Chapter 32 Cupcake
Regina returned to her room and headed to the bathroom, feeling restless and uneasy. She spent a long time showering. She was no longer the naive girl she once was. She's not a naive who also had some experience in that.
But this was not something she could just do casually. Regina was torn. An hour had passed since she started her slow bath. She emerged from the bathroom in a white silk nightgown, standing stiffly in the room. Regina had no idea what Douglas was up to. If she quietly closed the door and slept in her bedroom without seeing Douglas, without explaining to him, would that be too disrespectful to him? After all, he had always treated her with respect since they got married. With these thoughts, she decided to text him.
Regina: [Are you asleep? If you are, I won't disturb you.]
To her surprise, Douglas replied almost instantly.
Douglas: [Not yet.]
Regina stared at the screen in a daze. After a few moments, she put her phone away and headed to his room. Standing at the door, she knocked softly, and after receiving a response, she entered.
Douglas was sitting on the bed in the same black pajamas. He looked tall, strong, and hunky, so even in casual pajamas, he was particularly striking. Only the bedside wall lamp was on in the room, casting a dim, warm orange light. Douglas might feel that this kind of lighting can slightly reduce her sense of tension compared to bright lights.
Regina walked towards the edge of the bed. Douglas gazed affectionately as Regina took each step closer to him. Finally, she sat down on the bed. She understood that there are no couples in the world who just chat under the covers, but she didn't know how to start. Seeing her sitting stiffly, Douglas grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed.
However, what really surprised Regina was that after she lay down, Douglas turned off the only bedside wall lamp. There was now a person's distance between them.
"Sleep," Douglas paused, then added, "If you really can't sleep, we can talk."
Regina felt very shocked. What was going on? This seemed a bit different from what she had imagined beforehand. Regina stared blankly into the pitch-black room, her body slowly relaxing in the darkness. However, in this situation, she really wasn't in the mood for a chat.
"I'm a bit tired, so I'll go to sleep first, okay?"
Douglas calmly responded, "Alright." Regina leisurely closed her eyes because she really trusted him. It's not as difficult to fall asleep as she imagined. Instead, the sound of her steady breathing filled the room soon.
Douglas couldn't help but smile. He got up and went to the bathroom. When he inadvertently glanced down, he noticed a part of his body protruding more prominently.
He thought, 'Well, it's okay. It's all because of me.'
As Douglas carefully approached the edge of the bed for the first two seconds, he suddenly changed his mind.
Desire must be born out of love.
She doesn't love him enough yet.
The next morning, Regina woke up to find Douglas gone. Moreover, there was no warmth from him in the blanket; he must have been gone for a while. She checked her phone and saw a message from him about his schedule. It was a Saturday, but he had work to attend to. Regina quickly sent him a morning emoji in response, indicating she had seen the message.
Enjoying a rare weekend off, Regina slowed down her pace of life. She decided to have breakfast first, then go to the hospital to accompany Tasha.
The maid prepared a hearty breakfast. While eating, Regina picked up her phone and opened an app. This app was a voice-based application, such as novels and radio dramas.
Regina skillfully searched for Dougal's name, found his profile, and clicked on it. His voice was very versatile. Although he only had five radio drama works, each of his works had exceeded one billion plays. These five works covered genres like detective stories, urban tales, and historical dramas.
But today, Regina was listening to a romance radio drama called "Loving You for a Long Time" that could cure her insomnia.
Dougal had a perfect voice that was very attractive, deep, full of male charm, and seductive.
Just like Miranda said, Dougal's voice could completely captivate her.
Regina listened to Dougal's voice while having breakfast. She inexplicably felt like the gloomy weather had cleared up today. Because Regina had listened to this drama many times, she was already very familiar with the plot. She even knew the context behind every line and how it corresponded to the storyline. For example, when he now said in a restrained voice, "I have liked you for a long time," the image immediately popped into Regina's mind. It was a culmination of missed opportunities and helplessness from multiple near encounters. Finally, on that rainy night, he firmly grabbed her wrist as she passed by him and told her, "I have liked you for a long time."
Regina, with her headphones on, felt like the voice was constantly lingering in her ears. Suddenly, her hand holding the fork began to tremble. A familiar sensation rushed into Regina's mind. She tried desperately to grasp that feeling, but it was as elusive as a bubble blown in the wind.
She thought she had it when she reached out, but it shattered as soon as it touched her palm. She took a deep breath and removed her headphones.
Regina arrived at the hospital close to nine o'clock. Tasha had just woken up, and the nurse had prepared breakfast, so Regina quickly went to help Tasha eat, but Tasha ignored her. Tasha glanced behind Regina, but seeing no one, she furrowed her brow.
Regina knew why Tasha looked unhappy. "Ma'am. He's busy with work. He has to work overtime today, so he can't come."
"Well, he should earn more money. Young people need to buy houses and cars, and you might have to raise two or three kids in the future. Raising children is expensive nowadays."
Regina felt embarrassed by what Tasha said. Two or three kids? Was Tasha serious?
Tasha ate breakfast while looking at Regina's flat stomach. "Regina, last time he came to visit, he said you two were trying. Do you have any results?"
"You're too impatient. How long has it been?" Regina smiled helplessly. She told Tasha earnestly, "Don't worry, I will try my best. I will work even harder than when I applied for college."
Tasha was glad to hear this. Regina stayed at the hospital until evening, but she didn't want to leave yet, and Tasha kept urging her to go home. "You're already tired from work, and for the past year, you've been coming to the hospital every weekend. As a young person, you should have your own private space. Besides, you've only been married for a short time, so don't waste your weekends in the hospital. You can go out and have fun, so you don't need to come tomorrow. Someone is here to take care of me, and I feel great."
So, Regina was sent home by Tasha like that. Douglas hadn't returned home yet, so Regina made plans to have dinner with Miranda that evening. Miranda had been preparing to return to Norman University.
"I didn't expect the usually stern supervisor to be so lenient this time. I asked for two days off, and he agreed right away. It's great, I can finally see Dougal." Miranda was uncontrollably excited.
Regina also began to feel a sense of anticipation.
"Do you remember your wish back then?"
"What?"
"You said that if given the chance, you wanted to collaborate with Dougal on a radio drama." Regina recalled for a moment, thinking, 'That was something I said a long time ago.'
"I don't think it's possible."
But Miranda still held onto hope. "Even though he hasn't released any works in two years, going to Norman University for an event might be a fresh start for him. What if your dream comes true?"
Regina chuckled as she ate her lamb chop and casually said, "I hope it does."
