Wife my

Theodore had no idea why he suddenly behaved so obediently.

Shouldn’t he have become more carefree and unrestrained after the divorce?

As it turned out, he had much more to learn.

Theodore yawned. He didn’t sleep well last night.

Rosalie noticed the fatigue in his eyes. “Go to bed now.”

“I need a shower,” Theodore said.

“I’ll get a male servant to come help you. You can’t let your wound come in contact with water.”

“You’re going to get another man to see my naked body?” Theodore said, clearly annoyed.

He felt as though she was trying to push him to another man.

“What’s wrong with that? It’s precisely because he’s a man that it’s appropriate for him to help you. I can’t possibly find a female servant to help you, can I?” Rosalie retorted.

Theodore simply stared wordlessly at her.

She finally understood where he was going.

“Are you thinking…of having me help you shower?” she asked slowly.

“Why not? It’s not like you’ve never done it before.”

“We’re already divorced.”

“So what? We’ve seen each other naked before.”

Rosalie sighed. “Don’t forget that Cynthia is still in hospital right now.

“Don’t mention her name.” Theodore’s eyes turned cold. “Can we not talk about her, just for tonight?”

The only thing he wanted tonight was to be with Rosalie.

Rosalie stood up, and said, “I’ll go prepare the shower. Wait for me.”

She walked to the washroom.

Seeing Theodore in this state made her heart ache, and she couldn’t help but agree to his request. She couldn’t just let him be, at least not at this point.

Just knowing that he was injured made her anxious, and her heart broke at seeing his wound in person. That was what drove her to stay -behind and take care of him.

In truth, she had no clue what to do right now. Should she continue loving this man, and until when should she allow herself to do so?

Letting go of this love was hard. In fact, it was immensely torturous.

She clearly knew that getting close to him was dangerous and potentially painful, yet it didn’t stop her from throwing caution to the wind.

Theodore heaved a sigh of relief and laid back down on the bed, finally feeling relaxed. The moment his back touched the bed, his eyes widened as he shot back up again.

It was so…damn…painful…

After a while, his phone rang. It was Cynthia calling.

He looked toward the washroom before answering the call.

“Hello,” he said.

“Theo, I feel rather unwell. Where are you now?”

“I’m at home,” he said. He instinctively blurted out the word ‘home‘, a clear indication that he had always treated this place as his home- his real home. That had never changed, despite the fact that he never declared it out loud.

“Can you come and keep me company? I’m scared,” Cynthia said shakily.

In a voice that was gentle but firm, Theodore told her, “It’s very late now, so you should get some rest. I won’t be dropping by today.”

“But you didn’t come see me last night, either!” Cynthia said piteously. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I’ve been very busy these few days, and have a lot of work to clear. Get some rest, and I’ll go visit you once I’m done.”

Now that he was injured, it wasn’t convenient for him to move around.

“You can always come here and work. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb

you.”

Theodore’s face turned cold. “I can’t work at the hospital, Cindy. Whatever it is, I’m not going. Have a good reset.”

Cynthia’s heart trembled when she heard Theodore’s cold, hard rejection.

Did he reject her because he had grown sick and tired of her? Was he just trying to placate her because she was on her deathbed?

Cynthia gripped the sheets tight, and was about to say more when she heard a woman’s voice from the other end of the call.

“Theo, the shower’s ready. Come over.”

Cynthia felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

That was clearly Rosalie’s voice.

What was going on? Why was she with Theodore at such a late hour? And was she preparing his shower?

Were the two of them….

Cynthia’s lips trembled. They were divorced! What on earth were they doing together?! They were clearly doing something indecent at such a late hour!

No wonder Theodore didn’t visit her over the past two days. He was -with Rosalie!

How could Theodore lie to her?! How could he use work as an excuse?!

That was exactly what Theodore did before when he had been with her. He used work as an excuse for Rosalie.

