At The Card Table

I didn't expect Shane to lose his common sense after a handful of mocking words.

Louise turned to me and grinned, but I couldn't bring myself to feel happy about this development

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

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

I never imagined that he would actually squander his savings by keeping a mistress. Now, he was even inviting more liabilities by walking into a casino.

He might have hurt me deeply, but I still cared enough to not want him to throw away 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 even gone into retirement yet.

"Shane, are you sure you should be here?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derek frown at my words, but it was gone in the next second My concern flew past Shane's head, however. If anything, he seemed even more motivated after hearing what I'd said.

He strode over and plopped himself on the chair directly across mine. Then he took 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'll be playing today, Eveline." I felt my jaw drop in astonishment. I never knew he could be this childish and narrow-minded.

At that moment, I felt that Derek

reached over and put an arm around my shoulders. Then came his soft whispering, slightly tickling my ear.

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

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

I was absolutely pathetic.

"Deal the cards," Felix barked ail of a sudden, gesturing at the staff attending to our table.

Before I knew it, each of us was holding three cards in our hands.

I had thought that Derek would participate as well, but he had declined the card the attendant had initially offered him. Instead, he just sat back and fixed his eyes on my hands.

One of his arms was still around my shoulders as he leaned in to inspect my cards. He was so close that his hair lightly swept across my cheek every so often.

It was a very odd setting. Shane and I were still husband and wife, but here we were, sitting across a card table, held by two different people. The table suddenly felt like an arena for our personal vendettas.

As it was, I knew nothing about the game. I didn't know the rules, and could barely keep track of what was happening. All I knew was that after a few.rounds, the large pile of chips in front of me was gone.

I looked around and realized that Louise and Felix hadn't lost nor won all that much. It looked like it was just me who had lost my chips to Shane.

I began to squirm in my seat. Although Derek had already offered to pay if I lost, I would truly be ashamed if I caused him to lose a lot of money because of my ignorance.

"Your woman has some pretty shitty

luck, Derek," Felix teased.

His comment fueled my unease.

"He's right. I don't think I should be playing any more cards today. Shall I just quit?" I started to push my chair back as I spoke, preparing to leave the table.

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

'It's okay, just play however you like. It's only 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 had this much confidence in my abilities.

As for Vivien, well she was never the type to maintain her cool. She was sporting a smug grin as she eyed all the chips Shane had won so far.

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

"Just relax, Eve. Your man can afford it,

even if you lost all the games you play tonight."

Louise was purposely saying this to goad Shane further.

But the man was in such a good mood, it just bounced right off him. With the amount of money that Shane now had, he didn't seem to care about anything else.

I lost several more rounds after that. I was beginning to genuinely fear that I might damage Derek's finances.

"How about I quit now?" I turned to look at him. I hadn't felt him approach at all, but he was so close that my lips accidentally brushed against his chin.

My face burned at the unexpected contact.

Derek looked taken aback as well, but his surprise soon turned to something mischievous. "Don't be embarrassed," he said softly with a sly smile. "You can kiss me whenever you want,"

His voice carried over to the rest of the

table, and I was certain that everyone heard what he 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 flush against him, then groped her breast even as he stared at me.

What a perverse, immature display of revenge

"Hey, if you're just going to flirt all night, you might as well go home," Felix piped up jokingly, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

Derek ignored him and gave me another long, affectionate look before finally pulling 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, he pushed all the remaining chips I had to the center of the table.

"Fine, count me in." Felix put his cigarette back between his teeth and threw in all of his chips as well.

Louise looked around the table and smiled, then quickly followed suit.

Shane, however, said and did nothing.

I knew he was in a dilemma. He wasn't as rich as the other players to begin with. Naturally, he couldn't just decide to bet away everything he had on the spot.

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

"Of course, we're in, too!" she said.

I took a deep breath, fidgeting with my fingers. Derek quietly reached out and held my hand beneath the table.

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

Felix glanced down at his hand and cursed under his breath. He threw down his cards, followed by Louise. Shane was still staring intently at his cards. He was

Vivien was boring a hole through his cards, too. Shane slowly revealed his hand, and as soon as his cards landed on the table, she practically jumped out of her seat.