Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Disgusting

This position as Duchess of Duskmoor-Elowen had, in a way, seized it.

61

+5 Free Coins

Just as Alaric had found her desperate plea for marriage utterly disgusting, wouldn’t Cassian feel the same?

Wouldn’t he?

But Cassian didn’t speak for a long moment.

Elowen looked down, seeing his brow furrow, his expression turning cool. “Then leave.”

A bleak chill settled in her heart.

Of course. Disgusting.

She withdrew her hand. “Then… I’ll leave you

Cassian’s voice was flat. “I can manage.”

alone…”

Elowen remembered her father and brother after their severe injuries. They hadn’t wanted help either.

A broken left arm? They’d use their teeth to help the right hand dress. A shattered right leg? They’d hop on the left.

She understood Cassian’s pride. Still, she whispered, “I… I’ll just sit by the screen. If you need anything, just call.”

Cassian gave a noncommittal grunt.

Elowen walked over, fetched a small stool, and sat down.

From behind the screen came the soft rustle of fabric-Cassian removing his clothes.

The wheelchair creaked, then came the sound of water sloshing as he presumably hoisted

himself into the tub.

Elowen didn’t turn her head, but her cheeks remained warm.

Her mind wandered. When will he ask for an annulment? Once the woman he loves is willing to marry him, I suppose.

1/4

12:40 Thu, Feb 12 T

Chapter 35 Disgusting

Once that happens, without the protection of Duskmoor Manor, I’ll need a new plan…

On the other side of the screen, Cassian sat in the bath, his gaze fixed on the screen.

The light from the oil lamp cast a faint, diffused glow, outlining Elowen’s silhouette.

61)

+5 Free Coins

She sat on the little stool, elbows on her knees, chin propped in her hands. She looked like a small creature in a new place, instinctively curling into a corner.

She hadn’t moved for a long time, lost in thought.

His mind returned to her earlier words.

Disgusting.

Did she find him disgusting? Or was it the act between husband and wife itself?

Would she feel the same revulsion if it were Alaric?

A frown creased Cassian’s brow. He closed his eyes.

Elowen rested her head in her hands, unaware of how much time had passed.

The room’s temperature had dropped noticeably, yet there was no sound from behind the

screen.

“My lord?” she called out tentatively.

From beyond the screen, Cassian leaned against the tub’s edge, unmoving, unresponsive.

A sudden, cold dread shot through Elowen.

Did something happen to him?

She leapt to her feet.

Water had spilled onto the floor by the tub. She saw it, but her steps were too hurried, her injured knee unsteady.

As she neared the tub, her foot slipped. She lost her balance, pitching forward.

“Ah-!”

A gasp escaped her. She braced for a painful impact with the hard wooden edge.

2/4

12:40 Thu, Feb 12

Chapter 35 Disgusting

She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, but heard a loud splash instead.

61),

+5 Free Coins

A wave of cool, damp air washed over her. A strong hand shot out, gripping her arm firmly.

Instead of crashing into the tub, she tumbled into a wet, hard embrace.

Her heart hammered. Her lashes fluttered as she prepared to open her eyes and stammer her

thanks.

But a broad, calloused palm gently covered them before she could. Cassian’s voice came from above, close. “I’m not dressed. Keep your eyes closed.”

He had acted swiftly. Elowen saw nothing.

Somehow, this made her even more flustered than if she had. “Alright…” she breathed.

Cassian’s palm remained over her eyes. He could feel the frantic fluttering of her lashes against his skin, a light, ticklish sensation.

He glanced down at himself beneath the water.

His throat moved as he swallowed. “…Wait for me outside.”

Elowen hesitated. “Leave you here alone?”

Getting out of the tub, drying, dressing… with his legs impaired, it would be a struggle.

“I’m not an invalid,” Cassian stated, his words clipped.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify