Her blunt honesty caught Derick off guard, making him leap to his feet, flustered and panicked, his words stumbling over each other.

"Ma'am... you, you want this..." he stammered.

Selena lowered her gaze, letting her thick lashes hide the emotions in her eyes, as her voice lightly brushed over old wounds.

"What happened to my first child, Derick, you witnessed it all. I just can't bear to go through that again."

Derick found himself silenced once more, guilt gnawing at him. If only he had insisted on telling Mr. Everett about her condition that day, maybe the accident could have been avoided, and the child could have made it safely into the world. But his loyalty was to Mr. Everett, and helping Selena would have been crossing a line. After a pause, Derick bowed slightly and said, "Ma'am, I should be going."

Without waiting for her reply, he turned and left, his retreating figure carrying a hint of hasty escape.

Selena turned her gaze towards the balcony, where a flock of birds soared across the sky. She watched them, lost in her thoughts.

Later that evening.

Everett wrapped up the last of his paperwork, leaning back into his leather chair. He slipped off his gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed his weary eyes. After a moment, he headed back to the master bedroom.

It was almost midnight, and usually, Selena would be fast asleep by now, but the bed was empty, and she was nowhere in sight. Everett raised an eyebrow, figuring she might have gone downstairs for a glass of water or some warm milk, her usual remedy for sleepless nights.

But even after his shower, she was still nowhere to be found. Was she avoiding him?

With a soft chuckle, Everett tossed aside his towel, tightened the belt on his robe, and headed downstairs.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the basement home cinema, and there she was, curled up on the couch with a pillow, engrossed in a movie.

The lights were dim, and the screen's glow played across her delicate features in flickering patterns, making it hard to read her expression. Everett walked over, plopping down beside her, and lazily asked, "What's got you so hooked that you're up this late?"

Selena didn't even blink, clearly not

in the mood for conversation. Feeling down and unable to sleep, she had randomly chosen a foreign film to distract herself, not really caring about the plot.

Everett was even less concerned about the movie itself. Her silence didn't bother him; he effortlessly pulled her into his arms, sharing the moment.

The scent of him wrapped around her, a fragrance she once found captivating but now only found off-putting. She furrowed her brows but chose to stay silent, determined to endure it.

The movie had about twenty minutes left; she could tough it out.

As he took in the light aroma of her shampoo, Everett felt the workday's fatigue melt away, replaced by a calm sense of comfort. Just having her quietly beside him, within arm's reach, was enough to bring him peace.

Everything was going fine until the last five minutes of the movie. Suddenly, the lead characters were caught up in a passionate scene, kissing and embracing with fervor. The suggestive camera angles, the actors' breathy exchanges, and the Sultry background music created an electric atmosphere, sparking the imagination.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report