Back then, Cynthia was smug about what he had done. She never expected herself to be on the receiving end of everything that Rosalie went through before!

Cynthia took a deep breath, and pretended she didn’t hear anything. She couldn’t panic at this point.

Theodore heard the voice coming from the washroom, and guessed that Cynthia might have heard it, too

Instead of avoiding the topic, he said, “Cindy, I’m with…”

“Theo, I’m just worried about your condition. In that case, go ahead and be busy. I feel woozy, I need to sleep right now.”

Theodore furrowed his brows. Did Cynthia hear Rosalie’s voice, or

not?

Whatever

it was, since Cynthia didn’t want to talk about it, Theodore didn’t say anything further. He simply nodded and said, “All right, then. Get some rest.”

The moment he hung up, Rosalie walked out of the washroom. She

saw Theodore put his phone down, and surmised that he had a call just now.

Rosalie stood at the door of the washroom, and asked flatly, “Did Cynthia call you?”

He nodded. “Yes, she did.”

“Are you going to her?”

In the past, the moment Cynthia called him, he fly to her without a doubt.

Rosalie had long gotten used to it. Now that she was divorced from Theodore, she didn’t care, even if he were to go and see Cynthia right now. She would just drive back to her own apartment, where she felt more comfortable.

She was making plans to leave when Theodore said indifferently, “I’m not going. I’m injured right now, so I’ll think about it after I recover.”

Rosalie smirked. “I thought nothing would stop you from going to see Cynthia, not even these wounds.”

Theodore furrowed his brows. “Yeah, wounds inflicted by Grandma, who definitely didn’t use any strength when she hit me.”

Theodore was slightly peeved, and turned his face away like a petulant child.

Rosalie said helplessly, “Alright, let’s stop arguing with each other. If you’re not going to Cindy, take a shower before going to bed.”

+26 BONUS

It no longer mattered to Rosalie whether he went to Cynthia or not. She had long learned how to let go of things.

Since they were divorced, she couldn’t be bothered to get angry over such things.

Theodore turned around, and saw the indifference on Rosalie’s face. More importantly, she wasn’t angry.

Did she really get used to it, or did she no longer care about him?

Suddenly, he remembered how he rushed over to Cynthia upon receiving her call in the middle of the night.

Before that happened, he promised Rosalie that he wouldn’t behave like he did in the past. Despite that, he went back on his word.

Rosalie had been very upset and tried her best to stop him from leaving, but eventually, he cruelly left her side.

At that time, Theodore thought that Rosalie would be fine while Cynthia was in grave danger. He thought he knew his priorities, and what mattered more.

Now that he thought about it again, he was a bastard through and through.

Yet now, when Cynthia called him, Rosalie no longer cared because they were divorced. He knew he needed to accept that as a fact, but here he was, still trying to grab hold of something lost and salvage whatever was left between them.

Theodore knew it was wishful thinking on his part.

He didn’t know what was going on with him.

Was it the wicked streak that was found in every man, or did he have a slight change of heart?

Or perhaps he was just asking for it.

When Rose stopped him from leaving and kicked up a fuss, he thought she was being unreasonable. Now that she had let go of things, his heart felt inexplicably empty.

He was literally asking for it.

“What’s the matter?” Rosalie asked, upon seeing Theodore in a daze. Is there a problem?”

Theodore shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll go take a shower.”

He picked up his phone, and shut it off right before Rosalie.

Rosalie couldn’t really figure out what Theodore was thinking right now. They were already divorced; even if he really did receive a call from Cynthia, it was perfectly acceptable for him to go to her.

‘Forget it,‘ she thought. Many strange things happened in this world. Sometimes, some things just don’t make sense.

Theodore stood up by the bed.

“Are you all right? Do you need my help?” Rosalie asked, stepping forward.

“Yes, I do,” Theodore said unceremoniously as he lifted his hand.

Rosalie smiled and held his arm, walking him toward the washroom.

