William immediately put down his drink and asked , " What's wrong ? Are you feeling sick ? Is it because you haven't been resting well these past couple of days ? " Rachel rubbed her nose , still feeling the effects of the smoke lingering in the air . The office had been dusty too , and she had been feeling off for a while now . She coughed a couple times , trying to clear her throat . Seeing her struggle , William turned toward the group , who were all smoking . His expression turned serious as he frowned and said , " Rachel's allergic to smoke . Put those out , now . " " Yeah , come on , quit it already , " someone else chimed in . " Who started smoking in the first place ? " another person asked . " Well , I'll be , look at that . For his wife , the guy's even quitting smoking . How sweet , " one of the guys teased . " Who said he's quit ? I saw him smoking just the other day , " someone else retorted . Caleb gave Zane Nolan a subtle signal , and the latter shrugged nonchalantly . " What's the big deal ? She can't hear us anyway . Every time she comes , everyone gets all stiff . Where's the fun in that ? " Zane muttered . Samuel Lane joined in with a complaint of his own : " Exactly . Only William treats her like she's made of gold . You can't even talk to her normally . Every time you speak , you have to use sign language . So much work ! " Caleb couldn't take it anymore and stepped in to defend Rachel . " Zane , have some respect - for William , if not for Rachel . " Zane and Samuel both scoffed , but didn't say anything else . The atmosphere suddenly became a bit gloomy because of Rachel . Her expression remained cold as she put down the grape she was holding before standing up . " Sorry to interrupt , but I'm not feeling well . You all stay and enjoy yourselves . William will stay and keep you company . " She turned and headed toward the private room's door . William quickly followed her , and as she opened the door , he grabbed her wrist and signed to her . " I'll take you home , " he said . Rachel glanced at the people inside , then calmly brushed off William's hand that was holding her wrist . " It's okay . Today is Caleb's birthday . You should stay and have fun with them . I'll just take a taxi home . " She walked over and handed him the carefully wrapped gift . " Happy birthday , Caleb . " Caleb stared at the beautifully wrapped box , his expression filled with mixed emotions . He raised his hand and signed as he said , " Are you sure you don't want to stay and hang out a little longer ? I'm only here for a short time . I'm leaving in a couple of days . " Rachel smiled gently . " It's fine . Who knows , we might run into each other again someday . Enjoy yourself . " Caleb had always been kind to her , and Rachel appreciated him for it . Out of all of William's friends , he was the one she felt the least pressure from . William turned to Zane and the others . " I'll go see her off . You guys carry on . " Even though Rachel had already told him to stay and enjoy the evening with his friends , William insisted on accompanying her out . He also called her a taxi himself . " No , I need to see you get in the car safely . And text me when you get home so I know you're okay , " he said , his voice filled with care . 1/3 Chapter 11 +25 BONUS Rachel just nodded . " Okay . " She got into the taxi , and as it pulled away , she suddenly felt like she might have left too suddenly . After all , it was Calety's birthday . Maybe she should send a quick message to explain . But as she reached into her bag to grab her phone , the realized it wasn't there . She gasped , realizing she must have left it on the sofa back in the private room . " Sir , can you turn around ? " she asked quickly . She had the driver head back toward the bar . When she arrived , she was about to enter the private room when she saw through the crack in the door that William was sitting with Samantha . Her heart sank in an instant , feeling as though it had dropped into an endless void . So , he had personally seen her off just to prevent her from turning back , and then gone to pick up Samantha Inside , the group was laughing , clearly caught up in some game . " He got it ! He got it ! Only William could pull that off , " someone cheered . Rachel's eyes locked onto the scene inside , her chest tightening with every passing second . Samantha had a card stuck to her lips , and William leaned in to bite it off . The way they looked at each other , the closeness - it seemed like a kiss from where Rachel stood . Her heart twisted painfully . Every breath felt like a stab in her chest . The card slipped between the two of them and fell , signaling the end of the game . It seemed like William's team had lost . Zane raised his glass and teased , " You guys lost , time for a penalty ! Three shots each ! " Samantha's face flushed bright red , her eyes full of embarrassment , the kind of look that made people want to protect her . She reached for the glass , but William gently stopped her . " She's allergic to alcohol . I'll take her share , " he said without hesitation . With a quiet confidence , William downed all six shots that had been set aside for them . Samantha's face was full of worry as she reached for him , pulling on his sleeve . " Zane , don't make it hard on him . I can drink , " she said . Zane clicked his tongue . " What , it's only a few drinks , and you're already worried ab him ? " William smiled at Samantha , his voice gentle . " It's fine . If I get drunk , you can take care of me . " His words made Samantha blush even more . At the door , Rachel stood frozen , her fingers clenching tightly , then slowly loosening . Every second felt like it was tearing her apart . The scene before Rachel felt strangely familiar . It reminded her of the night after graduation , when everyone in the class was facing their futures , unsure of where they were all headed . It was the last time they would be gathered together before stepping out into the world . That night , everyone released the pressure they had been holding in . Some confessed their hidden feelings to people they liked , while others made their final farewell to their school days . The classmates toasted each other , commemorating the days of their campus life that had passed . Since Rachel was the class president , many of her classmates clinked glasses with her . Her alcohol tolerance had never been great , and after two drinks , she was already unsteady on her feet . However , she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere of the once - in - a - lifetime moment . At that time , William took every drink that came her way . He drank with ease , his face reddening and his stomach clearly protesting , but he still managed a smile and reassured her . Back then , he had his arm around Rachel , just like he did with Samantha now , his breath warm with the scent of alcohol as he whispered in her ear . 23 Chapter 11 +25 BONUS " I'll be counting on you to get me home safe if I drink too much , Ms. Class President , " he had said , his voice playful . The back of Rachel's hand felt warm and wet as her tears dripped onto it , snapping her out of her thoughts . She took a deep breath , raising her hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes . William was nothing but a scumbag now . If Samantha wanted him she could have him . Rachel was done . She turned to leave but suddenly collided with a wall of muscle , followed by a mocking male voice . " Well , if it isn't Mrs. Lewis . It's pretty normal for men to be out partying , you know ? You'll get used to it . " Then , as if realizing something , he added , " Oh , I forgot you can't hear . My bad . I don't know sign language . " Rachel's face hardened , the faintest trace of disgust flashing across her features . " Move , " she said coldly . But Howard Ziegler didn't . Instead , he gripped her delicate wrist , his words dripping with spite . " Back in college , I chased after you like crazy , but you never even glanced my way . And for what ? For William . You were ready to throw your life away for him . Now that you see him with another woman , it must be driving you insane . " His grip tightened as he leaned in . " Might as well give me a chance At least with me , you could get your revenge . How satisfying would that be ? "