LOGINANNAA painful throbbing pounded through my head. The food on the nightstand sat barely touched. My stomach refused to keep anything down.Just a minute ago, I had thrown up in the bathroom. My stomach cramped so violently it felt like it was being twisted apart. Curled into myself, my gaze fell on the water container Dylan had brought me last night.For the first time since we got married, he had shown genuine concern for me. Even so, last night he had almost discovered all my medication. My hands trembling, I reached for the nightstand and slowly picked up my phone.I didn't think painkillers would help anymore. I needed to tell Vallen about my condition. Maybe he could help me.As I waited for him to answer, I struggled to straighten my weak body. My feet dangled over the edge of the bed while one hand gripped the side of my head.Come on, Vallen... answer.I winced. The pain in my head had become unbearable.The call connected, and Vallen's calm voice came through."What's wrong?"
Anna didn't answer my question. Instead, she pressed the back of her hand against her nose, trying to keep the blood from dripping onto the blanket. I quickly grabbed a box of tissues from the nightstand and handed it to her.She deftly rolled up a tissue and stuffed it into one nostril. We sat in silence for a while. All I could do was watch her sitting there with her head lowered, her face pale and drained of color. The tissue slowly turned red as it soaked through with blood.She pulled out another tissue and repeated the same thing. I frowned. Why hadn't the bleeding stopped yet? Weren't nosebleeds supposed to stop long before this?"If you're sick, we can go to the hospital right now," I offered.She answered with a shake of her head.Anna replaced the second tissue with a fresh one, crumpling the bloodstained one in her hand. "You can go back to your room, Dylan. I'm fine.""Fine? You have a nosebleed, and you still haven't answered my question," I protested, pointing toward the
DYLANLeaving Lea's apartment, for some reason, made me feel a little relieved. Now all I had to do was keep an eye on her until I could truly put my mind at ease. If she crossed the line, I wouldn't hesitate to cut off my business partnership with her father.To hell with our agreement. If she started playing games, I could do the same.When I got home, I found Anna and one of the maids finishing up my father's room. She was drenched in sweat as she straightened the bed, fluffed the pillows and bolster, making sure everything was comfortable for Abraham.A few loose strands had escaped her hastily tied hair and framed the side of her face. Her plain clothes looked worn and shabby.I let out a sigh. Did she always dress like this?Did she never buy herself new clothes? I gave her money every month. Where was it all going?Anyone walking into this house for the first time would probably mistake Anna for one of the maids i
LEA"Where are you going?" Jenna stopped me. "Don't you have the day off from your photoshoot today?"I immediately turned around with a bright smile. "I do, but Dylan asked me to meet him at my apartment today."Jenna frowned, clearly surprised. "That's unusual. He's been so busy lately that he hasn't even had time for you."I pouted. "Yeah, but maybe he's not as busy now. Anyway, I'm heading out."I walked over and kissed her on the cheek."Have fun!" Jenna called after me.I simply winked, reached into my handbag, and pressed the unlock button on my key fob. My car's lights flashed in front of the house, and one of the male servants hurried over to open the door for me.Without wasting another second, I pulled out onto the busy road. Even with the heavy traffic, the smile never left my face. If Dylan wanted to see me, then he definitely had something in mind. My hands tightened around the steering wheel as my imagination wandered to all the naughty things we usually did whenever we
DYLANMy head was pounding when I woke up. For a few moments, I could only stare at the ceiling, blinking slowly. Memories of last night came rushing back, making me instinctively touch my lips.A quiet groan escaped me as I remembered kissing Anna again without even realizing it. It had only been a brief kiss, yet it had set my whole body on fire.Little by little, every conversation we had last night resurfaced in my mind, drawing a long sigh from my lips. I covered my face with my hands.What the hell was I thinking last night? Why did I even bring up Vallen's name?A soft murmur beside me made me freeze. Slowly, I turned my head toward Anna, who was curled up beside me. Her face looked so innocent without any makeup. Her small lips were slightly parted, soft enough to tempt me into kissing her again.I swallowed hard and quickly looked away."Damn it... I'm hard," I muttered under my breath.My hand tightened around the blanket. Carefully, I lifted Anna's arm from around my chest
The kiss lasted only a few seconds.Yet it felt as though time had stopped.When Dylan pulled away, I had forgotten how to breathe.A playful smile tugged at his lips, mischief glimmering in his eyes.I could only stare at him."Dylan... you kissed me again."Drunk as he was, Dylan merely blinked those sleepy eyes at me with an innocent expression. He stretched lazily before giving my shoulder a gentle push.My husband rolled onto his side, turning his back to me."So?" he mumbled, his voice low and hoarse."You just kissed me. What..." I stopped myself. There was no point arguing with him. Trying to reason with him now was like arguing with a fool who understood nothing. I lay down beside him, brushing my fingertips over my lips before turning to look at Dylan, who already seemed to be asleep."Dylan?" I called softly, just to make sure."Hm?" he answered with nothing more than a quiet hum."Why did you buy me a dress and jewelry? You said you were just going to give me the money," I
"I'm fine, Father. I bumped my nose earlier," I lied.Fortunately, my father-in-law believed me without much question.Abraham glanced at the unmade bed behind me. His gaze softened. A faint smile touched his thin lips before he quickly pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket."Use this to wipe
"Vallen, just pretend you never saw any of this," I said calmly."Damn it, Anna, what do you mean? How am I supposed to stay quiet after seeing something this unfair? You're fighting a disease while Dylan...""Vallen, this is my marriage."The firmness in my voice silenced him on the other end of t
I didn't know how long I had been lying on the floor.When I woke up, my head was throbbing and my entire body ached. Slowly, I pushed myself upright and rubbed my face. When I looked down, I found several dried drops of blood on the floor.Not wanting to dwell on it, I got up and walked into the b
For nearly half the day, I lay in bed, curled up as I stared blankly through the open window. My body felt hot, and I was utterly exhausted even though I hadn't done anything physically demanding.Fortunately, Jessy wasn't home. She was probably working at her boutique. If she saw me lazing around