Half an hour later, Rosalie helped Theodore out of the washroom. He was already dressed in his sleepwear.

He couldn’t lie on his back, and could only lie on his stomach on the bed.

Rosalie pulled up his sheets. Theodore rested his chin on his hands. as he stared blankly at her like a child.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked as she tucked him in.

“This is good,” he suddenly remarked.

“What?” Rosalie looked at him with doubt in her eyes. “What is good?”

“I as the brother, you as the sister. That’s pretty good. It feels a lot more comfortable than it was before, isn’t it?”

When they used to be husband and wife, they constantly disappointed each other.

Now that they were no longer married, everything seemed much simpler. They no longer needed to worry about this or that and could simply go with their heart.

“Err…” Rosalie was rendered speechless. She had never treated

Theodore as her brother.

Nonetheless, she nodded and said, “Yeah, it is good. I’ll never

complain about you and Cynthia, and you won’t need to bother with my affairs either.”

“Bother with your affairs?” Theodore said with furrowed brows. “Are you referring to you and Sebastian?”

The mention of his name made Theodore’s voice grow cold. That name was like a minefield, an untouchable territory for him.

Upon seeing the look on his face change, Rosalie’s heart thumped. ” What? Are you going to kick up a fuss over him again?”

Her serious expression made Theodore’s heart tremble, and immediately shut his mouth. He no longer dared to say anything further, for fear of angering her.

Damn it! Why was he so scared of her right now?

Rosalie smiled. “Don’t just focus your attention on Sebastian. There are many men under the sun, not just the two of you. Now that I’m divorced and rich, I’m sure there are hordes of other men I can

choose from.”

Rosalie looked down at Theodore, and noticed his brows furrowed

and his face bitter.

Amused, she sighed and said with feigned frustration, “Now that I have so much money and no lack of choices, should I go for mature men, sweet young men, or confident and handsome men?”

Theodore’s brows furrowed even tighter as he gripped the pillow

below him.

Rosalie went on, “Or perhaps I should find a few handsome men who’ll shower their attention on me all day! Haha…”

“Rosalie Young!” Theodore sat up on the bed. “Shame on you! Taking my money to keep men by your side? The cheek of you to say that in front of me!”

He glared at her as he rebuked her.

Rosalie covered her mouth, as if in shock. “Your…your money?”

She put her hand down, and said haughtily, “So, Mr. Carter! Looks like. you see that money as yours, and have to ask you for permission before I can spend it. You still see me as an outsider! How could you claim to see me as your sister? You liar!”

She turned her face away in feigned sorrow, pouting her lips and looking morose.

Theodore panicked when he saw the misery on her face.

“I didn’t mean that,” he said.

“So what exactly did you mean? You said that I took your money to keep men by my side! Since you see the money in my account as yours, you should just take them all back, lest you see me as a charity case.”

If Theodore really wanted all his money back, she would return them to him without any hesitation. She never wanted his money in the first place. He was the one who wanted to give it to her.

If he still saw that money as his and could interfere with how she spent it, what was the point of her keeping it?

“I didn’t mean that. That money’s yours. I just don’t think you should. spend it indiscriminately,” Theodore said.

Contrary to his calm demeanor, he was a mess inside. He was now facing the consequences of his rash words spoken just moments

ago.

“Since it’s my money, why can’t I spend it indiscriminately? Can’t I find someone to entertain me?” Rosalie refuted him.

“Of course, you can,” Theodore explained himself. “But you can’t entertain yourself that way. Men are horrible creatures, and you’ll be fooled by them. Don’t you read the news? Many people end up getting scammed out of their entire fortunes. I’m just thinking for your sake, is all.”

Theodore’s tone grew weaker and weaker as he spoke.

“Oh, is that so? Thinking for my sake?” Rosalie said with a smile. ” Now that you’ve said so, I realized I have no words to counter that claim.”

