Chapter 218 Steven Wears a Wedding Ring
When they arrived at the Riverside Apartment, Nora saw Steven standing at the entrance waiting for her, wearing casual loungewear with a thick, solid black robe draped over him. He looked handsome with a lazy air about him.
"Why are you downstairs?" Nora was a bit surprised.
"Waiting for you," Steven said, taking her hand and walking toward home.
Steven put her hand into his coat pocket to warm it up. Nora smiled. "If you were going to wait, you could've waited upstairs. It's windy and cold here."
In South City in December, the temperature had completely dropped.
"I wanted to see you sooner." Steven turned his face to look at her, his eyes deep yet bright.
Nora's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but smile.
Once inside, Steven suddenly hugged her, holding her tightly in his arms.
Nora was startled. "Stop it, Lally's still here."
"I sent her home." Steven felt she was fine, so he let Lally leave to avoid interrupting their time together.
Nora paused, then heard him ask from above her head, "Do you know why I went to the entrance to wait for you?"
"Why?"
"To catch you," he hummed softly, then asked, "What have you been putting in my food these past two days?"
Steven pinched her cheek.
Did he find out?
Nora was surprised and a bit guilty. "How did you know?"
"How did I know?" He leaned closer, eyes narrowing slightly. "At lunch, Lally put medicine in my food. I figured it out, and she said you told her to do it."
Nora had been betrayed. "I was thinking of you. Taking medicine will help you get better faster."
"But you didn't ask for my permission," Steven said in a low voice. "You dared to secretly drug me, so I have to punish you—pucker up your lips."
Nora's face burned hot. He was going to kiss her.
It had been a while since they'd been this intimate, and she felt a bit uncomfortable.
Steven urged, "Hurry up."
Nora swallowed, her hands trembling slightly. She clenched them, closed her eyes, and puckered her lips.
Steven didn't kiss her right away. Instead, he looked at her and couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing the laughter, Nora opened her eyes.
Steven looked at her with teasing eyes.
She immediately realized she'd been played, and her face flushed as she raised her hand to hit him.
Steven caught her hand, eyes smiling, "What? I'm so sick, and you're still hitting me? Are you trying to murder your husband?"
Nora froze, then suddenly fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Steven noticed something was off.
Nora sniffled. "Nothing."
In that moment, when he called himself her husband, her nose tingled, and her eyes couldn't help but redden.
"Why are you crying?" Steven wiped away her tears with his hand.
Nora shook her head and said softly, "It's just... I think this is really good."
"Really good?"
"You came back, that's really good." She liked their life together, having someone to rely on, bringing happiness and sweetness.
She couldn't help but sink into it. As long as he came back, she would fall in.
She felt there was no saving her—in front of Steven, she was completely addicted to love.
Steven touched her face.
She hugged him tight, craving his scent.
In the kitchen.
The ingredients for dinner were already prepared, just needed cooking.
"You did this?" Nora walked in, asking in surprise.
"I'm still sick, do you think that's possible?" Steven leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her. "Lally did it."
"That's great, so I can eat right after cooking." Nora said, "You go wait outside, I'll call you when it's ready."
She needed to add medicine to his food, and it wouldn't be convenient with him there.
Steven didn't think much of it and sat on the sofa working on his laptop.
Nora closed the kitchen door. Half an hour later, dinner was ready.
She quietly put the medicine in Steven's food.
When serving, Steven looked at the two separate portions and raised an eyebrow. "You drugged my food again?"
"Try it and see," Nora said with a smile.
Steven tried a bite and didn't notice anything unusual. He tried another bite, his expression conflicted. "There shouldn't be any, right?"
Nora smiled proudly. "Thanks for complimenting my cooking."
Steven took another bite, unable to believe it. "I actually can't taste it."
With her doing it this way, he didn't resist taking medicine anymore. He thought she was quite clever.
"Go take a shower after eating." Steven looked at her.
"What for?"
"I have something to tell you." He took away her bowl. "I'll clean up."
"Okay."
Nora got her clothes and went to shower, wondering what he wanted to say.
