That was the first time Lulu had been so upset with or around him.As Martin stayed silent, she sat up and stared at him. "What was the point? Why did you do that to me?! Who did you think I was?! I'm your wife!"At the time, she felt no tenderness from him at all—he was as rough as he was savage.He was never like that, since he would always care about how she felt no matter how passionate they got before.He never made her uncomfortable, and that was why she could let loose around him.But this time, she just could not understand. So many questions crossed her mind—did he stop cherishing her just because he had her now?She was convinced that he was not like that. But she could not come up with any other reason… Hold on. Suddenly remembering Zachary then, she wondered if he had said something that left Martin agitated. No, that had to be it! Martin would not treat her like this otherwise!And yet, Martin knew about her past…It left her even confused and agitated be
The more Martin explained, the quieter and hoarser his voice became. Even so, he sounded determined."I'm sorry, Lulu. It won't happen again."Lulu looked into his eyes, stunned for a second and at a loss the next.She should not have known, but…She simply sat on bed in silence because she had no words.There was nothing to explain here because it had happened before they were married, and Martin knew it too.If he took offense, he would have to deal with that himself, and she would respect any choice he made.She pulled up her blanket, closed her eyes, and snapped, "Sleep!"She was so weirdly calm that she surprised herself! "Are you angry?" Martin asked."No," she replied—and it was the truth.After all, she had no right to be angry. It was something about her that made him uncomfortable and therefore her fault.What should she say? Apologize? That would be unnecessary because that had been clear from the start and she did not have to worry about it now.Martin
Martin was staring at Lulu. "I'll feed her.""No, it's fine," Lulu said, walking over to him and getting out of bed. "Give her to me."Martin pursed his lips and stared at her but Lulu kept her hands outstretched toward him without moving, and both of them remained in that position for a while!-Zachary returned in a bad mood.Irene did not ask him anything, while James was still bedridden.The house was therefore gloomy, and only Erin would be moving around.Since she had been learning to cook, she had to buy a lot of food ingredients. Zachary was half-reclined on the couch when Erin left the kitchen with soup she just made, but he called out to her just as she was about to bring it to James in his room. "Is James the only person living around here? There's others here too, y'know?"Erin shot him a look. "You're nuts."Zachary chuckled. "Come on. I just wanted to try that soup you made.""There's more in the kitchen," Erin replied. "Get it yourself.""I want the one you'
James shrugged. "He's just messing around—that's just what he's like, so just ignore him. He's not that bad either."I know," Erin replied while helping James button his shirt. "If he were that terrible, you wouldn't be hanging out with him."As James looked at her, Erin smiled. "And you're not that bad either."James brushed her hair with his fingers then. "Aren't you going home yet?""My leave isn't over yet," Erin said, and she picked up the bowl of soup to hand it over..James always humored her and would finish the food she cooked whether it tasted good, while never forgetting to praise her. "Your cooking is getting better. I don't think I can eat anyone else's cooking soon."However, Erin was staring at him seriously. "I think I should resign. You're hurt, and you need someone to take care of you…"James put the bowl down to look at her then.He naturally wanted Erin to stay at his side, but he was unsure if she just wanted to take care of him or if she had gotten over he
Zachary smiled. "How'd you know?""You were acting very strange," Erin replied. "There's either something bothering you, or you're just crazy."Zachary was speechless. "You're just a girl. Don't you have any respect for your brother?"Erin could roll her eyes right then. What even made him her brother? Zachary remained serious as he broke it down for her. "Isaac, James, and I are as close as brothers, right?"Erin nodded. "Yeah."She knew that all too well."And of us three, Isaac is the eldest and a brother to you, but I'm older than James. Whether it's because of your connection to Isaac or to James, I'm a brother to you and should be addressed as such."Erin was speechless. The man made sense, but having to call him 'brother' was too cringeworthy!"Can I call you something else?" Erin asked."What then?" Zachary asked in return. Erin thought about it. Brother was definitely not going to cut it, just as 'uncle' was wrong. "I think I'll just stick to 'Zachary'," Eri
Zachary turned to find James standing nearby, and he smiled awkwardly. "You're still hurt. Why did you come out here? You should be staying in your room.""If I did, I won't be able to listen to you embarrassing yourself," James said, scowling. "Over here, Erin."Erin quickly walked to his side, blinking. "Are you upset?""Not at you," James replied. Zachary reclined against the couch and asked, "Then, at me?""Who else is there?" James snapped while Erin helped him sit. Zachary pouted. "You're a cripple, man. Why don't you stay in your room instead of coming out here?""Watch your language!" Erin snapped, unhappy with the personal attack.James clapped her on the shoulder. "Calm down. Don't you know why he doesn't have a girlfriend? It's because of that rotten mouth of his." Zachary was speechless. "Your personal attacks are worse than mine."James chuckled. "Pot, meet kettle."Zachary clicked his tongue. "Whatever you say."He got to his feet, ready to leave since he o
Irene blinked. "Well, it would be weird if I called you something else," she admitted.Getting the advantage right then, Zachary puffed himself up. "See? I'm her senior.""How so?" Irene asked."I'm younger than Isaac, but you married him," he explained, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Since I'm your upperclassman, he should defer to me too, right?"James and Erin were speechless, with the former rising to his feet. "Come on. Let's go back to my room."The way Zachary kept talking, he would have to defer to Zachary too!"Stay here. You should listen to see if I'm right," Zachary grinned smugly. "Honestly, my junior is really the best!'James really wanted to punch him right then—that face definitely needed one."You're right," Irene suddenly said. "But you'd have to ask Isaac first to see if that applies."James stared at Zachary in turn. "You heard her."Zachary was speechless—Isaac would throw him out of his own house if he so much as breathed that.Yes, that wa
James placed a hand on Erin's shoulder to direct her to his room, and she nodded.After she left, James turned toward Zachary. "Sit.""What is it?" Zachary asked, eying him skeptically."I can tell you're in a bad mood. Anything you want to say to me?" Zachary smiled but said nothing despite taking his seat. "Come on. Don't jinx me like that."James did not press him, probably sensing that Zachary had trouble talking about it.Zachary then added, "Let's go get a drink when you're feeling better."James nodded.-In his room, Tommy was writing his own name on a notebook.Irene told him to learn it by the day and to make it look nice.While he did, she stood by the bed to call Stan, but no one answered. She put down the phone and returned to the table to check on Tommy's handwriting.Around an hour later, her phone started ringing. It was a return call from Stan, and when she picked it up, she asked, "Why weren't you answering?"On the other end, Stan shot a look at Isa