146

146

The aroma of chicken broth immediately enticed her sense of smell. Shabila felt like stopping Nicholas and asking for just one bite of those meatballs.

"No need to sneak around here; you can wait in your room. I'm in the kitchen, and your husband is already preparing it, and he will bring it to you soon," Nicholas teased, a corner of his lips lifted, mocking Shabila who had begun to show her interest in the dish he had made. "This is specially for Alesya."

Shabila huffed, pursing her lips. She turned around and headed back to her room. If Nicholas had indeed set aside some for her, and now it was in Bryan's hands, then shortly Shabila would also get to enjoy those delicious meatballs.

When he arrived at the room, Nicholas pulled the corners of his lips closer to the bed after placing the tray on the nightstand. He sat beside Alesya and stroked the woman's cheek.

"Al, let's get up first?" Alesya didn't answer, now she was completely lost in the world of dreams because her body was tired after their lovemaking this afternoon.

"Alesya, wake up first!" Nicholas gently patted Alesya's cheek, but there was still no response until Nicholas was forced to bite both of Alesya's lips. More, even though there is no way to the warm and sweet oral cavity.

Alesya blinked. But, suddenly he felt suction on his lips. He also felt wet and had a slight bite because of Nicholas' actions.

"Nicholas..." Alesya muttered, sighing slightly. Stopped Nicholas. "What are you doing?" Wiping a wet trail from his lips.

"Let's eat first, then after this you sleep again."

"I'm not hungry, Nik." Alesya pulled the blanket and curled up again. He was really tired and sleepy. His head ached thinking about the problem that was currently hitting him. He felt like he wanted to die but was afraid to leave Nicholas alone in this world.

"If you finish eating, you can sleep until tomorrow morning or even the day after tomorrow. Just as long as you eat," Nicholas said as he reached for the bowl of meatball soup on the nightstand, ready to feed Alesya.

However, she only shook her head with her eyes tightly closed. Consequently, Nicholas, who was reluctant to argue or persuade Alesya any further, reluctantly fed himself a spoonful of meatball soup and leaned in to share it with Alesya, chewing slightly before gently pressing his lips against hers.

Coaxed like that, Alesya reluctantly opened her mouth and accepted the food from Nicholas's mouth.

Alesya wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "What are you doing? I said I'm full!"

"No, you're not full; you haven't eaten anything since this afternoon. You'll catch a cold, get sick. Who's going to be bothered then? Me?" Nicholas protested, not accepting Alesya's refusal.

"Yes, but Nicholas... I'm so sleepy!"

"I know, that's why I'm feeding you. Just close your eyes, open your mouth, and swallow, okay?"

Nicholas fed her again, chewing and doing the same thing for the second time. Alesya reluctantly accepted Nicholas's overly sweet gesture.

And what they were doing in the room right now, all captured clearly on the CCTV camera, made Shabila, who was in her room, also want to be treated with the same sweetness. Yet Bryan never understood what she wanted.

In Bryan's eyes, a wife only needed to be provided for, both physically and emotionally. She didn't need attention or togetherness like what Nicholas was doing for Alesya.

"What are you looking at?" Bryan asked as he entered the room. Shabila, who was focused on watching the CCTV footage, turned her gaze.

"I'm looking at my dream, seeing something I've wanted with you for a long time. Unfortunately, you never notice it and only care about yourself," Shabila pouted, folding her arms in front of her chest. She turned her back to Bryan as if she didn't want to talk to him right now.

"What do you mean, 'norak' and 'berlebihan'? In my opinion, it's very sweet, and I want it," Shabila retorted.

"No, I'm tired. This is for you; please enjoy it. I'll finish my work downstairs."

"You're such an unromantic husband!" Shabila exclaimed. Instead of eating Bryan's food, she chose to ignore it. She grabbed her handbag from the nightstand and headed out.

"Wait, you're not eating?" Bryan asked as he crossed paths with Shabila on the stairs.

"No, I'm not hungry. I'm going out for a bit. Feel free to keep working, and I'll be back in about two hours."

"Where are you going?"

"Shopping with friends, you're no fun."

"Why not fun, Sha?"

"You don't understand what I want!" Shabila continued walking, even though Bryan hadn't finished talking.

"Shabila!" Bryan called out, but Shabila didn't stop or turn around. She was hurt because Bryan couldn't do something as simple and sweet as what Nicholas did. Should Shabila marry Nicholas to experience happiness like Alesya?

Bryan had tried hard to stop Shabila, but it was in vain. She kept going, carrying all her emotions with her. Although Bryan considered the issue trivial, for Shabila, her desire was genuine. She envied Alesya for having a romantic man like Nicholas.

"I wonder when I can live peacefully," Bryan grumbled as he rubbed his face roughly. He turned to look at the still-running laptop. There, he saw Nicholas lying down with Alesya. They were such a romantic couple, unlike Shabila, who demanded that Bryan be the man of her dreams but didn't act as sweet as Alesya.

Even though Bryan hadn't gotten to know Alesya's personality and character more deeply, he had a slight belief that she was a good person. This was because, up until now, Bryan hadn't seen Alesya contradict anything Nicholas said.

"Did I make the wrong choice?" he muttered to himself. Bryan winced, watching Alesya tidy up Nicholas's hair and leave a kiss on his forehead. Only then did she immerse herself in Nicholas's embrace.

It was a soothing sight. Suddenly, Bryan wanted to experience what Nicholas was feeling. However, Shabila was entirely different.

"Should I focus on Alesya?" Bryan wondered silently. Suddenly, he wanted to perfect his marriage with Alesya.

"You said you were sleepy?" Nicholas caught Alesya's wrist. After they had finished eating, he had suggested they go to bed if that's what she wanted.

Alesya pouted, puffing up her cheeks. "I'm not sleepy! You forced me to eat, so obviously, I'm not hungry anymore."

"Not hungry, but everything's gone without a trace," Nicholas teased, pinching Alesya's nose.

"Ouch..." Alesya winced, trying to free her nose from Nicholas's grip.

"It hurts, Nik. You pinched it without any mercy." She playfully slapped Nicholas's chest when he finally released her nose.

"That's right, because if it's done with mercy, it won't be. My heart is inside, Al."

"In that case, give me your heart."

"Eh? Your heart?"

Alesya covered her mouth with her palm. She couldn't believe she had let that slip.

"What I meant..."

Nicholas waited.

"Well, you see... it's about the chicken heart in the meatball soup. Where did you put it?" She tried to redirect the conversation, fearing that Nicholas might ask for further clarification about the heart she accidentally mentioned.

Alesya was afraid Nicholas would realize she had fallen in love and, as a result, was willing to pursue a closer relationship with him, even though they had no official status. However, being close to Nicholas gave Alesya a reason to fight. It made her more patient in dealing with Bryan.

"Oh, I thought there was another heart," Nicholas stretched his muscles, a bit disappointed by Alesya's response, as he had hoped for more.

However, there was nothing else he could do. Nicholas felt like a lucky stranger who had managed to get close to Alesya, a girl who was starting to make his heart race wildly. His chest was swelling and contracting erratically. At the same time, she was the girl who had taken his virginity.