After showering, she put on a pink bathrobe and went to the master bedroom to find him.
"Steven..."
She knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Nora walked in and saw him sitting by the bed, freshly showered, wearing a bathrobe, looking clean and fresh.
She didn't know where to look for a moment.
"Come here," Steven said, putting down his phone and pulling her onto his lap.
Nora's heart raced as she asked softly, "What do you want to say?"
"I'm asking you, what's your relationship with that man?" Steven looked at her.
He didn't mention Andrew, but Nora knew who he meant.
Nora looked at him. "If I tell you I have nothing to do with him, will you believe me?"
"Explain." Steven gave her a chance to clarify what happened that day.
Nora said seriously, "That day he came to me and said you're not a simple person, told me not to explain the misunderstanding. After we divorced smoothly, he wanted me to never see you again. He said it would be good for me."
Steven was surprised that Andrew would say such things.
"He said the Bennett family is not to be messed with, that competing with Vivian for you was overestimating myself. He wanted me to be his woman, saying he could protect me that way."
Steven could accept the first half, but the second half made him frown. "Be his woman?"
"Pretend to be. He said stealing your files was for my own good, to help separate us." Nora told him everything.
She thought Andrew was a competitor with a bias against Steven, so she saw him as very bad.
Steven didn't respond right away.
He had thought Andrew just wanted to oppose him, but didn't expect him to be looking out for Nora.
Steven looked at her. "What about your feelings toward him?"
"He's hurt me so many times, do you think I'd like him?" Nora looked disgusted. "I get annoyed just seeing him now."
This made Steven happy. His hand moved back and forth on her back. "Stay away from him from now on."
"Definitely, I'll avoid him whenever I see him."
Steven laughed, all his worries resolved. His hand caressed her waist.
Nora kept dodging from the tickling. "Steven, don't pinch my waist, it tickles..."
Steven leaned close, their breaths mingling, looking deeply at her. "Where's my wedding ring?"
Nora froze at those words.
"You didn't sell it, did you?" Steven glared at her, a bit unhappy.
She shook her head. "No."
"Where is it?"
Her eyes fell on the bedside table.
Steven looked over, understanding. "You put it here?"
She nodded.
Steven opened the drawer. Inside, besides a half-used box of condoms, was a dark green ring box.
He took it out and put it in her hands. "Open it."
Nora's face reddened as she opened the ring box. The wedding ring lay there quietly.
The first time she threw it away was out of spite. After losing and finding it again, she had treasured it.
Steven looked at it, his voice low. "Since you gave it to me, you put it on me."
Nora's heart raced.
His gaze was intense, as if expecting something.
She knew she shouldn't forgive him so easily, but looking at those eyes, she couldn't resist.
She took out the ring. "Once it's on, you'll be mine. You can't be ambiguous with other women."
"Okay." Steven wanted to smile.
He thought he should also prepare a wedding ring for her, his own gesture.
Nora's hands trembled. Before putting it on, she said softly, "From now on, let's be good together and not fight, okay?"
"OK." Steven waited patiently.
She continued, "Don't get angry all the time, okay?"
"OK."
"And no cold wars, okay?"
Steven frowned, "Nora, finish putting it on first."
Nora laughed and slowly slid the ring onto his ring finger. It fit perfectly.
"I measured the size right after all." She smiled proudly.
Steven looked at the ring, feeling completely bound, and hugged her tight. "It's late, let's sleep, honey."
That word made Nora's heart tremble.
He rarely called her honey.
Nora asked in a daze, "What did you call me?"
"Didn't Lally say? When you're married, don't just call you by your name, call you honey."
Nora's face turned bright red.
After Steven held her, he honestly just went to sleep.
Nora lay in his arms, feeling strange.
She thought after making up tonight, he would...
She didn't expect him to have such self-control.
She couldn't help but glance at him.
Steven held her hand and noticed she wasn't wearing a ring. He said in a low voice, "Wear it tomorrow. You're my wife, your ring finger can't be empty."
Nora smiled. "You're afraid other men will pursue me, right?"
Steven hummed, admitting, "That's right!"