Chapter 10 Living Together
In the dead of winter, Regina's body was burning up as if engulfed in flames. Sweat soaked her clothes. She awoke from her dream. The door swung open, and Douglas stepped in, his brow creasing at the sight of Regina in her silk nightgown, soaked to the skin.
"What's going on?" he asked, having heard her distressed voice from the room, unsure of what was happening, so he didn't knock. It wasn't until her cry just now that he barged in. Regina clutched the bedsheets tightly, layers of wrinkles piling up. She couldn't stop trembling. The feeling of losing control in the dream and the pain that seemed to tear her apart were vivid and terrifying.
Douglas slowly bent down, about to approach Regina sitting on the bed. However, she quickly closed her legs, even curling her toes involuntarily.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I'm fine." She took a deep breath, squeezing her palms hard, forcing herself to regain some composure.
. "It was just a nightmare," she said, her voice unsteady. "A nightmare?"
"Yes." Regina absentmindedly nodded, fabricating a story. "I dreamt a dog bit me."
He gazed at her, not quite believing her words. "But your reaction, it's as if I'm the dog that bit you in your dream."
She was too obvious in her avoidance.
"No, you misunderstood," Regina thought, 'How could he, this elegant, polite man who captivates with every move, be the same as the crazed man in my dream who seemed intent on raping me?' Suddenly, Regina felt thirsty but found it difficult to move.
The dream felt so real, igniting a deep sense of shame within her. She tried to push the memories away, but they lingered, clouding her mind. Just as her sanity was about to shatter, a thought struck her: Was that man really Philip? The man in the dream seemed to want to merge her into his body. But in all those years, Philip had never shown such fervor towards her. Realizing this, Regina was stunned. She began to feel restless, her face blushing like a rose.
Douglas probably sensed something, standing beside her, calling out, "Mrs. Semona."
His call carried a potent force! Regina felt embarrassed.
At that moment, she felt like a woman caught cheating by her husband. "Are you sure it was just a nightmare?" Douglas asked.
Regina absentmindedly nodded. "Then you can't sleep?"
Regina shook her head. "Should I sleep with you?"
"Nah." At this moment, the word 'with' seemed ambiguous, but to her surprise, Douglas had no ulterior motives and simply led her to the living room.
The living room carried a faint smell of coffee. Regina sat across from him, calming down. Even the sound of coffee pouring into the cup seemed amplified at that moment.
"Since you can't sleep, how about a cup of coffee to wake you up?" Douglas placed a rich cup of coffee in front of Regina.
Regina took a sip, feeling much more relaxed by the coffee's flavor.
"There's something I want to tell you. My family knows about us getting the marriage license."
Regina was puzzled, thinking, 'What marriage license?' After thinking for a moment, she remembered a couple of days ago when a popular singer was photographed dining with a mysterious male partner.
The media extensively covered the situation, even speculating on their sexual orientation. Century Group's PR department quickly produced the marriage license to handle the situation.
Initially, Regina had yet to pay much attention, but with everything happening today, she finally realized Douglas's status.
"My family wants me to bring you and your family to my house to meet them."
Regina was visibly uncomfortable. Her parents had divorced when she was eight, and they had both started new families long ago. She had felt abandoned by them for many years. And her beloved Tasha, who had always cared for her, was now ill. Regina thought a formal meeting would be boring.
Douglas noticed her concerns. "Don't worry, I need your consent for this. I won't let them know anything about you until you're ready."
Regina gratefully said, "Thank you."
"It's the least I can do," he replied smoothly, topping off her coffee.
Regina silently watched him, slowly accepting everything that had happened that day. Since learning his identity, she had maintained a high level of tension, like a string that could snap at any moment. After all, his noble birth and his arrogant demeanor, even though he appeared relaxed and casual in front of her, made Regina feel a great distance between them.
That night, there had been no crossing of boundaries between them, not even in their conversations. Regina managed to drift off to sleep just as dawn approached. Because she was worried about visiting her grandmother in the hospital, she had only slept for two hours. She woke up promptly at 7 a.m.
After freshening up, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Despite her efforts to be quiet, she still woke Douglas. He came out dressed in pajamas.
Seeing her making breakfast, he thought for a moment and said, "Because I'm not used to staying in one place, there's no maid here. If you decide to stay here in the future, I'll hire one."
"No need. I'm not staying here." She suddenly realized her response was too rude. And given their relationship, her answer seemed inappropriate. Regina thought for a moment and added, "Sorry, I haven't quite adapted to our unusual relationship."
"Unusual?" Douglas asked.
Regina thought, 'Did I say something wrong? My husband is my new boss; isn't that weird? Even if he were just the boss of a small company, his company is too big.'
"If you keep avoiding it, no matter how much time you're given, you won't adapt to this relationship," he said calmly, but Regina felt the pressure. "Come live here."
She thought, 'So, are we going to live together?'
