To Iris’ relief, Jin Liwei didn’t demand that she explain right away. He led her to their suite first, carefully supporting her as she walked on shaky legs. If not for his injury, he would’ve already carried her himself. Their walking speed was slow but this suited Iris just fine because it gave her extra time to think things through. 

Just as they arrived at their suite, dinner time was announced. She thought of instructing the butler to delay dinner so that she and Jin Liwei could talk first but before she could speak, he had already instructed the dishes to be served on the table. 

Jin Liwei didn’t say anything to her. In fact, he had been silent ever since he asked her for an explanation earlier in the hallway. Nevertheless, he still monitored her food intake for the sake of her health and that of their babies. Although she had no appetite because of her anxiety, she still forced herself to eat. She thought that she was doing a good job hiding it but of course he still noticed.

He sighed. “Don’t eat that anymore. You look like you’re going to vomit.” Then he refilled her bowl with hot soup and placed it in front of her. “Just finish the soup since it looks like it’s the only thing you can take right now.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a small smile after accepting the soup.

He didn’t reply as he continued eating his meal. His reaction, or lack thereof, caused a twinge in her chest. She could sense his restrained anger. It made her feel helpless and also worsened the guilt she was feeling. Her eyes burned and watered but she blinked rapidly to prevent the tears from falling down. He didn’t see her hurt expression because he wasn’t looking at her, choosing to focus on his food instead.

Dinner was absolute torture. The silence was uncomfortable. Emotions overwhelmed her, making her feel sick to her stomach and also her heart. Yet she remained as silent as he was. All she wanted was for everything to be okay. Not like this. Never like this.

After dinner, he told her to go to the bathroom first and wash up. She wanted to go together with him but his expression stopped her from inviting him.

“I need to make a few calls,” he said before leaving the suite without another word.

She was left there all alone, staring at the closed door. Her hand clutched at her chest, trying to ease the tight, painful feeling inside.

“He’ll come back,” she told herself. “Just wait for him.”

She took a quick shower and changed into a modest nightdress. She also prepared pyjamas for him. Then she waited. Half an hour later and he still didn’t return. 

Unable to sit still, she paced in front of their massive bed and tried relaxing her mind from the sound of the wall-mounted waterfall fountain. But it failed. She was still a nervous wreck. She continued pacing inside the bedroom while wringing her hands.

Finally, her ears picked up the sound of someone entering the living room outside. A few seconds later, the bedroom door opened and in came Jin Liwei. There was a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. She instantly knew that he must have taken a walk in the mansion in an attempt to calm himself. It didn’t look like it worked though because his expression was still hard.

She stepped forward and welcomed him with a smile. “I’ll help you wash up.”

“No need. I’ll do it myself.”

“But your injuries—”

He was already inside the bathroom and had closed the door behind him before she could even finish her sentence. His actions hurt. She touched her throat and tried to breathe as tears slid down her cheeks. She couldn’t hold them back any longer. Dizziness hit her but she pinched her thigh hard to keep herself conscious. 

Then she wiped her tears. She didn’t want to be seen crying when he came out of the bathroom. They still needed to talk and she needed all her wits with her in order to that. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]

It took him longer this time to finish washing up. After he was done, she didn’t bother offering to help him change because it would hurt if he rejected her assistance again. Instead, she waited for him by their bed and hoped that this current painful situation would soon be over. Finally, he returned to the bedroom. She watched him as he reached for his medicine.

“Let me apply the pain gel on your back,” she still offered despite fearing his rejection. “You won’t be able to reach your entire back by yourself.”

“No need. I need to use the ultra-strength one tonight and you hate the smell. I’ll call the butler.”

Rejection again.

Her nightdress wrinkled from her hands’ tight grip, as she tried her best to stop herself from crying again. The painful silence continued as the butler came a few minutes later to apply the special medicated pain gel all over Jin Liwei’s bruised back. She watched them while sitting on the edge of the bed. It didn’t take long before the butler was done and left the two of them alone in the bedroom.

For the first time since they returned to the suite and the mood between them turned tense, Jin Liwei finally looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Are you ready to talk now?” he asked in an impassive voice.

She nodded.

He walked to the other end of the room and stood by the window before leaning against the wall. The meaning of his action didn’t escape her. It seemed that he didn’t want to be near her right now. Her chest felt like there was something clawing at it. It hurt.

“Then speak,” he said.

Her heart shook. “I…”

He waited.

She bit her lip.

He sighed, the sound filled with disappointment. “It’s fine. If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. Go to sleep now. I’ll sleep in a guest room tonight.”

She panicked as he moved to leave her.