Her bitter tone made Theodore anxious; he was worried that the more he spoke, the worse things might become.

They were already divorced. He didn’t have the right to stop her from finding other men.

“Rose, I’m not stopping you from finding other men. I’m just worried that you might get involved in a scam. How about this? When you find another man, bring him to me, and I’ll check him out for you. What if you run into a scammer? I’m older than you by a few years. I’ve come across many kinds of people. You’ve only just graduated uni, and you aren’t as exposed to the world as I am.”

Theodore explained everything in a rush, for fear that she wouldn’t believe him.

“I’m not as exposed? Do you mean to say that I’m still a child who knows nothing, and that I’m naive enough to get fooled by any man.

that comes by?” Rosalie shot back.

If that were really the case, she had to admit that she was fooled- namely, by Theodore Spencer.

He was right. Men were horrible creatures, and that included himself.

It was laughable how he, a horrible man himself, was teaching her not to be fooled by other horrible men.

Even more laughable was the fact that he, her ex–husband, requested that she bring her future boyfriends to him so he could check them out, as if he were her father.

Rosalie had no words to describe how strange Theodore’s words

were.

“I’m not,” Theodore said, unable to maintain his composure any longer. “I don’t think you’re a child. I’m just worried about you.”

“What are you worried about me for?” Rosalie asked flatly. “We’re no longer husband and wife. What do you have to worry about? You

should be…”

Chapter 265

Rosalie was about to say that Theodore should be more worried about Cynthia, but she suddenly recalled that Theodore didn’t want to hear any mention of her name.

Each time they mentioned Cynthia, they always ended up upset.

As such, Rosalie swallowed back her words. Instead, she said, “You should be worried about yourself instead.”

Theodore seemed to have guessed what Rosalie originally wanted to say, but since she held herself back, he didn’t expose her. He took her cue in avoiding the topic of Cynthia.

“Rose, whether you believe it or not, have no malicious intent

whatsoever. I’m just worried that you’ll get hurt. Men are all horrible creatures. I’m just trying to help you discern between good and bad.”

He was genuine about it–and, if he was willing to admit it, slightly jealous.

“As my ex–husband, you might be willing to be the gate–keeper of my new relationship, but my new partner might not be agreeable to that,” Rosalie said reluctantly.

Theodore furrowed his brows. “Haven’t I already said that I’m your brother, and you’re my sister? What’s wrong with me gate–keeping my future brother–in–law?”

Theodore’s tone was dripping with bitter jealousy. Clearly, he wasn’t concerned with gate–keeping his future brother–in–law.

He simply didn’t want Rosalie looking for another man. In fact, he would find a way to make those men beat a hasty retreat.

Rosalie, refusing to concede, retorted, “Who would have an ex-

husband as a brother? Ridiculous. Ultimately, you just don’t want me to find another man, right? We’re divorced. Why are you allowed to be with Cynthia, while I’m forbidden from finding another partner? According to your logic, shouldn’t you bring Cynthia to me so I can gate–keep your relationship as your sister?”

“Haven’t you already met her?” Theodore said.

“Yes, I have,” Rosalie said. “But you’ve never asked me for my opinion on her, and you’ve always insisted on being with her.”

Theodore asked, “Then tell me, what’s your opinion on her? Do you think she’s fine?”

“If I told you to break up with her, would you do it?” she blurted out.

Since he dared to ask her for her opinion, she dared to tell him. They were divorced, anyway. What did she have to worry about?

Theodore was stunned at Rosalie’s request.

After all that, the joke was turned on him.

“Come on, why aren’t you speaking? Didn’t you ask me for my

opinion?” Rosalie pressed. She wanted to see how ridiculous

Theodore could be.

Theodore remained silent for a long time. Silence in itself was the best answer–an answer that struck the heart even deeper than a direct, verbal answer.

He could fool another with his words, but he couldn’t fake the look in his eyes. No matter what, breaking up with Cynthia was out of the question for him.

