As if Howard knew what I was thinking, he whispered hoarsely in my ear to comfort me. "Don't worry, I soundproofed the room; they can't hear us."
I didn't sleep at all that night.
The next morning, I showed up with dark circles under my eyes. As soon as Saskia saw me, she immediately guessed that I had stayed up all night playing on my phone again.
Back in high school, the pressure of studying was intense, and sometimes I couldn't sleep, so I would stay up late as a form of revenge. But this time, I could only silently endure without explaining.
Fortunately, my parents couldn't see Howard, which was a bit of a comfort.
"Do you know Matthew from next door is back. I saw him this morning when I went out to buy groceries." Saskia asked with smile.
I stiffened. "Wasn't he supposed to be studying abroad? Why is he back?"
Saskia looked up at my reaction and said with a smile, "I asked him, and he said he finished his exchange program abroad and came back."
I knew what Saskia was thinking, but my mind was a mess, and my thoughts drifted far away. 'If Matthew Moore finishes his exchange program, does that mean he will return to Novaria to continue his studies?'
After eating, I lay in my room staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Suddenly, I heard Saskia's voice outside the door. "Karena, come out quickly. Mr. and Mrs. Moore are here, and Matthew too."
I was stunned and instinctively stood up, but hesitated, unsure if I should go out.
Saskia kept urging me from outside, and I had no choice but to brace myself and go out.
Matthew's mother, Echo, looked at me with a teasing smile and said to Matthew, "Look, Karena really came back. I saw her coming back with a suitcase yesterday and thought I was mistaken."
I forced a stiff smile and glanced at Matthew.
After a year, he hadn't changed much, still wearing that gentle smile.
"Why don't you greet Matthew? That's rude." Saskia whispered and gave me a pinch.
Then I reacted and said politely, "Hello, Mr. Moore, Mrs. Moore, Matthew."
"Hello, Karena. I heard you got into the university next to Matthew's. That's great; you can keep each other company at school," Echo said with a pleased expression.
Matthew walked over to me and naturally ruffled my hair. "You truly did not disappoint me; you were accepted into an excellent university."
Seeing my embarrassment, Saskia teased with a smile, "You haven't seen Matthew for so long, and now you're too shy to speak."
I glanced at Howard, thinking, 'Mom, please stop talking.'
I noticed that ever since Howard touched my tattoo yesterday, whenever he got close to me, my tattoo would heat up slightly. He must be nearby now.
"Mom, I have some homework to do. I'll go back to my room. Mr. Moore, Mrs. Moore, Matthew, please have a seat." With that, I turned to leave.
Back in my room, I finally felt a sense of peace, onlt to see Howard sitting on my small bed, staring at me with a deep, intense gaze, like a husband catching his wife cheating.
Feeling guilty, I awkwardly scratched my head and tiptoed over to Howard.
"When did you get another male friend?" I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice.
I carefully answered, "He's my neighbor, a year older than me, and has always taken care of me."
I didn't dare lie in front of Howard, fearing he might punish me in anger. But I didn't tell the whole truth either. The truth was that I had a fondness for Matthew. He was tall, good-looking, and possessed a gentle nature. He was calm and composed in speech and actions, and everyone who knew him liked him, so I was no exception.
At that time, we used to go to and from school together, but Matthew treated me like a young sister. To keep up with him, I had pushed myself to study hard and got into the same middle school and high school as him. But for college, I could only get into the university next to his. It was a good school, but still far from his.
I had thought life would go on as before, but in the last semester of high school, he went abroad for an exchange program in Eldoria for a year. I didn't expect him to come back.
Even though I hid it well, Howard still found it out and sneered, "Really? You don't like him, do you?"
I didn't dare admit it. Knowing Howard's possessive nature, he wouldn't allow me to like anyone else. To protect Matthew, I denied it. "Of course not. He sees me as a young sister, and I see him as a elderly brother."
A clear knock on the door interrupted us, and Matthew's voice came through, "Karena, can I come in?"
His words made my heart race as I wondered, 'Why 's he here now? I haven't even calmed down the jealous Howard yet.'
Seeing Howard's increasingly dark expression, I quickly walked to the door and opened it a crack, looking at Matthew. "Sorry, Matthew, I'm a bit busy right now. Do you need something?"
Matthew frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
I shook my head.
"Then are you keeping your distance? It's been a year, don't you recognize me?" Matthew asked.
I shook my head again. "Matthew, I'll come find you another day. Today is really not convenient."
As soon as I closed the door, I could still hear Matthew knocking as Howard had somehow moved beside me, pressing me against the door. His tall figure was intimidating, and his gaze was chilling. His long fingers gripped my chin, his gazes growing more dangerous. "You still want to go find him another day?"
I quickly shook my head and said ingratiatingly, "It was just a polite phrase. I won't go find him."
"Good. You belong to me, and you'll never escape me." Howard raised an eyebrow and nodded in satisfaction.
I closed my eyes and nodded.
However, he did not let it go at that but instead lowered his head and bit my lips fiercely and mercilessly, as if he wished to consume my very flesh and bones.
My eyes reddened with pain, but I didn't dare make a sound; Matthew might still be outside, and if I made any noise, he would hear it.
Since that day, I hadn't dared to leave the house, fearing Howard's jealousy. The most important thing was that I had a bite mark on my lips, which was too ugly to show.
Three days passed like this, and finally, it was time for me to return to school.