Hugo only felt as if his whole body was soaking in warm water, his muscles so sore that he had no strength at all. Yet the warm water made him begin to relax. His breathing, which had seemingly stopped, gradually found its rhythm again. He struggled to open his eyes, but the dazzling light instantly stung them, forcing him to shut them again. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, and only then was he able to open them once more.
"Awake?" A familiar voice sounded not far away, striking Hugo's eardrums and making him frown. It was Joseph's voice.
"Where am I?" Hugo only remembered getting out of a taxi. Everything after that was a blur. He didn't even know where he ended up lying down. One thing he could be sure of: he definitely hadn't made it home.
"Home." Joseph's voice didn't carry much emotion. He walked over and handed Hugo a glass of water. Through the gaps between his fingers, Hugo saw him, then sat up and accepted the glass. Only then did he slowly lower the hand covering his eyes.
Joseph studied Hugo with a probing look that made Hugo feel uneasy. He had no choice but to ask nervously, "What's wrong? Did something go wrong? Or did I do something inappropriate?"
Joseph didn't answer immediately and continued to scrutinize Hugo. Hugo knew he couldn't appear guilty, so he forced himself to look back directly, which finally made Joseph ease up a bit. "No, I was just wondering if you should go to a rehab center. You know, Drugs is incredibly controlling. If you really want to quit completely, maybe it would be smoother with help from professionals."
In fact, Hugo had tried to quit drugs several times before, but he never lasted long and was soon defeated by the overwhelming pain. Joseph, while amazed at the power of drugs, also came to a new understanding of Hugo's weak willpower. That's why when Hugo said he wanted to quit after the Golden Raspberry Awards, Joseph scoffed at him.
But the Hugo before him now showed firm determination. The withdrawal symptoms last time were severe—Joseph had seen it firsthand. Even as a bystander, he found it hard to bear, yet Hugo gritted his teeth and endured it. Joseph saw him in a new light. And now again, Hugo had overcome withdrawal. Not only did he rely on willpower to drag himself home, but he never once begged for relief. This version of Hugo felt unfamiliar to Joseph, but also reassuring.
Hearing Joseph's suggestion, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, it wasn't that he had let something slip. Speaking of withdrawal symptoms, it was already mild for Hugo, because his spirit didn't carry the imprint of drugs—his body simply had a physiological problem, which he could overcome with willpower.
If it were his predecessor, the situation wouldn't have been so simple. The scene would've been a hundred or even a thousand times more miserable. Forget getting back from the hotel—just walking out of the hotel bathroom would've been a challenge. Cases like his predecessor's definitely required going into rehab and getting professional help. But for Hugo, there was no need to go through all that. He had already survived two rounds, and the withdrawal symptoms would only weaken from here on.
Having experienced the pain of withdrawal himself, Hugo became even more determined to stay away from drugs. He didn't want to sink into spiritual indulgence, which was just a way of escaping reality. He didn't want to live like that.
However, he couldn't explain all that to Joseph. So he thought for a moment and then asked back, "Do we have money?" That question stunned Joseph.
Going to rehab isn't cheap, and Hugo's current situation couldn't afford any more association with drugs. If the media caught wind of it, things could spiral out of control. So, he'd need to go to a high-end rehab center, and the cost would skyrocket.
Hugo was in an awkward position. The negative impact of the Golden Raspberry Awards hadn't yet faded. Now that he had just received the offer for Scent of a Woman, if any negative news broke, this opportunity could vanish. Not to mention, the one-month stay in rehab would definitely delay the film's shooting. On the other hand, to go to rehab, he needed money and a job—which meant he couldn't lose Scent of a Woman. It was a vicious cycle.
Joseph opened his mouth, wanting to say, "The pay from Scent of a Woman can cover it," but then realized the loop. Film pay usually comes after shooting wraps. Advance payments weren't unheard of, but not suitable in Hugo's case. Joseph was left speechless.
Hugo took a sip of water. The temperature was perfect—neither hot nor cold. Clearly, Joseph had prepared it while waiting for Hugo to wake up. "Joseph, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I won't let myself fall into that pit again. I'll rely on my own strength to stand up."