His dazed face made Rosalie burst out laughing.

Theodore furrowed his brows. “What are you laughing at?”

“You look so amusing! I fooled you, didn’t I? Hahaha…!”

+25 BONUS

Seeing Rosalie’s relaxed expression, Theodore realized she had been joking all along. She was only pretending to be angry and sad.

“So you were putting on an act.”

He had thought she was furious with him, and panicked.

“What else? Would I really count it against you?” Rosalie sat next to him with a gleeful smile. “I finally caught you. You actually looked pretty cute when you got tricked.”

She sat very near him, the mood between them lighter and more

relaxed than before.

Rosalie’s gleeful and happy expression gave Theodore the sudden urge to punch her.

He was in such a panic just now, but it turned out that she was pretending all along. He really thought that he had made her sad and hurt her with his words.

Since when did she become so cheeky?

Seeing the displeasure on Theodore’s face, Rosalie leaned in close and ask, “Are you alright? Are you angry at me?”

Theodore raised a hand, and pinched her nose hard.

“I am angry at you, you dishonest brat. You’ve become more immature after we got divorced. You’re in dire need of a lesson.”

“Isn’t that good?” Rosalie said, her eyes shining. “I used to be so mature, it was exhausting. I don’t want to tire myself out like that.”

It felt good being happy. Many people in this world often ended up under the influence of their negativity.

No matter what happened, life would go on. While that remained a fact, many found it hard to let things go and remain positive.

Theodore could sense that Rosalie wanted to completely let go of something in her heart, and the thought tugged at his heart.

He realized that he was a bastard through and through.

He had gone through with the divorce to free Rosalie from the shackles of their marriage. They were now divorced–she could finally be happy, and no longer needed to tolerate being in this marriage.

Yet, now that she was ready to let it go, he felt slightly indignant.

Not just slightly, but perhaps rather significantly.

He dared not continue this line of thought. He was worried that the more he thought about it, the more he would uncover thoughts that he dared not face up to.

After a long while, Theodore composed himself and said with a smile, “Yes, you deserve to live your days as happy as you can be.”

Rosalie smiled, and said nothing further.

“Rose, go wash up and rest,” Theodore said.

“Are you fine by yourself?” Rosalie asked. She was worried that he might toss and turn in his sleep at night.

He used to be like that at night. He might be knocked out cold after falling asleep, flip on his back, and accidentally press on his wound. He might end up yelping in pain the whole night.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. But…” Theodore paused for a

moment. “Ah, nothing.”

“But what?” Rosalie could sense that he wanted to say something.” Just speak your mind. There’s no need to hide things between us.”

They were already divorced. All that hiding in the past was exhausting.

Smiling, he said, “I wanted to say that if you don’t mind, we can sleep in the same room. But then I remembered that we’re now divorced, and that wouldn’t be appropriate.”

The fact that they were now divorced hadn’t sunk in yet for Theodore. It would suddenly pop up in his mind and dawn upon him. He often defaulted to thinking that she was still his wife.

Amusingly, he felt as though he had selective memory loss; or rather, he didn’t want to remember the fact that they were divorced.

Rosalie smiled awkwardly. It was indeed inappropriate.

Seeing Rosalie remain silent, Theodore knew his suggestion was laughable. “Rose, go and rest. I’ll be fine by myself.”

Rosalie turned to glance at the couch on her right, and an idea came to mind.

“How about this? I’ll sleep here on that couch tonight. That way, I can help you if you need it in the middle of the night,” she suggested.

She was truly worried that Theodore might flip over at night and press against his wound, thereby slowing down recovery. She wouldn’t be able to relax until he fully recovered.

Grandma had hit Theodore so hard because of her. In other words,

she was more or less the reason for his injury.

“Will that do? Will that disrupt your rest?”

Theodore instinctively felt joy at Rosalie’s suggestion.

