4

Cosmo heard what Eloise said and immediately turned to her, a little surprised.

Cosmo was someone who cared a lot about cleanliness. Even with wounds on his legs, he couldn’t go a day without taking a bath. Back then, a male nurse was assigned to help clean him up. But now that he had a wife—Eloise herself—Tania wanted her to be the one to do it, hoping it would help them grow closer.

Eloise, however, had no intention of developing feelings for Cosmo. She knew their marriage didn’t have a solid foundation. It wasn’t something she dreamed of, and she had no plans of forcing a relationship that wasn’t built on love. All she wanted was to change her fate.

Cosmo could barely believe what he just heard. “What did you say?”

When he looked at her, Eloise’s ears turned slightly red from embarrassment.

“Your mom told me to take care of you… She knows how particular you are when it comes to cleanliness, so she said I should be the one to wipe you down every night…”

Without hesitation, Cosmo refused. “No.”

There was no second thought. For him, the idea was too embarrassing and too uncomfortable. Just the thought of Eloise touching him in that way made him uneasy.

Hearing his firm refusal, Eloise let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Well, you have a nurse anyway. He can keep doing it!”

The look of relief on her face didn’t escape Cosmo’s eyes. It was as if she had been dreading the thought of having to do the job herself. For some reason, he felt a small sting inside—one he couldn’t explain.

After grabbing her clothes, Eloise went to the guest bedroom to take a shower. Since it was still early when she finished, she thought of checking in on Cosmo in the master bedroom.

He was still sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, reading under the soft light. His expression was no longer as cold as it was earlier—there was a hint of gentleness now.

Cosmo seemed a bit surprised to see her come back. “Do you need something?”

Earlier that day, she was the first to confront him. After that, she faced the entire Dominguez family head-on. Then, she asked if he wanted her to help him clean up. And now, she returned to the room?

Cosmo couldn’t quite figure her out. But one thing was clear—Eloise wasn’t someone easy to read. She was calm, careful, and she clearly had her own reasons.

“It’s not bedtime yet. I just wanted to sit with you for a while. Once it’s late, I’ll go back to the guest room,” Eloise said plainly.

Cosmo looked at her, doubtful. “If you want to stay, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush.”

She shook her head. “I don’t really want to stay. It’s not like you’ll let me sleep in the bed. If I stay here, I’ll have to sleep on the floor or the couch, and I won’t be comfortable. That might disturb your sleep too.”

Cosmo stared at her, unsure if he should laugh or get annoyed.

She looked delicate, but she spoke directly. No sugar-coating. No dodging.

Cosmo frowned. “If you’re not going to sleep, then I will. And if you’re still here, you might just end up disturbing me.”

Eloise only smiled. “Aren’t you used to sleeping at eleven? It’s not even eleven yet! And besides, you’ll be the one sleeping, not me. I’ll pretend I’m not even here. I won’t talk to you.”

Cosmo didn’t respond.

Eloise sat on the side and started replying to messages from her best friend, Sasha.

[Sasha]: So… first day with the Dominguez family. Did you embarrass yourself?

[Sasha]: How’s Cosmo? Is he really paralyzed?

[Sasha]: I heard he’s got a bad temper now. Did he hurt you?

[Sasha]: Hey? Hellooo?

The messages came one after another, and Eloise replied to them one by one.

Cosmo noticed how focused she was on her phone, as if she didn’t care that he was right there beside her. The irritation inside him grew stronger. He didn’t know why, but he was restless.

Unable to concentrate on his book, he closed it and coldly said, “My mom asked you to come here to take care of me, but from the looks of it, it’s the other way around.”

The room was quiet, so when he suddenly spoke, Eloise flinched. She looked at him, confused.

Cosmo’s eyes were cold and dark. There was a hint of anger burning in them, though Eloise couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

She figured maybe it had something to do with his current situation. After all, no one would be happy being in his condition. It was understandable if he was in a bad mood.

Eloise composed herself and tried to smile.

“Do you need help with something, Cosmo? Is there anything you want? Maybe some water?”

She stood and walked toward him—not afraid, but not forcing herself to act brave either. She simply kept her tone calm as she asked.

Cosmo wanted to get angry, but when she asked him a question, he couldn’t give an answer. The glass of water was just within reach on the small table beside the bed.

“You’re only pretending you want to stay in the room because of the people watching our every move. If that’s the case, how did you think sleeping in the guest bedroom would go unnoticed?” His voice was cold as he spoke.

Eloise froze. Given Cosmo’s situation, it was only natural that there were people keeping an eye on him. The simple fact that her things had already been moved into the master bedroom was enough proof.

She silently admitted that she was hoping to get away with it, so she calmly asked, “What should I do then? Have an extra bed brought into the master bedroom?”

Cosmo’s face remained expressionless. “No one’s going to give you an extra bed. You have two choices—the floor or the sofa.”

Eloise couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had already said she couldn’t sleep properly on the floor or the couch, but Cosmo clearly didn’t care. Was he really doing this to make things harder for her?

“Are you upset?” Cosmo asked when he saw her expression.

Her lips tightened slightly. “Not really.”

“It’s true that marrying me is a waste,” he said in the same cold tone. “But you’re the one who chose this, so you have no right to complain. If it’s hard, deal with it.”

Eloise didn’t say anything.

People always said Cosmo was a gentleman—well-mannered and respectful—but right now, he seemed cold, lacking any concern for how others felt.

She let out a soft sigh and forced a smile. “There’s nothing to complain about. I married the Cosmo Dominguez, the perfect gentleman. What more could I ask for?”

Cosmo looked at her as if unsure whether to believe her, but deep inside, his anger seemed to ease just a little.

“In that case, figure out where you’re sleeping,” he said.

Eloise blinked.

With a sigh, she went to the guest bedroom, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and set them up on the sofa. Then, she looked at Cosmo, who now seemed to be second-guessing himself.

With a tone that sounded like advice, she said, “You know, Mr. Dominguez, people heal faster when they’re happy.”

He didn’t respond.

Eloise didn’t say anything more. She just continued messaging Sasha about their plans to meet the next day.

A minute passed before Cosmo realized something wasn’t right.

His whole point earlier was to get Eloise out of the room, but now it felt like he’d been tricked—and somehow, she ended up staying in the master bedroom with him.

Was she up to something? How did he fall into this situation?

He couldn’t kick her out again now—it would make him look indecisive.

His face grew tense again, annoyed at himself for letting this happen. Eloise was clearly not the kind of woman he could easily predict.

Eloise, on the other hand, had no idea what Cosmo was thinking. She quietly lay on the sofa, still wide awake. While scrolling through her phone, she saw a new post from Elaine.

While she had just recently married Cosmo, Elaine was already getting ready for her wedding with Zedrix.

Their wedding was scheduled for two weeks from now, and today, they had taken their prenup photos and tried on their wedding rings. Elaine posted several photos, clearly showing how sweet she and Zedrix were together.

Zedrix was a good-looking guy, but because he came from a humble family, many people used to look down on him. Even as a child, he faced bullying and cruel treatment. Because of that, he grew up with a dark, sensitive, and suspicious mindset that most people couldn’t understand.