Chapter 346 You Can Punish Me However You Want
When Magnus spoke, his voice was calm and even, without any noticeable emotion.
But the moment he lowered his gaze, Juniper, in the dim light, clearly saw a slight redness at the corner of his eye.
His hand, hanging by his dress pants, trembled slightly.
Juniper noticed it too.
She had suffered from depression, so she was very familiar with this kind of reaction.
They were somatic symptoms.
She remembered that Magnus had a long history of bipolar disorder.
Paul had mentioned that Magnus had been receiving nearly four years of bipolar treatment from Aria since his release from prison, but the results had not been good.
Juniper asked, "Then why didn't you contact me for more than half a month?"
Magnus swallowed, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and said, "At first, I didn't know if I could survive. The residual poison in my body had accumulated for too long, and I was blind for a while. I wanted to fully recover before coming to Southern City to find you, but when Windsor Group announced the cancellation of the engagement, I knew it would be hard to win you back this time."
Juniper couldn't help but laugh, "If Sophie hadn't told me about your poisoning, when were you planning to tell me?"
"I don't like you pitying me or feeling sorry for me. I wouldn't use my poisoning to gain sympathy and force you to marry me. I hope you want to marry me because you believe I'm someone you can trust for life and is worth loving. Not because I saved your father with the antidote and you feel obligated to marry me out of gratitude."
"Juniper, I don't need that kind of pity. If you have any feelings for me, I only hope those feelings are pure and intense love."
He looked at her, his gaze calm.
But the deep longing in his eyes seemed to be boiling.
This time, they hadn't seen each other for more than half a month, which wasn't a long time.
But for Magnus, it felt like another life-and-death separation.
Because he didn't know if he could survive, every day he woke up at Agency 719 for treatment felt like a new lease on life.
Juniper probably didn't realize how grateful he was to be alive, to come to Southern City to see her, hold her, and kiss her.
Juniper felt a sharp pain in her heart, an indescribable ache.
She asked, "Has your bipolar disorder gotten worse recently? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Magnus held her hand, gently squeezing her soft fingers, and confessed, "When I came back from the open sea and saw you, you were always clinging to me. During that time, I was in a good mood, and my situation stabilized a lot. I hadn't taken medication for a long time. But being apart for more than half a month, detoxing at the base, I missed you hard, and I had mild somatic symptoms."
He looked up at her again, as if trying to see into her eyes.
His voice was still calm, "But now that I see you, I feel much better."
Juniper's heart suddenly ached.
She hugged him tightly, tears falling on his shoulder.
There was a slight sobbing sound.
He raised his hand to rub the back of her head, trying to pull her away slightly to wipe her tears.
But Juniper's hands were tightly wrapped around his neck, and he couldn't push her away.
Magnus let her hold him, chuckling softly, "Moved to tears?"
Juniper buried her face in his shoulder, sniffling, "Nonsense. Do you think hiding everything from me and making all the decisions for me in what you think is my best interest is right?"
"Magnus, you don't like me pitying you, and you don't need my sympathy. But have you ever considered what I need?"
"I need mutual trust, not you pushing me away whenever something happens, protecting me in your self-righteous way. I'm not an object; what gives you the right to decide how to handle me? Did you ever ask for my opinion?"
"And even if it was to get the antidote, I haven't forgiven you for hiding it from me and pretending to be engaged to someone else."
Her tone was resentful, giving him a good scolding.
Magnus held her waist, bent slightly, kissed her temple, and whispered softly in her ear, "I was wrong."
Juniper was slightly stunned and looked up at him, "What were you wrong about?"
Magnus looked at her, his eyes filled with a gentle smile, half-joking and half-serious, "I was wrong about everything."
Juniper's heart softened slightly, but she warned him sternly, "If you do this again, I really won't want you anymore. Apologies won't work."
"I won't do it again."
Whatever Juniper said, he agreed to.
He looked at her with a doting and indulgent gaze.
Magnus held her for a long time, just holding her, doing nothing else.
During this time, Jerry called again.
It was indeed quite late.
It was almost midnight.
Since they weren't married yet, it wasn't proper in the eyes of the elders.
For the sake of the bigger picture, Magnus let her go, "It's too late. I don't feel comfortable with you driving back alone. How about Paul and I take you back?"
His vision was still an issue, so he couldn't drive. Otherwise, he would have taken her back himself.
Juniper nodded and reminded him, "I have to go on a business trip to Skyville tomorrow morning. Take good care of yourself."
Magnus smiled, his voice lazy and helplessly teasing, "So heartless. I thought after saying so much, you would soften and stay with me."
Juniper felt a bit embarrassed, "Ms. Abbott always mocks me for being a pampered wife. I've already promised her to go on this business trip to Skyville. If I stay with you, she'll definitely spread rumors in the company that I'm just playing around at Windsor Group and will return to Imperial Capital to get married sooner or later. If those major shareholders really think I'll leave at any time, they won't support me."
"And if I don't go to Skyville this time, Karen definitely won't acknowledge me. Once I win over Karen, things will be much easier at Windsor Group."
Magnus pinched her cheek with his long fingers, "Is Karen's approval that important?"
His tone was full of jealousy.
Juniper found it amusing, "She's a woman."
Magnus was indifferent, "Women can be lesbians too."
Juniper was speechless again.
Juniper picked up her bag to leave.
Magnus grabbed her hand.
Her hand was cold, like ice.
He frowned, "Why is it so cold?"
She had always had a cold body constitution, but it had never been this bad.
"The doctor said I'm not in good health. I'm taking medicine to regulate it."
Juniper mentioned it casually.
But Magnus remembered something, his eyes darkened, and he wrapped her hands in his open coat to warm them.
He lowered his head and apologized softly but earnestly in her ear, "The miscarriage was my fault. You can punish me however you want."
Mentioning the child still pained Juniper.
Even though it had only been in her womb for a month and wasn't fully formed, she had already accepted its arrival and even started looking forward to it.
She hadn't even had the chance to share the good news with him before she lost it.
Juniper took a deep breath, looked up at him, and deliberately teased, "Any punishment?"
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