Then, Rosalie shook her head. “It won’t. I suggested it because I know I won’t be disrupted from rest. If you don’t agree, we can forget about

it.”

“I do,” Theodore said. He grabbed her arm, worried that she might leave. “I’m fine with whatever you say. Alternatively, I can sleep on the couch and you can sleep on the bed.”

Theodore wasn’t against the idea of sleeping in the same room after the divorce.

“No need. You can sleep on the bed, and I’ll take the couch.” Rosalie gently pulled her hand away from him. “I’ll go take a shower. Go ahead and sleep first.”

She turned to leave the room without waiting for Theodore’s response.

Theodore dropped his arm and sighed as he looked at her retreating figure.

After she left, he lifted his hand and pressed it against his chest, where he felt great discomfort.

When Rosalie packed her things and left this place, she didn’t take all her belongings. She had left some of her things here, to make things. convenient for her whenever she decided to stay the night.

After taking a shower, she went back to Theodore’s room. There, she found fresh sheets laid out on the couch.

Rosalie turned to look at him, and asked doubtfully, “Did the servants come in to do this?”

“Yes,” Theodore said as he laid on the bed stomach–down, nodding as he turned to look at her.

In truth, he prepared the couch by himself. It wasn’t done by a servant.

However, he knew that there was no point telling her that he did it, and that it would do nothing to change the state of things between

them.

Rosalie nodded, and didn’t ask any further.

She sat on the couch, and let her hair down. Her dark tresses fell over her shoulders, giving off a gentle yet refreshing fragrance.

She laid on the couch. “Are you going to sleep now? I’ll switch the lights off.”

Theodore nodded. “Go ahead.”

Rosalie clapped her hands, and the lights dimmed. Then, she laid back on the couch.

The room descended into darkness. Theodore was originally lying on -the bed on his stomach, but after the lights were switched off, he laid

on his side to face Rosalie.

Rosalie heard his movement, and furrowed her brows. “Did you just move your body?”

“I tried lying on my side. It’s more comfortable. I’m not rubbing. against the wound on my back,” he explained obediently.

“Alright, then. If you feel more comfortable on your side, that’s fine. Whatever it is, just don’t lie on your back.”

“Okay,” Theodore said with a smile that Rosalie couldn’t see.

It was a gentle yet deep smile.

Rosalie suddenly stood up, put on her slippers, and took a few steps forward. She found a little night lamp, and placed it on a bedside table next to the couch and switched it on.

It lit up the room with its gentle glow soft enough to not disrupt sleep, yet bright enough to allow her to see Theodore’s sleeping position.

“What are you doing?” Theodore asked.

“Setting up a night lamp: That way, I’ll be able to see you.”

She wouldn’t be able to see a thing in a dark, unlit room. She had to constantly watch out for Theodore.

Theodore felt as though Rosalie was “spying” on him.

However, that made him feel rather happy. He put his palms together and rested it under his cheeks, looking at Rosalie with a smile, like a young teenager in love.

He felt blessed being under her watch.

“I didn’t dote on you as my sister in vain,” he suddenly said.

Rosalie was stunned for a moment by his words. Then, she smiled helplessly. “Alright, Theodore, my brother. Hurry up and sleep.”

“Okay,” Theodore said as he shut his eyes.

Rosalie laid on her side on the couch and stared at Theodore in a daze, her eyes filled with inexplicable emotions and sorrow.

She realized she couldn’t fall asleep at all, no matter how hard she

tried.

She found what she was doing laughable. There were so many

servants around who could take care of Theodore, yet she offered to stay in his room and watch over him the entire night out of worry that. he might move too much throughout the night.

Even a mother wouldn’t go to that extent for her child.

She thought to herself, ‘It’s okay, Rosalie. You’re just in love with a man. You don’t have to be with him even though you love him. Isn’t it enough that he’s happy?”

