No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 979

But his thoughts were ensnared by another figure. He looked up toward the central booth and saw Selma talking with another man. She playfully punched the man's shoulder, laughing as she scolded him for something.

A sharp sting pierced Henry's heart. Almost instinctively, he pulled his hand out from under Vanessa's.

The coldness that shot through Vanessa was as stark as the feeling in her hand. She followed Henry's gaze.

A shadow of displeasure crossed her face. Why was that Selma Quigley girl here too? But just as quickly, a calculating glint replaced the anger in her eyes, and a smirk touched her red lips.

At that moment, Selma picked up her purse, clearly getting ready to leave. As she did, her eyes drifted toward Henry's booth.

Seizing the opportunity, Vanessa pressed a hand to her forehead and leaned her entire body against Henry. "Henry, my head is spinning," she whispered, her voice soft and fragile. "Can we please get out of here? I don't want to be here anymore."

Henry tore his eyes away from Selma and looked down at Vanessa, who had practically nestled herself into his arms. He was suddenly flustered, feeling as if touching her would burn him.

He looked up again and saw Selma, purse in hand, staring directly at them. He immediately helped Vanessa sit up straight, his gaze darting anxiously back to Selma.

But it was too late. Selma had already left her table and was walking toward the exit with her friend.

Henry swallowed hard, his panic rising. Just then, Vanessa wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her body clinging to him like a snake. "Henry, don't leave me."

Selma glanced back one last time and saw the intimate embrace. In the dim, flickering light and from a distance, she couldn't see Henry's expression, only the image of the two of them locked together. She paused for a fraction of a second, then quickened her pace, practically fleeing the bar.

Acting on pure instinct, Henry pushed Vanessa away.

"What about Miss Shannon? Aren't you going to take care of her?" Selma asked, looking up at him.

"I'm not abandoning her. I'll have my assistant come pick her up. I'm just fulfilling my duty as a friend," Henry said quickly.

Selma looked at her friends in the car. "You guys go on ahead." She closed the car door and turned back to Henry. "I'll go with you to take Miss Shannon home."

"Selma, you…" A wave of joy washed over Henry. "You're not mad at me?"

Selma knew he had only just arrived. Besides, she had been keeping an eye on Vanessa's social media lately and knew her real involvement was with Ian. It was clear to her that Henry was just a backup plan Vanessa kept on a string.