Excuse me…
That sounds like the exact opposite of a compliment!
Huffing slightly, I went downstairs to open the main door for her. She dragged her suitcase in like she owned the place. “You’ll give me a room, won’t you?”
There were five rooms in the villa. On the first floor was a guest room and the housekeeper’s room. I was using one of the rooms on the second floor, while another one was occupied by Armond. Hence, there was one more empty room.
I led her to the second floor and arranged for her to stay in that vacant room.
“The natural lighting isn’t too bad. It’s just a shame there’s no balcony!” she remarked and was about to unpack her suitcase.
“There is a large balcony in my room. Want to switch?” I proposed.
She shook her head with a small smirk on her lips. “No. This room is closer to Armond’s—much more convenient for me to take action, if you ask me!”
What?
I released a helpless chuckle and teased, “So, are you both together now?”
She paused her actions to look at me and spoke in a rather grave manner. “I have a very serious question to ask you.”
Although I was puzzled, I nodded and turned serious as well. “Go ahead.”
She pondered for a while before continuing, “When you and Ashton lived as husband and wife in the past, were there times when you guys wanted to do it but couldn’t?”
I blinked in astonishment because this seemed to be a sex-related question. Then, I felt my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.
But faced with her earnest expression, I had no choice but to answer her seriously as well. Fidgeting slightly, I said, “Care to elaborate?”
She pursed her lips and complied, “Well, both people are obviously very turned on, but things always stop right at the most crucial moment.”
I raised my hand to rub my nose and contemplated for a while. “Is it you or Armond?”
“Both of us!” Her expression was grave. “He bled that one time and I don’t really know what happened. Later on, we tried doing it several times, but it was always so awkward. Whatever the case, we have not succeeded!”
This was the first time I was hearing of such a situation. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t too sure myself.
Seeing me deep in thought, she inquired, “Did you and Ashton succeed the first time itself?”
The corners of my mouth twitched slightly as I looked at her. “Are you sure it’s Armond’s first time?”
She was taken aback by my question. “I’m not too sure. Well, it’s my first time, that’s for sure, but if it’s not his first time; then why does this keep happening? And the thing is, he doesn’t seem to have any problems!”
I clamped my lips shut, not knowing how to respond all of a sudden.
After some deliberation, I advised, “Why don’t the two of you visit the hospital together? Such things involve both sides, after all. If you’re considering marriage in the future, this would pose as a problem. So I think it’s better you get yourselves checked. Usually, it’s either a psychological or physical issue, but once it’s resolved, everything will be back to normal.”
She sighed and pouted slightly. “Scarlett, do you think he’s only like this with me? Maybe he doesn’t really like me and just feels comfortable with me. We happen to be almost the same age and he happened to meet me, not to mention we share quite a lot of common interests, so he decided to get together with me. Do you think that’s it?”
I stared at her in surprise before chiding, “You are never like this before. Look at you, overcomplicating things! You’ve seriously fallen in too deep. Yes, it’s an undeniable fact that a man’s love for a woman can be reflected in bed, but many times, it’s the little things that he does day by day that matters. Lately, I noticed how attentive he’s been toward you.”
Recalling the incident with the clothes, I piped up, “He even kept your clothes from before. I mean, he’s the president of a company. Why would he keep a woman’s clothes if that woman didn’t matter to him, right?”
She looked at me in stupefaction. “What clothes?”
“The set of clothes he bought for you when we were in Archulea. It’s quite similar to mine in terms of design, but the accessories and embroidery are slightly different. Yours was kept in Armond’s private restroom at the company. I accidentally spilled water on my clothes previously, so he lent yours to me. I returned it to him after washing it and he probably kept it there again.”
When I was done speaking, I noticed the frown on her face and her increasingly unsightly complexion. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced at me and her originally puzzled expression morphed into one of sadness. “That set of clothes isn’t mine. Ever since we returned from Epea, I kept mine in the closet and haven’t touched it since then. Armond hasn’t been to my house before, so he’s never touched that it either. How could he have kept mine in his private restroom? It’s definitely not mine!”
I was stunned for a moment and said, “Maybe he accidentally bought an extra set and decided to bring it back with him?”
She shook her head miserably. “Do you think a man like him would give a damn about a set of clothes? Even bringing it back all the way from abroad?”
I turned her words over in my head and tried to reassure her. “Nora, don’t take this matter to heart for now. Let’s talk about it again after we get to the bottom of this. You both owe it to each other. The worst thing that could happen between a couple is a misunderstanding caused by jumping to conclusions. We’re all adults. When it comes to relationships, we need to be clear-headed and rational. Don’t overthink it, okay?”
Having been together with Ashton for so many years, I realized that many times, the pain and suffering I endured was caused by my own reluctance to open my mouth and explain.
