Chapter 4

Knox's arrogance clashed violently with his restraint and obedience.

Those slightly upturned eyes held a desperate, suppressed plea, and he forced himself so hard that tears welled up instinctively. Yet, he still propped his body up, unwilling to press his full body weight on me even a little bit.

I raised my hand, slowly tracing from the bridge of his nose down to caress his soft, red lips.

As if granted permission, Knox gently kissed my fingertips, each touch achingly tender.

I studied him closely.

The raw, almost beastly life force in him was once something I'd desperately avoided. But now, I realized that a person like this—someone covered in sharp thorns yet who showed only gentleness and restraint toward me—was truly the sweetest confession of love.

"Knox," I said, lightly patting his shoulder. "Get up."

He visibly shuddered at the sound of my voice. Still, he straightened his arms, lifting his body little by little.

"I'm tired," I said softly.

He stared at me. His shimmering eyes looked as though they'd overflow with tears at any second, but his mouth said the opposite.

"Okay."

He closed the door gently from the outside. Then came a loud bang.

I didn't need to look to know that he was kicking the wall to vent his frustration. I couldn't help but curl my lips into a smile. He really had mastered the art of swallowing his anger rather than letting out even a single word.

Listening to his footsteps fade, I suddenly realized Jared was right. It was people like Knox Ferris—arrogant and overbearing—who really seemed alive.

Once upon a time, I had been like that too. But that version of me no longer existed.

I slowly raised my hands, staring at my pale, slender fingers in a daze. Ten years ago, these hands had been smooth and full, gripping reins and vaulting over walls. Now, they only bore the marks of holding a pen.

I could barely even remember that I'd once been so alive as well.

The past ten years had changed me after all. Just like how my skin had turned pale, the calm composure I'd learned when grappling with life and death had carved itself into my bones.

At the end of the day, I was human, not a machine. I couldn't just delete ten years of memories on command. Luckily, after all my wandering, I'd finally come back to where I started.

I dialed the internal line. "Knox, let's get married."

I could clearly hear the person on the other end trying to suppress his excitement. I hadn't expected him to be this thrilled.

…

The next morning, before I even woke up, my phone started chiming repeatedly.

"Sweetheart, you're finally getting married. I can finally relax now."

"Don't bully Knox, you little menace."

There were more than a dozen messages just from my parents alone, and countless more from my relatives.

Only then did I learn that my family hadn't looked for me in the past ten years because they'd assumed that I'd been with Knox all along.

I glanced at Knox, who was peeking nervously from outside the door. Suddenly, he reminded me of a golden retriever—adorable-looking but actually full of mischief.

He noticed I was looking at him, and as if a secret signal had been exchanged, he charged straight toward me.

"Princess, what do you say we get married on April 7?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

I raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod.

He immediately pulled out his phone as if presenting me with a priceless treasure.

On the company's official website, he'd already announced our wedding date, and the comments below were already flooded with a long string of congratulations.

He watched me cautiously. I smiled helplessly.

Before I could say anything, my phone rang.

"Gabrielle, you left something at my place. Come pick it up," Jared said.

Knox's brow instantly tightened. He pressed down on my hand and kissed me hard. The air was so fiercely stolen from my lungs that I even felt dizzy for a second.

In that instant, I realized that a touch of wildness had appeared in those docile-looking eyes of his.

As if he couldn't get enough, the kiss deepened. His arm tightened around my waist, and I couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

Satisfied, he gave my cheek a quick peck, then leaned close to the phone. In a husky voice, and with each word drawn out into something unmistakably suggestive, he said, "Mr. Sheppard, you'll have to bring it over instead. My princess seems… a little preoccupied right now."