Chapter 2

I remained in the bath for what felt like an eternity, until the water was chillingly cold, all to ensure Christopher wouldn't know I had been eavesdropping. I had just gotten dressed when Christopher suddenly barged into my room, his brows furrowing as he snapped, "Why did you take a cold bath? Is this your way of deliberately getting sick so that I'll have to nurse you? Is this your way of trying to get a hold over me?" I chuckled dryly in response and replied, "It's not like that. I was just too tired, so I accidentally dozed off in the bath." I had been marked by him for two decades, but our relationship had never progressed to the intimacy usually experienced by werewolf mates. It was during my 18th birthday—my coming-of-age ceremony—that Christopher had dressed himself like a groom. Amid our passionate embrace, I suddenly had my period. It was then that the metallic scent of blood overwhelmed him, causing him to shift out of his human form and flee in panic. From that day onward, our relationship deteriorated rapidly. I used to hold onto the belief that he was my one and only mate, though—the only one who mattered the most to me. It was only then that it had finally dawned on me that our destiny together had reached its end. Christopher, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, asked in displeasure, "You're upset that I didn't save you yesterday, right? How many times do I have to warn you about that street? It's crawling with vampires! You're well aware that werewolves and vampires are enemies by nature! You went there on purpose, didn't you? You did that just to test my feelings for you, right?" It felt as if something had glued my throat shut, and when I attempted to speak, I could only manage a wry smile. That look ignited Christopher's fury. He instantly seized my throat, slamming me to the ground. "Do you have any idea how much I loathe that wry smile of yours? It's as if you've endured some terrible hardship because of me!" I had no idea what happened, but tears just started spilling from my eyes. It was at that very moment that a flash of something akin to panic crossed Christopher's gaze. He slowly loosened his grip and said through gritted teeth, "I'm not going to bother with you anymore. You can go wherever you please from now on. I've finally learned to rein in the mark's effect on me, so you can't use it to push me around anymore!" I hadn't even had a chance to respond when a loud crash came from the doorway. It was the sound of the fruit plate shattering against the floor, causing some strawberries to scatter across the floor. Lillian looked at us in stunned silence, her eyes brimming with tears as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I only came over to give you some fruit." It was said that werewolves didn't like fruits, preferring only meat. I had previously suggested to Christopher that he should get some vitamins from fruit, but he had always insisted that it was part of being a werewolf, saying, "I have no liking for those sweet and sour flavors." It was due to what he said that I stopped eating the strawberries and tomatoes I adored, and I even got rid of all my fruit-scented makeup and perfume for him. I did so much just so he could like me a little more. Christopher immediately got off me, picked up a strawberry from the floor, and casually popped it into his mouth. He then picked up Lillian with a smile and said, "You should be careful of the broken glass on the floor. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself again, right?" Lillian wrapped her arms around his shoulder, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I know. It's just a twisted ankle, though, so please put me down. I'm getting embarrassed because someone's watching us." Christopher, however, drew her even tighter against him, and his hand settled on her intimate parts. I merely lowered my gaze, refusing to look at the scene before me, and silently kneeled on the floor to gather the ruined strawberries. I then suddenly felt a stinging pain shooting through my fingertip; a piece of broken glass had pierced my skin. "Ah! She's bleeding!" Lillian cried out. Christopher looked back, following her line of sight, then said with a scoff, "She didn't die from being so badly hurt yesterday, so this little bit of blood is nothing to her." They both left the scene after he said that. It took me a while to clean up all the shards of glass. It wasn't until I went to take out the trash that I noticed that all the household staff were gone. There was a note from Christopher on the refrigerator, explaining that they had been badly injured while rescuing me the night before. He had also written another sentence on that note. "That means all the housework is your responsibility for the time being." I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when I found out that the other werewolves from the household got injured because of me. Thus, I bought some get-well gifts and brought them to the underground hospital. It was a hospital catered exclusively to patients with supernatural abilities. Thus, as soon as I—a mere human being—stepped into the underground hospital, I became the center of attention. I steeled myself and pressed forward, though, enduring the uneasy, curious stares around me. After leaving the underground hospital, I went to the supermarket and purchased a good amount of beef and lamb, knowing how much the werewolves favored them, along with some canned meat. I knew that Christopher never used mobile payment and rarely carried much cash, and with my departure just three days away, I decided to buy him extra food as a gesture of our 20 years together.