It was good enough for her. Despite the many unhappy things that happened in between, at the very least, they didn’t have a complete falling–out.

As much as Theodore did many nasty things before, he was eventually punished by Grandma.

It was tiring loving someone, but hating another was even more so. She wanted neither to love nor hate him.

Suddenly, Rosalie’s phone pinged. She reached over to pick up her phone, and switched it to silent mode.

It was a text from Sebastian.

‘Are you asleep yet?‘

Rosalie replied, ‘Not yet, I just went to bed. What’s up?”

Theodore opened his eyes to see Rosalie holding her phone, looking like chatting with someone. His eyes dimmed.

Who could be texting her at such an hour?

Sebastian texted, ‘Yvonne wants to add you on social media. She keeps asking me for your account.‘

Rosalie replied, ‘Why? What does she need it for?‘

Sebastian texted, ‘Nothing much. She just wants to add you as a friend, but I didn’t give it to her. I wanted to ask you first.‘

Rosalie thought about it before replying, ‘It’s fine. Just give her my account handle if she wants.”

It was clear Sebastian respected her opinion very much. He even insisted on asking for her permission when someone else wanted to add her on social media. He was really…

Rosalie snuck a peak at Theodore–his eyes were shut, seemingly asleep.

Forget it, she thought. It was better not to compare. Everyone was different–there was no need to compare anyone, otherwise she would be a snob.

Sebastian texted back, ‘Alright, then. I’ll give her your social media handle. But don’t be too bothered by her feelings. If she says anything that upsets you, just ignore her or tell me. I’ll teach that brat a lesson.”

Rosalie smiled. ‘Don’t worry. Yvonne’s a nice girl, she’s not malicious.”

Sebastian texted, ‘She’ll be smug if you praise her like this. Please don’t say that in front of her, or she’ll boast about it for days.‘

Rosalie replied, ‘Got it. But you really shouldn’t be so strict with your sister. It’s great to have a sibling. I wish I had a brother.”Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.

Rosalie instinctively glanced at Theodore when she typed the word‘ brother‘.

She had a ‘brother‘ right now, didn’t she? Theodore wanted to be her brother.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to see her ex–husband as her brother. It just felt strange

Within seconds, Sebastian replied, ‘In that case, I have to treat Yvonne a little better. Rose, if you had a brother, I’m sure he’ll dote on you very much.‘

Rosalie texted, ‘I don’t know. I don’t have a brother and don’t know

what it feels like to have one. Theo said that he treats me as his sister and wants to be my brother, but I just don’t feel it.’

Sebastian asked, ‘Why not?‘

Rosalie replied, ‘I have no idea. I’ll just let him be and let him think. whatever he wants. Maybe it’s because our relationship will never change fundamentally, whether we’re married or siblings.”

Sebastian texted, ‘I don’t think you two can be siblings. That’s just hilarious. Lovers will always be lovers, and after a break–up, whatever talk of being siblings is just an excuse to downplay the mistake that was committed.‘

Sebastian then added, ‘I’m referring to the mistake HE committed, You didn’t do anything wrong, Rose.

Rosalie hesitated for a few seconds before replying, ‘Do you think it’s possible for love to eventually evolve into kinship?‘

Sebastian replied, ‘Love is love. It’s different from kinship. Perhaps love at its later stage might have traces of kinship, but love will be primary. If love really can evolve into so–called kinship, then this love wasn’t pure enough to begin with.‘

Rosalie looked at Sebastian’s cold words on the screen. A chill

pierced through her heart.

Theodore had always treated her as his sister, and felt only kinship

for her. He never loved her, and there wasn’t any evolution in his feelings for her.

Sighing helplessly, Rosalie replied, ‘Perhaps love might eventually evolve into kinship with time. No matter how pure, there is an expiry date to love. It is a feeling driven by hormones that will eventually be depleted.‘

Sebastian asked, ‘Do you not believe in love anymore?”

