He looked especially grouchy as he stared at me.
I hated this feeling of uncertainty. So I answered with a frown, “Yes! I will if you ask me.”
He got up and his shadow loomed over me. “Who was the man you hugged at the airport yesterday?”
I froze for a moment and gaped at him in disbelief. “Are you spying on me?” A wave of inexplicable anger boiled in me. “Wow, Ashton. What is the meaning of this? So I don’t even have the rights to freedom and privacy now?”
His gaze was suffocating and I backed away subconsciously. He grabbed hold of my shoulder and questioned, “Why are you so eager to back away? You’re my wife! Shouldn’t I know of your whereabouts?”
“Yes, yes. You should know. Whatever the great Mr. Fuller says is an order.” I shrugged off his hands the next second as I couldn’t stand the smell of tobacco and alcohol anymore.
Before I could even step out of the study, he grabbed hold of my wrist and took me in his arms. “You’re not planning to explain yourself?”
I despised the feeling of not having any privacy, so annoyance bubbled within me. “What’s there to explain? It’s just like how you saw, Mr. Fuller! I went to meet with the person I like and stayed the night with him at a hotel,” I shouted.
Then, I added as I turned around swiftly to look at him, “Can you let go of me if you’re satisfied with the answer, Mr. Fuller? I don’t like the smell of tobacco in here!”
Ashton’s eyes darkened and they turned terrifying. “I want the truth, Scarlett!”
“That’s the truth. It’s what you wanted to hear!” If he had enough trust for me, he wouldn’t have resorted to spying on me.
His hand that had landed around my waist tightened due to his anger. “Then, it seems like we don’t have anything else to talk about anymore.”
Ashton shoved me into the wall like a beast that had lost its temper and pressed me against it before tearing off my clothes forcefully.
My back hurt from being pressed against the wall but I only took in a deep breath and said nothing, allowing him to continue with his aggressive approach.
Soon, his breathing became uneven and he stopped moving. The man before me stared at me and he asked, “What kind of relationship do you have with him?”
He obviously still had a speck of rationality intact.
I hated the smell of tobacco around us and I couldn’t help but furrow my brows when I looked at him coldly. “Will you believe me if I tell you?”
He nodded, the look in his eyes indecipherable.
“He’s a friend of mine from college. He has some things to settle here in J City and I only went to the airport to pick him up.” I didn’t tell him about the illness. There was no point in telling him something that couldn’t even be written down in black and white, it would only make me seem melodramatic.
He lowered his head, his face so close to mine as he whispered, “Am I still the one who is in here?” As he spoke, he put his hand over my heart.
I felt a lump in my throat and I couldn’t get the words out for a second. My voice was especially low as I said, “Yes. It has always been you.”
His fingertips traced down my chin and our eyes met. He couldn’t hide the desire in his eyes as he lowered his head and planted a kiss on my lips.
For some reason, I felt annoyed and I quickly grabbed his hand. “I need to go to the bathroom!”
The shadows in his eyes darkened. I pursed my lips at that, unable to vent my emotions out. This was an illness. And it wasn’t something that I could tell others.
“Alright!”
Ashton carried me into the bathroom after that. He could have been feeling terrible after several times. His breathing was heavy as he pushed me into the wall and crouched down.
His actions shocked me and I instantly took his hands and shook my head. “N-No, Ashton!”
……
He looked back at me, his voice was still hoarse as he said, “Be good… Let’s just give it a try. You can’t always rely on water!”
“No!” I replied while shaking my head.
He stopped when he saw that I was being so insistent.
“Just bear with it for now!”
I bit my lips, feeling disgusted as I told him, “Stop it, Ashton!”
I felt extremely uncomfortable so we might as well not do it.
I pushed him away from me as I spoke and saw the unhappy look on his face.
I felt dispirited in an instant and said to him, “I’m sorry. You should go to Rebecca.”
I meant what I said. It seemed like we couldn’t even continue with the most basic married life anymore.
No one could accept a marriage like this.
Without even seeing the look on his face, I rushed back into the bedroom. I got into bed once I was done with a simple shower, my feelings were in a mess.
He came in a while later. I could hear the sound of water in the bathroom and he only came out after an hour.
After drying himself off, he lay down beside me and took me in his arms. His voice was hoarse as he said, “We’ll go see a doctor once you’ve given birth.”
I kept silent but I was feeling distressed deep down.
“What if I can’t be cured?” This was something psychological, not physical.
His arms tightened around me. “You will!”
The bedroom was then filled with silence. After a long while, I heard the sound of soft breathing which indicated that he had fallen asleep.
I lay in bed, unable to sleep, as I thought about whether or not I should talk to Jackson about this.
It was hot in the afternoon and Ashton’s body was relatively warmer. That was why I started to sweat in his embrace. I adjusted my body slightly but he tightened his grip around me.
“Don’t move! Sleep with me for a while more. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
I-
I guess he didn’t sleep all night. Both of us slept till it was dark out. I wasn’t even tired originally but being in his arms, I couldn’t do anything else except to sleep with him.
