The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1040

Katrina didn't realize her own strength in the heat of the moment and accidentally covered Naylor's nose along with his mouth, prompting him to mumble frantic, muffled protests against her palm.

Realizing her mistake, Katrina immediately pulled her hand back and leaned in to check on him. "Are you okay?"

Naylor immediately filed a grievance. "We just got married, and you're already trying to murder your husband?"

"..."

The dome light was still glaring down on them. Katrina reached up and flicked it off. Looking back at the man, she decided the best defense was a good offense, desperate to keep him from making another scene. "Does your head hurt from all the drinking?"

The question brought Naylor's attention right back to his pounding hangover. He nodded miserably. "Yeah, it really hurts..."

"Come here. Lie down, and I'll massage it for you. It'll help." In the past, whenever he had a hangover, he always loved it when Katrina massaged his temples. And more importantly, he usually closed his eyes and actually stayed quiet while she did it.

Katrina gently pulled his arm, guiding him down so his head rested in her lap.

Just as expected, Naylor immediately stopped rambling. Instead, he clutched the marriage license tightly against his chest with both hands, guarding it like it was his most prized possession.

As Katrina gently massaged his scalp, she glanced down at his fiercely protective grip on the document, a soft, involuntary smile touching her lips.

If he was guarding the marriage license this fiercely while completely blackout drunk, it was safe to say he wasn't exactly forced into this marriage.

She let out a long, silent sigh of relief. The fact that she was actually married to Naylor still felt entirely surreal, like an impossibly beautiful dream.

When the car finally pulled up to their building, the assistant and the driver practically carried Naylor upstairs, dumping him onto the living room sofa before quickly taking their leave.

It had been an exhausting day, and Katrina was thoroughly drained.

She had just taken a sip of water when Naylor's phone started ringing. She hurried over and saw it was her mother-in-law calling.

"Hey, your mom is calling. Answer it!" she urged, shaking his shoulder.

Still clutching the marriage license for dear life, Naylor slurred, "Mom? Wha... what mom..."

"Your mother!"

"My mom... wait, isn't she your mom now too? We're married. Why... why haven't you changed how you call her yet?"

Katrina froze, blushing furiously while simultaneously feeling utterly baffled.

Was this guy actually drunk or just faking it?

He couldn't walk straight, and he was slurring every word, but his logic was frustratingly sharp.

Was he just messing with her again?!

Naylor kept his eyes squeezed shut and waved a dismissive hand. "You answer it. My head is killing me..."

"..." Katrina hesitated, but seeing the phone still buzzing, she was worried it might be an emergency and quickly accepted the call.

"Hello? Mom... Mom..." The new title still felt completely foreign on her tongue, and she stumbled over it awkwardly.

Naylor had finally dropped the marriage license. Instead, both his arms were wrapped tightly around Katrina's waist, his flushed, handsome face sporting a devastatingly wicked smirk.

Seeing that goofy, hopelessly infatuated look on his face instantly melted away Katrina's annoyance.

"I should really record a video of you right now to show you how embarrassing you are..." Katrina muttered.

Naylor just kept smiling. He lifted his head and captured her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. "Honey, I love you."

"..." Katrina didn't say it back, but the overwhelming happiness radiating from her smile was impossible to hide.

Alcohol completely changed his personality, but the one thing that never wavered was his endless, drowning devotion to her.

"I know, I know. Now go wash up so we can sleep. It's been an incredibly long day." Completely unbothered by the smell of alcohol on him, Katrina smiled, kissed him back, and answered with total affection.

Naylor nodded and tried to sit up, but the room instantly spun.

He knew he was trashed. He wasn't completely blacked out—he was still lucid enough to understand what was happening—but his motor functions had completely abandoned him.

Katrina helped him up, and the two of them stumbled clumsily down the hall toward the master bedroom.

But the second she pushed the bedroom door open, Katrina gasped, her jaw dropping in absolute shock and delight.

The sprawling, luxurious master suite had been entirely transformed into a scene straight out of a romance novel.

The bed was covered in scattered rose petals, while elegant floral arrangements and soft candlelight transformed the space into a breathtaking, romantic haven, entirely free of cliché.