Chapter 8 I'm Allergic to Romance
Edward used to treasure that bracelet, but now he just tossed it aside for me.
Edward's tongue quickly slipped into my mouth, making it hard to breathe. I could only respond passionately, hoping to catch my breath. Feeling my response, Edward got even more intense, ripping a slit in my silk nightgown. His strong hand moved through my hair, down my back, and finally rested on my waist before sliding to my lower abdomen.
Edward's lower body pressed tightly against my inner thigh, and I could clearly feel the heat rising there. The sensation grew stronger, and my body started to heat up too.
A knock on the door interrupted the moment. Anne's sweet voice called from outside, "Edward, are you in there?"
Edward stopped, got out of bed, and pulled a blanket over me before heading to the door.
I gathered my nightgown around me and sat up, trying to act indifferent as I asked, "Can you not go out?"
Edward turned his head, and from my angle, I could see his perfect jawline. If it weren't for the disdain in his eyes, I would have been captivated.
"I really don't get what you're upset about!"
The knocking continued outside, and Anne called out like a kitten, "Edward, are you asleep?"
Edward glanced at me and walked to the door, saying, "Wait for me before you sleep."
Edward left, and the room got so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat.
I got out of bed and locked the door. I didn't need Edward to come back.
In the darkness, I couldn't sleep alone in the empty room.
I looked around the room, and a notebook wedged between two books on the bookshelf caught my eye. Compared to the serious business books, this yellowed notebook stood out.
It was clear this diary hadn't been placed on the shelf recently.
Every time I came here, my eyes were almost glued to Edward, and I didn't notice anything else.
I opened the notebook, and the name on the title page was Edward. As I flipped through it, I realized it wasn't really a diary; it was more like a sketchbook, with simple drawings showing Edward's mood each day.
A crying face, a baseball.
A smiling face, a piano.
As I turned the pages, I could almost see a young Edward diligently practicing the piano. It also reminded me of my own childhood.
Edward's life was very routine, and even his moods were stable. Edward consistently hated baseball.
In families like ours, our childhood was filled with various extracurricular classes that took up all our time. Hayden put a lot of effort into nurturing Edward, and I was no exception.
But the year I graduated from college, deeply in love, I chose to give up my career and marry Edward.
Even when my father passed away unexpectedly, I didn't ask about the company's situation, leaving my mother to struggle alone.
As I numbly flipped through the sketchbook, I noticed that at some point, the black pen marks had turned into colorful watercolor strokes.
I flipped back through the pages until one day, Edward had drawn a little girl's face in the notebook.
I suddenly stopped, feeling a pang in my heart. The girl in the drawing must be Anne, which meant that day was probably when Anne came to the Howard Mansion.
Was it because of Anne's arrival that Edward's gloomy childhood began to brighten?
Anne must have been even cuter as a child than she is now, and she must be more important to Edward than I imagined.
They weren't blood relatives. It wouldn't have been impossible. But he'd chosen me. I'd read somewhere that love and death were intertwined, that the greatest loves lived on the edge of a knife.
At this moment, the resentment and hatred in my heart seemed to fade a bit. It turned out that Edward and I had both written diaries for the people we liked in our own ways, but I was a bit luckier than Edward, as I married the person I liked.
That night, I dreamed of many childhood memories. When Edward and Anne met, I tried to find where I was in the dream.
When I woke up, I realized that no matter how much I struggled, it was all in vain.
The morning light was bright, and the side of the bed was cold. Edward hadn't come back.
Edward's bracelet lay alone on the bedside table, like a reminder that Anne was more important.
After washing up, I found a key in the keyhole of the room door, which meant that even if I locked the door, Edward could still come back to the bedroom.
But the reality was that Edward hadn't come back.
What did Edward's passionate kiss with me last night mean?
Maybe it was just out of humanitarian concern and a way to keep the family stable. After all, I was Edward's wife, the so-called Mrs. Howard.
In the dining room, Hayden was sitting at the table reading a newspaper.
Seeing me come in, Hayden put down the newspaper with a kind smile and asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
I nodded, and he continued, "Edward had an urgent matter at the company and left early. He asked me to tell you."
"Okay, Dad." I sat at the table and drank a glass of milk to replenish the energy lost during the night.
Then I asked Hayden, "Where's Anne?"
"Anne also left, probably to hang out with friends," Hayden said, not very sure.
Feeling empty inside, I said goodbye to Hayden and planned to talk to Clara. A woman's intuition told me that as Anne's biological mother, Clara must have known all along that their bond ran deeper than just siblings.
Passing by Anne's room, I couldn't move my feet. 'Maybe there are some clues in Anne's room?'
My heartbeat became particularly clear at that moment.
A voice inside me told me to go in, that all the truths would surface once I did.
I swallowed hard, slowly raised my hand, and placed it on the doorknob.
The door suddenly opened from the inside, and I instinctively took a step back.
It wasn't Anne, but Clara! Clearly, Clara hadn't expected to see me there either.
"Diana, what are you doing?" Clara's expression went from surprise to calm in just a second.
I stood frozen, my palms sweaty.
"Mom." I looked up at Clara, trying to stay calm. "Isn't Anne here? Why did they both call me back and then leave, leaving me here alone?"
My heart raced, but I kept an eye on Clara's reaction. Clara waved her hand, her face calm. "Who knows? They've always been thick as thieves. Probably off on some adventure."
I smiled awkwardly but said politely, "I see."
Clara took my arm and led me away, naturally closing Anne's door with her other hand.
"I saw a specialist yesterday. He's quite renowned." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "He gave me something... particularly effective after intimacy. You can take it beforehand, too, if you're worried about feeling tired."
"Got it, Mom." I looked around, feeling more guilty than when I was caught trying to sneak into Anne's room, and my face instantly turned red with embarrassment.
"Don't forget to drink it."
Clara patted my hand, reminding me to take the medicine on time. I could feel that Clara really cared about me.
Guilt spread through my heart. Clara was so good to me, yet I was doubting her.
But after Clara left, I leaned against the wall, my legs weak.
I lost the courage to continue exploring and left the Howard Mansion with a bag of medicine.
At the door, I ran into Edward, who was standing by the car, possibly waiting for me.
I pretended not to see Edward and walked towards the car on the other side of the road.
Edward impatiently honked the horn, but I ignored it and got into the car.
The driver looked at Edward, then back at me, hesitating to start the car.
Edward finally lost his patience, walked over, opened my car door, and pulled me out.
I stumbled as Edward dragged me away and threw me into the back seat of his car.
Edward got into the driver's seat, casually buckled his seatbelt, as if he had just thrown a coat into the car, not a living person.
Something under me made a noise, and a strong floral scent filled my nose. I reached back and found a bouquet of roses lying beside me.
Bright red roses, with petals dusted in gold, a total of thirty-three.
Edward started the car, looking straight ahead, and said, "That is for you."
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