They walked through the neon-lit streets of the Da'an District. The air was cool, but Nicole felt a feverish heat rising in her body. It had been four hours since she last pumped. Usually, she would be home by now, nursing Aria to sleep.
"I'm staying in a small studio near the campus," Kenneth said, gesturing toward a narrow building. "I have some old photos of the gang from Malaysia. And some letters I... well, letters I wrote to you that I never sent."
Nicole knew she should say no. Every instinct warned her that being alone with him was a mistake. But the ache in her heart was louder than the ache in her chest.
"Okay," she said. "Just for a moment."
The elevator ride up to the fourth floor was silent and suffocating. As the doors opened, Nicole felt a sharp, stabbing pressure. Her body was signaling that it was time—Aria's dinner time.
Kenneth unlocked the door to a cramped but tidy studio. "It's not exactly the Tan mansion," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Nicole stepped inside, her movements stiff. She sat on the edge of his small sofa, clutching her cardigan tightly around her.
"Nic? Are you okay?" Kenneth asked, noticing the way she was wincing. "You look like you're in pain."
"I'm fine," she lied, though her forehead was beaded with sweat. "Just... a long day. Show me the photos, Kenneth."
But as he sat down beside her, the proximity sent a jolt of adrenaline through her. Her "let-down" reflex, triggered by the emotional stress and his familiar scent, reacted violently. She felt the warmth spreading, the heavy, stinging fullness becoming unbearable.
She looked down in horror. The dampness was spreading past the silk, beginning to soak into the wool of her cardigan.