Chapter 4

Perhaps the sight of me standing there in agony finally got through to Barney.

After a moment, he said, "Go get your burns treated first. I'll join you in a bit."

I didn't bother looking back at him or Hailey, who was still clinging to him. Instead, I walked straight out into the pouring rain. The icy drops struck my already injured skin, sending sharp stings through my burns with every step.

At the hospital, I took care of everything myself, from getting my wounds treated to paying the bill and picking up my prescriptions.

The rain continued all night, but Barney never showed up.

By the time I had rested enough to leave the waiting area, pale morning light was filtering through the windows. Clutching the divorce agreement, I headed home with one thing on my mind: getting Barney to sign it.

"Barney, I..."

The words died on my lips when I entered the bedroom and found him still asleep.

His brows were knitted together, as though he were trapped in a nightmare. I hesitated, then approached the bed and reached out to wake him.

"Barney, wake up. I need to talk to you."

Before I could even pull the agreement from my bag, his eyes flew open. He sat up with an unnaturally stiff movement and stared at me with a hollow, vacant gaze, as if he couldn't see me at all.

His hands closed around my throat. Panic seized me as my airway tightened.

I grabbed at his wrists, desperately trying to pry his fingers loose, but his grip was like an iron vise. The harder I struggled, the tighter he squeezed.

"B-Barney..."

I beat against his arms, trying to snap him out of whatever state he was in, but he didn't react. As the pressure around my throat increased, I began to fear that he really would strangle me.

Then a soft, beautiful melody drifted in from outside the bedroom.

The moment Barney heard it, his grip loosened. He released me, turned toward the voice, and walked straight into Hailey's waiting arms.

She took his hand and gently led him back to bed, continuing to sing until he lay down and gradually drifted off again.

Just moments ago, he'd looked like a madman trying to kill me. Now he was peaceful and harmless, as though nothing had happened.

I was about to expose his little act when Hailey suddenly stepped up to slap me.

"Can you stop triggering him?" she hissed. "You were making too much noise. Don't you know how dangerous it is to wake a sleepwalker suddenly? Are you trying to kill him?"

I stared at Barney, who lay motionless with his eyes firmly shut, and felt a crushing sorrow settle over me.

He had always insisted that he couldn't wake up during a sleepwalking episode. Now I finally understood why. You couldn't wake someone who was only pretending to be asleep.

Without saying a word, I turned and walked out.

Barney didn't come looking for me until around noon. He carried a tube of ointment, apparently believing it would make up for everything that had happened.

When his fingers brushed the bruises around my throat, remorse flickered across his face.

"Alba, I'm sorry. I was exhausted after finishing work last night, and I must have fallen asleep without realizing it."

He reached toward the fading red mark on my cheek, but I quietly turned away.

"And I'm apologizing on Hailey's behalf, too," he continued. "She only reacted that way because she panicked. She didn't mean anything by it, so don't hold it against her, okay? If you want compensation, just tell me what you want."

Instead of answering him, I took out the divorce agreement, flipped to the final page, and placed it in front of him.

"What's this?" He blinked, reaching to flip through the pages.

"The deed transferring the house." I pressed my hand firmly over his.

Without giving it a second thought, he picked up a pen and quickly scribbled his signature on the line. "There. Happy now?"

I studied his face for a moment. Even after everything, I wanted to give him one last chance to tell me the truth, so I asked, "When are you going to make her leave?"

Barney's expression darkened with irritation.

"I'm giving you the house. What else do you want? Hailey has a boyfriend, and our relationship is strictly professional. Can you stop being so paranoid?"

"Okay. I understand."

My calm response seemed to throw him off. I simply gathered the documents and turned toward the door.

"Wait," he called after me. "Come home for dinner tonight. My mother wants to see you."

I nodded quietly.

...

The drive back from his parents' house was almost entirely silent.

Barney finally broke it as we neared home.

"Don't take what my mother said tonight to heart."

I glanced at him. "What did she say?"

"You know... about having Hailey carry a child for me."

"Oh. It's fine."

My answer seemed to catch him off guard. He turned to look at me.

"You're not angry?"

"Why would I be? Didn't you just tell me not to take it to heart?"

He gaped at me, apparently unable to understand why I wasn't arguing with him. But eventually, he said nothing more.

The moment we pulled into the driveway, Hailey came rushing out of the house. Tears streamed down her face, and when she tried to speak, only a hoarse whisper emerged.

"Barney, what am I going to do? My voice is ruined!"

She pointed at me, struggling to force out each word.

"Alba, ruining my voice is one thing, but what if Barney has another episode and hurts you? Even if you poisoned me just to keep me quiet, it wouldn't cure his sleepwalking!"

The warmth vanished from Barney's face. He turned to me with a cold, unreadable stare.

"I asked you to make food for her, and you poisoned her?"

"I didn't."

His hand struck my face before I could say anything else.

The blow sent a fresh wave of pain through my already swollen cheek, but I merely held it and looked back at him.

"I said I didn't do it."

Anger and hurt flashed across his face.

"You're still lying to me? Her voice is her livelihood! Were you trying to destroy her career?"

Before I could defend myself, he bent down and scooped Hailey into his arms. As he pushed past me, I stumbled backward and barely managed to catch my balance.

"You'd better pray her voice recovers," he said, his expression frighteningly cold. "Otherwise, I'll make you pay."

I watched him carry Hailey away without shedding a tear or making a scene. There was nothing left to say, and I no longer cared whether he believed me.

I placed the signed divorce agreement neatly on the desk, collected my belongings, and walked out of the house.

Two hours later, my flight took off on schedule. From that night on, whoever Barney chose to sleep beside was no longer my concern.