Luke came downstairs naked to the waist, wearing a pair of casual trousers. He stopped when he saw Michelle, but then he went straight to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water and drank it.
"You're home, Luke. I thought you were still in Daisy's house." Michelle jumped up from the couch instantly when she saw Luke. Her melancholy was gone, and she brightened up, just seeing him. When she saw Luke's six-pack abs, a mild blush appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes were glued to his midsection, staring at him without a blink. She had never seen his abs before.
"Wipe that drool off your face, will you?" Luke put the bottle of water back in the refrigerator and brushed past her in a distant way.
"Err… Drool?" Michelle wiped her lips. Then she realized that she was fooled as she found that she didn't salivate at all. She turned around and followed Luke upstairs with a flattering smile.
"When did you come back? Why didn't you wait for me?" Michelle asked while she trotted to catch up with Luke. Luke didn't give any answer but went straight into his study.
"Hey, say something." Michelle frowned, now having a bit more courage to complain.
"I remember I have warned you that we're a couple in name only. Don't try to impress me. It's useless. And please, oh please, don't disturb me here at home." Luke suddenly stopped, and Michelle bumped into him unprepared. She felt great pain in her nose, but his cold and ruthless words hurt her more. He didn't care that his sudden action might have physically hurt her too.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault." Michelle bit her lip, turned around sadly and walked silently to the bedroom, humiliated. Luke just exhaled heavily, rolled his eyes and went to his desk. Apart from being Edward's bodyguard, he still had to be in charge of all the security measures under the FX International Group, so he wasn't as leisurely as he seemed and had a lot of work to do. In many cases he had to bring his work home.
Michelle had been a stubborn girl from the beginning, whether with the big things or the small things. She seldom cried over difficulties, but she felt some tears streaming down her face just as she turned around. If it was someone else that talked to her in this way, she would just smile noncommittally, but in front of Luke, she was more of a delicate and sensitive girl rather than a tough and stubborn one.
She sniffed back her tears and kept telling herself that it was okay. It wasn't a big deal. He was right. He told her what the setup was going to be and she was the one who violated that rule. But now she just couldn't stop her tears.
This was supposed to be the case, and she needed to remind herself to just accept it, even though what happened was different from what she expected.
"Aren't you going to sleep here?" Michelle was surprised to see Luke come in and take his clothes with him.
Michelle stood there, not knowing what to do. It was exactly the marriage Luke had described and he was being true to it. No surprises there, but she had this wishful thinking that she could turn this around into a fairy tale. What she did was actually asking for an insult.
This was her wedding night but the room was so quiet that she could hear a pin drop. And she could also hear the sound of her own heart breaking into a thousand pieces. She shouldn't have had any wild wishes for this marriage. Her wishful thinking only brought her much pain.
The night grew late. The bed was just an arm's length from her but she stood frozen, quietly, forgetting the time and herself. Like a ghost, she let her thoughts wander around.
Desire was really a very strange thing. Sometimes people would want to get something desperately, but suddenly realized that it wasn't what they wanted after they got it. They set goals, sometimes impossible ones, but found that they were wrong in the first place. Michelle was a good example. She was in a dilemma and didn't know how to free herself. And this was just on her first night as a married woman.
She spent a sleepless night. The next morning, she wasn't downhearted anymore as she had straightened out her thinking. When the sun shone through the window curtain and gently cast its rays on her body, she let out a brilliant smile. She knew that every relationship had its share of ups and downs, and all the problems would be readily solved as long as she rose to the challenge. She was going to patiently wait for that day. Only in this way could she stand on top as the winner.
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