If it were before the Golden Raspberry Awards, Joseph would've sneered at Hugo's words. But now, he wanted to believe him—or perhaps, deep down, he already did.
In the end, Joseph only let out a long sigh and said nothing more. He merely looked at the faint, firm smile on Hugo's tired face—a small but warm smile that blossomed with a soft glow in the morning sunlight.
After finally regaining some strength and devouring a pile of junk food to replenish energy, Hugo remembered he had left Charlize in the hotel without saying goodbye. That was far too rude.
Actually, things had developed unexpectedly last night. His original intention was truly just to invite Charlize out for a meal, but who would've thought it would end up in bed. Of course, both of them were adults, and what happened was consensual. There was no need to overthink it. The passion and excitement were still fresh in his memory. As for whether their relationship would develop further or stay as friends—that would only be known with time.
But the problem is this sudden withdrawal reaction completely disrupted all the plans—actually, there were no real plans, but at least Hugo wouldn't have left without telling Charlize. Now their relationship is stuck in an awkward spot, making it seem like Hugo is the kind of terrible man who takes everything and sneaks away. Because of this, don't even mention the possibility of any future development with Charlize; it's likely they won't even remain friends.
Hugo's handsome eyebrows furrowed together. After thinking it over, he decided to call Charlize and be honest—just tell her he suddenly felt unwell and left in a hurry, formally expressing his apologies. The way they talked last night was candid and straightforward, and that kind of interaction created a lot of chemistry between them, so this approach seemed the most appropriate today.
After dialing Charlize's home phone, it was still Tyra Banks who answered. Hugo politely asked, "Is Charlize there?"
"Sally's not here. She… she went out for a job interview just now," Tyra said, glancing toward the bathroom. Actually, Charlize hadn't gone out at all she was hiding in the bathroom.
When Charlize came back, she didn't look very good. Although she still wore a smile, it was obvious she wasn't in high spirits. Tyra had originally wanted to tease Charlize about staying out late and dig up some gossip, but Charlize clearly didn't want to talk and went straight to take a shower. Tyra secretly listened outside for a bit and guessed Charlize had just turned on the shower but was really hiding inside to calm down.
What else could this mean? It had to be that things didn't go well with Hugo. Tyra thought about avenging her best friend and decided to keep Charlize's presence a secret. She glanced at the bathroom door again, making sure Charlize hadn't noticed her move.
"Could you leave a message for her?" Hugo thought about it and decided this was the only way. Nowadays, without mobile phones or the internet being popular, calling a landline was the easiest way to get in touch.
Tyra rolled her eyes and muttered inside: men are always like this—after making mistakes, they try to make amends but have no sincerity at all. Still, she said, "Okay, no problem."
Because it was just a message, Hugo needed to carefully phrase his words. "Tell Charlize that I had a severe stomachache this morning and had to go to the hospital."
Tyra was confused, "And then?" Hugo's words were abrupt and made no sense. She had expected him to apologize for last night but instead heard about a hospital visit.
"Then, please convey my apologies to her. Tell her I'm really sorry," Hugo carefully chose his words, hoping Charlize would understand his situation and call him back so they could talk directly. He believed Charlize would understand based on how honest they were in their conversation last night.
"Alright, got it. I'll be sure to tell her," Tyra said seriously and hung up.
Standing there, Tyra pondered Hugo's message but couldn't make sense of it. Most importantly, she didn't know what had happened between Charlize and Hugo last night, but it was clear something unpleasant happened, and it was Hugo's fault; otherwise, he wouldn't have called to apologize. Charlize wouldn't be sulking in the bathroom if it hadn't.
Actually, Tyra wanted to stand up for Charlize and not tell her about the call, just cut ties with Hugo once and for all. But after thinking it over, she decided that wasn't right. So she walked to the bathroom door and knocked, "Sally, Hugo called."
The sound of the shower stopped, and Tara continued, "Sally, Hugo asked me to pass along that he's really sorry."
Sorry? He said he was sorry! That's it… that means it's over, right? Charlize twitched her mouth and gave a bitter smile but said nothing, then turned the shower back on again.
....
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