He felt her little hands were cold and subconsciously frowned. "What's wrong, feeling cold?"
She shook her head, "No, just a bit numb from sitting down too long!"
He sat up and checked her feet, then frowned again, “How come your feet are so cold as well? You need to wear more; it’s winter time, don’t catch a cold!”
As he spoke, he shifted her feet into his thighs to warm them up, he muttered as he moved, “I’ll help warm you up!”
He laid down again, and put her tiny hands on his chest and covered himself with a blanket, then he had on a satisfied look.
Listening to his steady breathing and feeling the comfort from his strong embrace, Sherry felt serenely at ease, as if nothing else in the world could possibly calm her down like this method. It was as though she had found a haven to safely place her life. As long as he was around, there was nothing to be afraid of.
The warmth gradually came in waves and even warmed her heart as well.
Instinctively, Sherry placed her dainty hand on William’s chest. As she felt his sturdy chest muscles, she could not help herself as she stroked it over and over. By the time she realized what she was doing, her hand was already down at his waist.
William took a deep breath, and Sherry quickly recollected herself. The only sound in the room was her flustered breathing. She embarrassingly withdrew her hand from his body, but as soon as she did, she felt a powerful pair of arms held her tightly!
In a panic, she looked up, only to meet William’s eyes, and fell into the deep gaze in his eyes…
Sherry’s face flushed red in an instant, she did not know how to react toward him.
William looked deeply at her for a long time, then gently asked, “Silly girl, sorry to have made you suffer; feeling warmer now?”
Sherry could not suppress her emotions; she did not dare raise her head either. The only thing she could think of was to bury her head on his broad chest. She could hear his heart racing and pounding.
When was the last time since they have huddled together like this?
Sherry nodded her red face, “Feeling much better now, thank you!”
The joy he felt were noticeable even on the corner of his eyes.
He finally had the love of his life in his arms again. He thought that she would never forgive him. Then again, she was far too generous and kind; she never complained, and always took on more responsibilities onto herself. How could he not fall in love with such a woman?
“Christmas is coming up soon; when you’re ready to go out, shall we go travel somewhere?” He asked her in a low tone.
At the thought of traveling, her expression froze in place, “No! I don’t want to go!”
William suddenly had a realization; he recalled the time he left her at Hokkaido, and waves of shame flooded over him. She must have been deeply traumatized by that event.
Sherry then asked, “Is Ms. Mclean doing fine now?”
William shook his head and said, “Let’s not mention her again; she will not ever come into our world again. What was between me and her is all in the past now. Sherry, if I could, I would change the past, but I can’t. Trust in me this time, OK?”
“You’re willing to remove her from your life?” Sherry could not believe what she heard. Thinking back, his strong sense of responsibility was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. If he was a cold, emotionless man, she probably would not have truly loved him.
Although it pained her to know that her lover so deeply dedicated for another woman, this also showed that he was an accountable man. If a man was not dependable, how could anyone love him?
This must be the greedy side of humanity, to want a man to stay dedicated to one love, to want that same man to be responsible, and to have that man only love one person only. It seemed like a lot to ask for!
He held her hand to her lips and kissed her thin fingers. The gentleness of his action was full of love and tenderness, “We’ve already lost too much because of her. Let’s just pray for our own happiness! She no long has anything to do with us; she got what she deserved. It wasn’t her ex-husband that tortured her, she did it to herself! She should be the one responsible for her own actions, not us. It’s all my fault, Sherry, I’m sorry!”
“You know everything?” Sherry was stunned, “So you even know about Reggie Kelly?”
“Right! I asked a friend to help look into it. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge. I’m sorry, my baby! You have to believe me, I will make it up to you, just wait and see, OK?” He was full of guilt.
“So it wasn’t torture, after all; Reggie is not that kind of person!” Sherry murmured silently and completely missed out on William’s promise.
She furrowed her eyebrows. It was unjust for Reggie to have been accused of abusing his wife. He said he would tell her the whole story between him and Lucille once Sherry got better. It’s been so long since she last talked to him; how is he doing now, she wondered?
If it weren’t for Reggie, she didn’t know if she would still be alive now. Maybe she would have bled to death a long time ago. Come to think of it, he was truly her savior!
Hearing her mutter to herself, William felt a slight bitterness, “Sherry, Reggie…”
Sherry looked at William’s hesitancy and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Moment in Destiny
the writing is quite childish, but maybe it's just the translations...