.

"I’ll handle this," she whispered.

She quickly changed Catlyn, grabbed the things they needed, and left the house.

At the hospital, Clara explained everything to the nurse.

"My daughter is five months old. She suddenly started crying, and when I checked her temperature, it was 38°C," Clara replied when the nurse asked what had happened.

The nurse examined Catlyn and took her temperature again before calling the doctor.

Clara waited anxiously while holding her daughter.

A few minutes later, the doctor came in and examined Catlyn carefully.

After checking her ears, throat, breathing, and temperature, the doctor finally spoke.

"She seems fine overall. I don’t see any signs of a serious infection," the doctor informed her.

Clara finally breathed a little easier.

"Then why does she have a fever?" she asked.

"At this age, babies can sometimes have a slight increase in temperature around the time their teeth start coming in. However, we shouldn’t automatically assume the teeth are the cause of a fever, so keep monitoring her," the doctor explained.

Clara nodded.

"So she doesn’t need to stay here?"

"No. She can go home. Keep her comfortable, make sure she drinks enough, and check her temperature again later. If it gets higher or she develops other symptoms, bring her back."

"Okay. Thank you, doctor."

Clara held Catlyn closer.

Catlyn was already calmer, resting quietly in her mother’s arms.

On the way home, Clara kept looking down at her.

She was relieved.

When they finally arrived, Catlyn fell asleep again shortly after Clara put her back in her crib.

Clara watched her for a moment before leaving the room.

Several minutes later, Ashley finally came home, still holding her heels in one hand.

"Honey, I’m home!" she called as soon as she entered.

She found Clara sitting on the couch in the living room, drinking a little wine while waiting for her.

Ashley immediately walked over and wrapped her arms around Clara.

"I see the birthday party was a success."

"Yeah, it was great, but I’m glad to finally be home," Ashley admitted.

"How was our little princess while I was gone?"

"She had a slight fever. I took her to the doctor, and he said it was probably related to her teething," Clara explained calmly.

"Oh, yeah. I completely forgot to tell you about that," Ashley said, already aware of Catlyn’s situation.

She leaned closer and kissed Clara’s neck.

Clara smiled faintly.

"Don’t you want to take a shower first and get rid of the smell of sweat and alcohol?" Clara asked.

"No. I want you right now," Ashley replied.

She gently pushed Clara back against the couch and kissed her.

She pulled up her dress and took it off, revealing her beautiful black lingerie.

"The best way to end the night for me is to make love to you," Ashley declared as she leaned down and kissed Clara passionately.