“Does that hurt?”
“Yes… Ouch…”
Sasha lowered her gaze to avoid meeting Sebastian’s. She turned her scarlet face to look elsewhere.
Sensing her discomfort, the man paused his actions.
His piercing gaze darkened ever further as his body rose in temperature.
The pair were more than just familiar with each other, given that they’ve had three children and have spent umpteen times in bed together. His sexual attraction to her was not abnormal.
Sebastian’s force became gentler as he continued to apply the ointment for her.
Then, his unbridled desire compelled his hands to explore other parts of her body.
“W-What are you doing?”
Alarmed, Sasha was quick to respond to his advances and pushed him away without hesitation.
Sebastian stood there dumbfounded.
Immediately, he felt as if a pail of cold water had been splashed on his head. Her instantaneous recoil from his advances was an utter slap in the face for him.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m applying the ointment for you. Besides, none of what I’m doing is illegal. You’re still my lawfully wedded wife. Is there anything I can’t do to you?”
Displeasure was written all over his charming visage.
This was not the first time she rejected him.
So she was deluding him all this while. She never had the intention to stay by his side.
Sasha’s face immediately drained of color upon sensing his displeasure.
“N-no, that’s not it. Listen to me, Sebastian. I was just… I’m just injured at the moment.”
“Really? Or are you just opposed to the idea of getting into bed with me?”
“I…”
His sharp retort stumped her.
His remark wasn’t entirely wrong. She had told herself time and again that she wouldn’t have any more relations with this man, so there should never be the need for them to commit such acts.
“Sebastian… Listen to me… I… I mean… We haven’t officially annulled our marriage, but it’s still going to happen. That’s why I… I think it’s best for us not to maintain such a relationship. Lest it interferes with… With your life. Right?”
Sasha clutched onto her thin tank top tightly. Her throat was parched while her palms were sweating profusely. The last thing she wanted was to provoke him with her words.
She couldn’t afford to offend him.
In the event he decided to kick her out, she would lose the opportunity to stay by the sides of her children.
The moment she finished her sentence, a suffocating silence permeated the air. The atmosphere was so tense it felt as though the temperature dipped radically.
Oh god. Did I make him angry again?
Sasha began to regret her words. She was about to attempt to placate him when he turned and left the room.
Bam!
The deafening sound of the door slamming reverberated around the room, causing the ground to tremble.
Sasha was left sitting on the bed, stupefied.
After she managed to pull herself together, she swiftly jumped off the bed to give chase. Alas, there wasn’t a single shadow outside. Soon after, the sound of a roaring engine could be heard.
Sebastian had left in the middle of the night.
When what had happened registered in her mind, she staggered backward in shock and slumped against the wall.
What’s the problem with what I said? Is it even possible to work things out between us? All those incidents… How can we act like none of them took place? That’s impossible! Not for me, at least.
Sasha returned to her room, looking dejected. That night, all she did was toss and turn in bed.
The next day.
The children rose early, especially Matteo and Ian. Once they woke up, the duo holed up in a room and kept the door locked.
“Mommy and Daddy fought again last night. Did you hear?”
“Of course.”
Ian looked awful; he had dark spots circling his eyes.
Matteo held his cheeks in his palms as he sat in front of his brother and sighed. “Why are they always like that? Can’t they just get along? Why can’t Daddy just tolerate Mommy? It took so much difficulty for her to return to us…”
Ian was in a dazed state as he listening to his brother rant.
His lips parted, as though he wanted to add on. However, he promptly shut his mouth.
Something felt amiss. He secretly caught the sight of Sebastian carrying Sasha upstairs, so he couldn’t fathom why the two of them would argue out of the blue.
The matter is not as simple as it seems.
“We’ve got to do something.”
“What?” Matteo’s head shot up as his hopeful eyes gazed at his older brother.
“I think they’ve spent too much time apart. That’s why they’re like that now. We’ve got to create more occasions for them to spend some quality time together.”
The quick-witted Ian dissected the situation for his brother.
Matteo’s eyes lit up as he heard Ian speak.
That sounded spot on. People who were in love with each other probably spent lots of time together to develop feelings.
Familiarity breeds fondness.
Matteo concurred with his brother’s genius plan.
That day, they waited until Sasha picked them up. Then, the three children began to chatter excitedly about an upcoming school trip.
“A school trip? But it hasn’t been long since school started.”
“Mommy, now’s the prime time. Our teacher said she’d bring us to tour the countryside to experience how farmers live.”
Noticing her mother’s reservations, Vivian hurriedly piped up to legitimize their scheme.
