After a long time, I freed myself from his arms and exhaled sharply. Looking at him, I chuckled lightly and said, “You really don’t know how to comfort others at all, Ashton.”
He replicated my smile and gazed back at me warmly. “I’ll try my best next time.”
I giggled softly and had a few more bites of my food even though I had already lost my appetite. He was going on a business trip the next day, so we planned to go back to the villa later.
However, Sally kept calling him. There was even a plea in her voice when she asked the two of us to visit the White residence together. Ashton was reluctant at first, but she was practically begging him.
Hence, he had no choice but to agree.
At the White residence, Ashton had to attend a video conference, leaving me bored stiff on my own.
I looked out the window and saw that it was snowing outside, The scenery looked especially enchanting under the silvery moonlight.
Thus, I went downstairs with the intention of going outside for a stroll.
There were many winter roses and trees in the White residence’s yard. The snow on the ground seemed to be blanketed by a layer of silver, glimmering exquisitely and giving the whole place a dreamy vibe.
I took a few steps into the yard and lifted my face to the sky to welcome the snowflakes. Looking over my shoulder, I noticed my uneven footprints in the snow and found it to be a rather pleasing sight, which greatly improved my mood.
It was a pity that Ashton was busy or I would’ve dragged him down for a snowball fight.
With that thought in mind, I started rolling snowballs. Due to the thick layer of snow, I managed to make a whole mountain of them.
Then, I found a spot and began throwing the snowballs to alleviate my boredom.
The thin layer of snow on the tree branches fell to the ground as I threw the snowballs, painting a rather bleak scene.
When Marcus came outside, I was having quite a lot of fun throwing snowballs at the trees so that the snow would fall off its branches.
I never expected him to come out from under the archway and right in front of the snowball that had just left my hand, which unsurprisingly hit him right in his face.
My heart missed a beat and I hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It’s windy out here. You might catch a cold if you stay too long.” His handsome face was cold and indifferent, so much so that I couldn’t read his emotions as I looked at his stiff posture through the snowflakes that were caught in my lashes.
As he spoke, he draped a large coat over my shoulders. “Let’s go in. It’s cold outside.”
I was stunned for a split second, but nodded blankly and turned to go back in.
Suddenly, he yanked my arm and asked in a low, restrained voice, “Are you and Ashton… back together?”
I stiffened momentarily before nodding. After giving it some thought, I decided to add, “Marcus, you’re a good man. You’ll definitely find happiness in the future.”
He gazed at me and was silent for a while. “How do you know I’ll be happy? Scarlett, do you know what happens when someone who has been living in the dark for many years suddenly sees the sun?”
I pursed my lips and met his gaze, allowing him to continue speaking. “If I’d never seen the sun, perhaps I wouldn’t find living in the dark difficult, but reminiscing about the sun from within the darkness is probably something you will never be able to relate to.”
His confession seemed to suck all the air out of my lungs, making me feel weak and powerless, but I couldn’t seem to find the words that could bring him solace.
With my eyes still fixed on him, I parted my lips to speak, yet, no words came.
He grabbed my hand and forcefully interlocked our fingers before pulling me into his arms. He pressed me tightly against his body and patted my back. “Forget it. If Ashton cherishes you enough, you’ll live happily for the rest of your life. But if he misses out on his chance with you-”
“I won’t,” Ashton cut him off in a deep and assertive tone.
I broke free from Marcus’ embrace and looked back to see Ashton coming out with a long coat in his hand. He walked to my side, took the coat off my shoulders, and handed it back to Marcus. He then placed the coat in his hand around me. “Thank you for the coat, Mr. White.”
Marcus narrowed his eyes at him and pressed his lips into a thin line. With a stony expression, he replied in a clipped tone, “No thanks are needed.”
Ashton hugged me to his side and led me straight into the living room. I struggled a little bit to keep up with his long strides and when we entered the bedroom, I noticed that the rage written on his face hadn’t yet subsided. Initially, I expected him to vent his anger on me, but surprisingly, he only barked, “I’m going to take a shower!”
With that, he strode into the bathroom. I knew he was angry.
He came out dressed in a white bathrobe that covered over his broad shoulders and narrow hips, looking elegant and poised no matter how I looked at him. Seeing me sitting on the chaise lounge, he said with a stoic expression, “It’s getting late. Go to bed earlier.”
Faced with his lukewarm attitude, I was at a complete loss. I lowered my head slightly and simply turned around to go into the bathroom.
When I came out of the shower, he was already lying down on the bed and seemed to be asleep.
After blow-drying my hair, I slowly climbed into bed. His back was to me, so I reached out to wrap my arms around his waist and press my cheek against his back before calling out softly, “Ashton, I can’t sleep if you don’t hold me in your arms.”
His body stiffened for a split second, then came his monotonous voice, “Go to sleep now.”
I pursed my lips and hugged him for a while. Seeing that he was still reluctant to turn around, I got up and crawled to the opposite side before wriggling to get myself into his embrace.
After nestling against his chest and making sure his arms were around me, I looked up to study his face. His eyes were closed and he had a slightly wan complexion that was probably due to overworking these few days.
I lifted my hand to stroke the stubble on his chin before murmuring, “Ashton, if you don’t talk to me, I’ll assume that you’re ignoring me. Let’s sleep on separate beds from now on. I don’t want to share a bed with such a cold husband.”
