Chapter 21
Ines chuckled and started to enjoy the delicious food. She had known for a while that his cooking skills were top–notch. A simple bowl of pasta he made was incredibly tasty.
The bathroom mirror was fogged up, and Ines wiped it a few times. Upon closer inspection, she wrote impulsive consequences on it. Her emotions were all over the place no regrets, but also a bit anxious and frustrated. She was mad
–
at herself for marrying a man she had just met without being fully prepared for their life together.
Ines pinched her cheeks in annoyance and forced a smile; it looked worse than a frown. She was grateful it was winter. She could wear long sleeves and pants as pajamas and wouldn’t seem awkward.
When she returned to the bedroom, Ethan had finished showering and was half–lying on the bed, flipping through a book. His short hair was still a bit fluffy and was not completely dry. His pajama top was unbuttoned, revealing a part of his large tanned chest. His chiseled features and the scenery were alluring, causing Ines‘ face to turn red.
Such a scene only appeared on TV; she had never experienced it in real life.
Ethan noticed her figure standing at the door and looked up. He placed the book on the bedside table. He was surprised she had finished showering so quickly; he was prepared to wait for an hour. The fact that she took only half an hour caught him off guard.
“Come here,” Ethan waved at Ines.
Ines hesitated for a moment before walking straight toward him. Ethan instructed her to sit down with her back facing him. Ines complied without understanding why. Suddenly, she felt a man’s warm body press against her back, and his hand touched her hair. She stiffened and instinctively wanted to stand up but was held down by his hand on her shoulder, unable
to move.
Ines felt as if the skin on her back was being burned through her pajamas.
“Ethan…” Ines felt her heart trembling, unaware that her shaky voice was tempting to a grown man.
Ethan’s heart tightened, and he gently tugged at her ear. “In winter, you need to dry your hair properly to avoid getting sick,” he said seriously. He didn’t sound frivolous or casual. He never thought helping his wife blow–dry her hair would scare her like this.
As the hairdryer hummed, Ines realized he was just trying to help her dry her hair. She relaxed a bit and couldn’t help but smile faintly as she thought of their afternoon shopping trip.
All the items they had bought were from their supermarket trip earlier that day. The salesperson was very enthusiastic and carefully introduced items like kneepads, earmuffs, hats, scarves, heated shoes, hand warmers, hot water bottles, and other trinkets she had never seen before.
She thought he wouldn’t be so obedient, but to her surprise, he bought everything and put it all in the shopping cart. The salesperson was delighted, but she stood aside with a stiff smile. These were all things younger girls liked. She felt embarrassed using them as a woman approaching 30. She never thought she would have time to buy and use these items.
