Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 443

When Alaric stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, he ruffled his damp hair as he strode into the room.

Glancing up, he immediately spotted the suspicious lump under the duvet.

He knew his wife was back.

At least she had the good sense to return to their bed.

If she had refused to sleep beside him again, he would have been tempted to lock her in this room so she could never run off again.

After blow-drying his hair, Alaric pretended not to notice the person hiding there, casually lifting a corner of the blanket and getting into bed.

He leaned against the headboard and pretended to read a book.

Ivy had been burrowed under the heavy covers for so long that she was starting to run out of air.

Seeing that the old man still hadn't noticed her, she couldn't hold her breath any longer and slowly shimmied her way up from the foot of the bed.

Finally, she popped her head out right near his waist.

Alaric used the book to block his line of sight, continuing to completely ignore her.

Ivy lay flat against his chest, staring at his ridiculous acting.

She swatted the book away and complained,

"Didn't you know I was hiding in there? I practically suffocated!"

Alaric sat there glaring down at her, putting on his meanest expression.

"Are you an idiot? If you couldn't breathe, why didn't you just come out?"

"I was trying to jump out and scare you!"

"And then?"

"And then you turned out to be completely unromantic! You're so frustrating!"

Ivy rolled off his chest and gave him a withering side-eye.

"You don't know the first thing about treating a woman right. Being with you is so tiring."

The second the words left her mouth, Ivy realized she'd made a huge mistake.

She shouldn't have said that.

Was this old man going to throw another jealous fit?

Seeing Alaric's expression instantly darken, she frantically tried to backpedal. "I didn't mean it like that, I just—"

"Oh, being with me is tiring? Then who isn't tiring? Ethan? Patrick? Xavier? Or maybe Tristan?"

Even as he listed off those names, Alaric felt like an absolute lunatic.

But then he remembered that this little brat had dated Patrick for years when she was younger.

Seeing the old man hadn't reacted, she even grabbed his free hand and wrapped it firmly around her waist.

Alaric didn't push her away.

He held her close, pressing his cheek against her forehead.

"Stop wriggling around, or you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow, and then you'll complain about how tiring it is to be with me again."

Ivy let out a soft "Oh," wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as she asked in a syrupy sweet voice,

"Did you sleep well these past two nights without me here?"

Alaric stubbornly refused to admit the truth. "Slept like a baby."

In reality, he hadn't slept a wink every single night she was gone.

He either tossed and turned until the early hours or woke up abruptly in the middle of the night.

Every time he rolled over and found the space beside him empty, it felt like a massive, agonizing void had opened up right in the center of his chest.

But right now, she was safely tucked into his arms.

Holding her felt entirely different.

His heart finally felt anchored, flooded with absolute peace.

Alaric couldn't resist pressing a kiss to Ivy's forehead. "If you ever make me worry like that again, just wait and see how I punish you."