Chapter 387

Chapter 387

When I came out of the bathroom, Levi had already finished cooking the pasta.

He was sitting at the table waiting for me and turned around when he saw me emerge.

"You need to be more careful. Watch out for slippery floors."

"Okay, I will."

His concern for me was growing, and I'd gradually gotten used to it. The surprise had faded, replaced by a deeper sense of security.

"Let's eat."

I walked over and noticed there was only one plate of pasta on the table.

After I'd fainted, he must have stayed with me the whole time. He probably hadn't eaten dinner.

He stood up and took off his shirt, looking like he was about to wash up.

"Wait."

Levi looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Sit back down first."

He seemed puzzled but sat down again.

I picked up the fork, twisted a small portion of pasta, and held it out to him. "Eat some with me."

"I already ate. I'm not hungry."

Levi was pretending he'd already had dinner. In the past, I would have believed him, but now I didn't buy it for a second. I could read the worry and concern in his eyes—there was no way he'd eaten before me.

"Keep me company while I eat."

I acted coy again. I could tell from his complexion that he needed to eat something.

Seeing him hesitate, I brought the pasta right up to his lips, making it harder for him to refuse.

"Do you mind sharing utensils with me?"

"I don't mind."

His face flushed as he opened his mouth and ate the pasta, the movement so quick I barely registered it before he'd finished.

In that instant, I couldn't help but smile. I tried to hold back from laughing too openly, but I couldn't quite control it. His ears and neck had turned completely red.

"Want some more?"

"I'm done."

He quickly stood up and headed into the bathroom. In all our time married, this was the first time I'd seen him so flustered. He had such a sensitive side.

This seemingly ordinary bowl of pasta made me feel so warm inside. Even though I'd gotten it by acting sweet, I felt completely satisfied.

I didn't think being proactive made me seem weak. Instead, I understood what Nola had said—women don't always have to be so strong.

And I, who seemed soft and delicate, had actually always been very concerned with my pride. The slightest hint of not being treated well, and I'd immediately blame myself.

Now I'd come to terms with it. There was nothing shameful about asking for the care I wanted.

My phone buzzed. Henry had sent a message.

[Mrs. Morgan, I've already left her place. That photo really did the trick. Her whole face changed when she saw it. She didn't even wait for me to make an excuse to leave—she said she needed some time alone and asked me to go.]

Just as I'd expected. I could picture Arabella's reaction when she saw Jenna's photo. She must have been shocked. If Henry knew Jenna, then he might very well learn about her and her brother from Jenna, so she must be panicking inside.

But Henry was good-looking, talented, and rich—she definitely wouldn't want to let him slip away. For now, she was too conflicted to face Henry with any composure.

And my goal of rattling her with Jenna's photo had been achieved.

Next, I should have Henry turn up the pressure a bit more.

I transferred another sum of money to Henry. As I was typing, he sent me a message.

[Mrs. Morgan, why did you send me so much money again?]

I finished typing what I hadn't said. [Tomorrow's still the weekend. Buy some things and go see her on your own initiative. It's best if you show up at her door first thing in the morning. Tell her you were so worried about her that you couldn't sleep all night.]

[Got it, Mrs. Morgan.]

I closed my phone and set it on the nightstand.

My heart wasn't entirely calm. I never thought I'd become someone who schemed like this. Things I used to scoff at, I was now doing myself.

I'd told myself to let go of hatred, yet here I was, unwilling to let Arabella off the hook.

If she'd just stayed in her lane, I really would have almost let it go.

But unfortunately, she'd gotten into another vicious fight with Faye. She'd used underhanded tactics to threaten people close to me. I wasn't willing to tolerate it anymore.

I was carefully orchestrating all this for future peace. Only when Arabella truly felt afraid would she genuinely rein herself in.

I was scared—I admitted it. I was about to give birth to two more babies. I was terrified that one day Arabella would decide to hurt me again. In fact, she'd never stopped hurting me.

If I didn't deal her a serious blow, she wouldn't stop harassing me.

Thinking this through, I closed my eyes. There was no backing out of this now.

But so far, everything was progressing smoothly.

Every step was going exactly as I'd anticipated.

The bathroom door opened, and my thoughts came to a halt.

I was leaning against the headboard, already under the covers.

Levi's hair was still damp as he walked over and lay down beside me.

I looked at him, the corners of my mouth turning up.

"I've always wondered—do you guys not blow-dry your hair after showering?"

"'You guys'?"

Levi sat back up.

I laughed awkwardly. "Anyway, you get what I mean."

I rarely used words like 'men.' My sense of maturity seemed stuck in childhood. In all these years of marriage, he'd never really felt like a husband to me. I still thought of him as the young man I'd first met.

"Short hair dries fast."

He still answered my question.

"But either way, it'll get the pillow wet."

Hearing me say this, he sat up a bit straighter.

"That's not what I meant. I meant..."

My explanation came out all jumbled. I was just curious why he didn't blow-dry his hair—I wasn't bothered by him getting the bed wet.

But he'd clearly taken it to heart, thinking I minded.

"Are you tired?"

I looked at him awkwardly. "I'm not sleepy at all right now. I slept too much while I was unconscious. Maybe hospital beds just have that effect."

"You were exhausted."

He turned to look into my eyes. "Have you really decided to rest at home?"

So he didn't believe me. He probably thought I was just saying it on a whim. After all, I'd insisted on working for so long, so he must think the chances of me actually changing my mind were slim.

I said seriously, "I've really decided. I just need to go back to the office on Monday."

"Okay."

It was already late. I wasn't sleepy, but he really needed to rest. Staying up with me every night was wearing him down—he'd burn out like this.

"You should sleep. You don't have to stay up with me."

He picked up his phone. "I'm not tired yet."

When he'd come out of the bathroom earlier, he'd yawned. Even though he didn't have work tomorrow, getting enough sleep was important.

I realized that as long as I didn't lie down, he'd keep sitting up with me.

Even though sitting up was more comfortable for me right now, I slowly lay down anyway.

I reached out and touched his arm. "Go to sleep."

Maybe my eyes held too much affection, because he actually looked at me for several seconds...

Suddenly, he put his phone down and turned off the light.

The room wasn't completely dark—I could still make out his silhouette.

As if possessed, I reached out and touched his face, then pulled my hand back as if I'd been shocked.

He turned to face me, then placed my hand back on his face. We stayed like that, quietly feeling each other's presence.