After finishing their wedding photoshoot, the sky had turned dark.
Jimmy was exhausted and slept soundly in Stefan's arms, occasionally murmuring in his sleep.
"Boohoo... I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing his unconscious murmurs, Martha furrowed her brows slightly and looked at Stefan, observing his expression.
"I... I think I scared Jimmy today."
Stefan turned to look at her and lowered his voice so as not to wake up Jimmy.
"It's in the past. I know you're worried about him, but he'll be fine once you get home and make him something delicious to eat to distract him."
"Mm."
There was a paper bag in the car containing the damaged red wedding dress that Stefan had bought.
Martha's gaze fell on the bag and a hint of sadness flashed through her eyes.
It was still regrettable that she couldn't wear the red wedding dress for photoshoots.
But she didn't want to wear this damaged one either.
"Stefan..."
She moved closer towards him and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
Stefan freed one hand to gently stroke her hair while asking softly, "Are you tired? Take a nap; we still have plenty of time before we get home."
Martha shook her head.
"No, I can't sleep nor do I want to. Stefan, actually... I'm very scared."
Her body trembled slightly as she spoke those words out loud.
He tightly held onto her hand while comforting, "No matter what happens, when you're by my side, there is no need for fear."
"No, Stefan, do you know what? The happiness of being with you now feels like an impossible dream come true. Everything seems calm right now as if it were all just an illusion; I'm afraid that one day suddenly waking up will reveal that you are gone..."
"That won't happen."
Stefan put Jimmy who was sleeping back onto the seat, then pulled Martha into his arms, while telling her clearly, "I'll always be by your side, never leave your side ever again."
"I remember what you said."
Martha raised up towards him with a smile, then kissed his chin again and again.
A wave of heat surged through Stefan.
He blocked Martha's face coming closer with one hand, while speaking hoarsely, "Don't tease me like this..."
Martha ignored him and continued to playfully kiss his chin, teasingly saying, "Do you want to lower yourself a bit? Looking up like that must be tiring."
"Martha, stop it," he warned as he kissed her forehead. "If you keep this up, I can't guarantee what will happen."
His warning lacked any real threat and sounded more like an intimate suggestion between lovers.
Martha's heart raced as she closed her eyes.
"Okay then, you can do whatever you want," she said.
Stefan looked surprised for a moment before coughing lightly and looking away.
"You... rest for a while. I'll wake you up when we arrive," he said.
"Okay..."
Boring.
Martha rolled her eyes at his serious expression and chuckled inwardly.
No man could resist the temptation of the woman they loved – not even Stefan.
The car drove straight back to Stefan's villa since it was getting late.
Stefan carried Jimmy out of the car who woke up instantly upon seeing the building in front of him.
"This is Daddy's villa!" he exclaimed happily; thrilled to be home with his parents again.
Martha got out of the car but her expression changed slightly when she saw the villa in front of them.
"What's wrong?" Stefan asked.
When he noticed her strange look, he explained. "It's just that... this place is closer from there."
Without a word, she hugged him tightly instead.
"Stefan, I'm so happy!"
This was their home now – their home!
Stefan was momentarily stunned before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
His wife always seemed so easily satisfied.
As they walked into the house together though, it felt empty without any signs of life inside except for some warm yellow lights that gave off a cozy feeling in contrast to its cold emptiness.
"After you left last time, I dismissed all the servants here, so only I lived here," Stefan explained nonchalantly as if it were nothing important at all.
Martha widened her eyes slightly before hugging him again
"Sorry, I shouldn't have escaped and left you alone. You must be feeling very tired during that period."
"It's all in the past now. With you and Jimmy, I already feel lucky," Stefan said.
It was nice to have no one else disturbing their cozy family of three, but tonight's dinner became a problem.
"Daddy, Mommy, Jimmy is so hungry!"
The little guy had searched through every nook and cranny of the house but found nothing. He pouted and complained, "Why doesn't Daddy have any snacks? Grandpa has so many."
Was he being criticized by his own son?
Stefan squinted at both of them and said, "I'll go out and buy some fast food."
"Or maybe I should cook instead. Do we have any vegetables?"
She opened the fridge to find it empty.
Martha turned to him with what seemed like reproach but was actually concern.
"What did you eat when I wasn't here?" she asked.
Stefan coughed uneasily; his expression looked exactly like Jimmy's when caught doing something wrong.
"Just... normal meals."
"Really?"
Facing her skeptical gaze, he sighed softly. "Okay fine. Sometimes I'm too busy that I don't eat anything."
"You're not allowed to do that anymore! From now on, I'll supervise you," Martha declared firmly.
"And what about Jimmy?" Jimmy appeared between them with a smile on his face.
Half an hour later, fresh vegetables were delivered to the villa.
Martha went into the kitchen while Stefan stayed in the living room watching cartoons with Jimmy.
The cabinets were too high for her reach; she couldn't get hold of a dish plate. So, she stood on tiptoes, which caused her to lose balance and almost fall over.
"Ah!" She couldn't help exclaiming in surprise but felt relieved when warm arms wrapped around her before she hit the ground.
She opened her eyes, only to meet Stefan's worried gaze.
"Are you okay?"
Martha breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew... that was close."
"What do you need me to get for you?" he asked kindly.
Since she couldn't reach it anyway, she might as well ask him for help.
"Get me three plates and bowls please! And if it isn't too much trouble, can you wash them clean after?"
"Sure," Stefan replied, unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and then rolling up his sleeves.
"Oh wait, there's one more thing," Martha picked up a pink apron, waving it teasingly in front of him.
His face changed slightly as he coughed awkwardly "Can we skip this part?"
"Nope!"
She smirked and wiggled her finger, "Please turn around, Mr. Harrison."
Stefan was reluctant but had no choice but to reluctantly turn around.
Martha put an apron on him and tied a beautiful butterfly knot behind him.
"Not bad!"
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