Looking at him, I said, “Rebecca has Cameron and Zachary too, but you can’t let her go either, can you? I’m just normal friends with John. Nothing else.”
Those were words laced with guilt. Right after I finished saying my piece, I could not conceal the awkward expression from my face.
The atmosphere was tense, and I knew Ashton must be furious right now. Guiltily, I continued, “I’m different from Rebecca. The moment she cries, Cameron, Zachary, Joe, and you will feel bad for her and console her. I don’t. I only have myself. To me, John is a nightmare, and we’re only normal friends.”
At that, Ashton softened his gloomy expression and motioned to me. “Come here.”
I sat on the bed with a hung head, murmuring, “I can’t.”
Furrowing his brows, he walked toward me and crouched down by the side of my legs. “You can’t because you feel guilty?”
I remained silent. What I heard next was his exasperated laugh. “I was wrong to touch your box. Grandpa gave you the box, hoping to use the box to bind us to the marriage. But Scarlett, you and I both know marriage won’t work when the two are forcefully bound together. That’s why I threw the box. I’ll take care of you and the kid. We’re a married couple, so let’s spend the rest of our days peacefully, okay?”
A sense of security was not something I had in our marriage. I could not tell what parts of his words were true and what parts were not. Furthermore, I could not be sure that he had truly let go of Rebecca.
However, there was something I was sure about—I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. To marry someone I loved was a blessing.
To be together was a blessing, too.
That was why I did not want to leave Ashton unless it was a last resort. This marriage was not only for myself; it was for my child too.
If I could, I wanted to spend the rest of my life peacefully with him.
Looking at him, I nodded. “Okay.”
He gave me a small, helpless smile. “Don’t mention the notion of divorce anymore.”
I nodded one more, feeling helpless as well.
At that, he carried me up into his arms and headed to the sunroom on the top floor. After laying me on the bed, he placed his palm on my stomach and said, “I’ll take you to the antenatal visit tomorrow. Sleep early tonight.”
I nodded. I would have forgotten about the visit if not for his reminder.
As it was getting late, he headed to the bathroom to shower. As I lay on the bed, I lost myself in my thoughts. It’s not good for me to keep feeling insecure. I’ll never be able to fully trust him or myself.
I don’t like me acting like this.
“What are you thinking about?” He had come out of the bathroom, and he was now drying his hair with his towel as he watched me.
Coming back to my senses, I sat up and wrapped my arms around his waist. His skin was still damp.
As he was not wearing his pajamas, I was leaning on his solid stomach in silence.
Hearing my silence, he threw the towel aside and embraced me. After he let me lean on his shoulder, he whispered, “Don’t keep so many things in your heart. You’ll be drained out.”
I nodded slowly. In a sorrowful tone, I murmured, “Ashton, can you not contact Rebecca anymore?”
After a beat, I continued, “She has her parents to love her now. She’ll do fine without you, but I can’t. I only have you.”
I was using the woman’s method against him. There were things I had to try before I could find out the kind of results they would bring.
His embrace was a tight one, and in his arms, I could barely hold back the urge to smile. It seemed like men loved the fragility of women.
Sensing the hug growing tighter, I froze. Then, he cupped my cheek and made me stare into his dark eyes.
He uttered coldly, “Scarlett, this isn’t who you are. Be yourself.”
I…
I frowned and shot him a fierce glare. “So Rebecca can say something like this, but I can’t?”
How funny. She can pretend to be pitiful, but I can’t?
Ashton laughed. “You have me, so you don’t need to pretend to be pitiful. Moreover, you’re not pitiful.”
I suddenly felt as though my acting skills were useless against Ashton, so I climbed out of his arms and went into the bathroom.
At the end of the day, some shows could only be put on for certain people.
After I exited the bathroom, the man was already lying on the bed. I dried my hair with a towel as I walked toward the dresser, about to use the hairdryer.
He stood up and voiced, “Come here.”
Thinking that he wanted to tuck me in, I frowned. “My hair is still damp.”
He hummed in response and simply repeated, “Come here.”
With no other choices, I walked over and looked at him. “What’s the matter?”
He gently pushed me into a sitting position on the bed before he took the towel to dry my hair. Quietly, he explained, “It’s bad for your hair if you dry it with the hairdryer all the time.”
I pursed my lips and mumbled, “It’s too slow to use the towel.”
My head was spinning a little by now, making me feel uncomfortable. “Ashton, I’m tired. Just use the hairdryer.”
Instead of answering me immediately, he enveloped me in his arms. “Sleep now.”
Since I was already running out of energy, I fell asleep before he finished drying my hair.
Days flew by in a daze. Perhaps it was because I was pregnant, but I often felt a little uneasy. After the checkup at the hospital, I found out the baby had developed into a humanoid form.
Ashton seemed to be in a good mood. As after entering the car, he asked, “What do you feel like eating?”