Rosalie replied, ‘I don’t know. Whether I believe it or not, the world is filled with people with regrets, and many of these regrets are due to love. Perhaps not loving would reduce the troubles we bring to ourselves.‘

Sebastian texted, ‘But there are people who remain together their entire lives. Love isn’t an emotion. Emotions may come and leave, but love is a bond that is carved in one’s bones. If it ever vanishes one day, then it isn’t true love. True love will never vanish. It will conquer time, it will conquer all things.’

Rosalie asked, ‘Are you referring to eternal love?‘

Sebastian replied, ‘Yes, I believe in eternal love. As long as you find the right person, you’ll be able to love one another forever. There

might be troubles in between, but that love will keep them together forever.‘

Rosalie bit her lip, sensing his impassioned tone through his words. She typed many things but deleted all of them, eventually deciding to text a smiling emoji.

After a few seconds, she added, ‘It’s great you think that way.”

Sebastian asked, ‘Really? Don’t you find me childish?’

Rosalie exclaimed, ‘Why would I? In fact, I find people who pretend to be mature and seasoned even more hateful. They make this world out to be so cold and cruel, thinking that everyone else is naive. I know what reality is like, but no matter what, we should hold out hope. In this world, there is darkness where there is light. We can’t just look at the darkness and neglect the existence of light.‘

Rosalie felt something burning in her chest as she went on, ‘I think you’re a great man. You’re in such a powerful position, with wealth and skills, but you manage to retain a pure heart. That is so rare! I’m sure you’ll come across a great woman, and you two will be forever in love with each other. You two will make me believe that true love that is eternal exists in this world.‘

Rosalie began imagining the kind of woman Sebastian will eventually marry. She even began getting excited about attending their wedding.

Oh dear! She was beginning to let her imagination run wild.

Sebastian didn’t reply to her so quickly this time. His text came after over a minute, ‘Rose, what kind of woman do you think suits me?‘

Rosalie texted, ‘Give me a moment, let me think about it.‘

She leaned back on her pillow and shut her eyes to seriously consider his question. After a while, she opened her eyes and typed a reply.

‘Actually, I can’t think of specifics. Fundamentally, I think she’ll be like

you, pure in heart no matter how high a status she has. You two will be like those old couples who remain innocent children at heart. I find that super adorable.‘

Sebastian sent her a picture of a rose with the following text, ‘I think you’re that kind of adorable woman.

Rosalie’s smile faded as she stared at the text on her phone screen. The air went eerily silent. Her brows furrowed as uneasiness grew in her heart.

She read through their entire conversation, and back at the final text Sebastian sent: ‘I think you’re that kind of adorable woman.‘”

Rosalie bit her lip as fear flashed past her eyes.

She anxiously typed, ‘You’re wrong, I’m not that kind of woman.”

But then, she deleted it and typed, You might be wrong about that.

She deleted that too, and typed, ‘I don’t think I am pure in heart. I’m quite a dull person, really.‘

However, she deleted that instead of sending it.

What if she misunderstood him? What if she was reading too much into his words?

Perhaps Sebastian was just making a passing remark and didn’t mean much. She was being too sensitive, and was making things way too complicated.

Rosalie told herself not to overthink things.

Was she delusional?

She knew that it was best for one not to do anything out of panic, for that would only result in graver mistakes.

She sent him a smiling emoji, and texted, ‘I’m a little tired, I’ll go to

13

bed first. Goodbye.”

Sebastian replied, ‘Goodnight.”

He sent her a picture of a heart with the words ‘Love you‘ in the middle.

Rosalie sat up on the couch, her eyes widened. She stared at the two words ‘Love you‘ in the middle of the heart, her mind racing.

Sebastian probably meant it as a casual exclamation. He probably didn’t think much of it, and simply clicked on the first picture he saw.

Rosalie ran her fingers through her hair, the unease in her heart becoming stronger. She typed, ‘Did you just randomly send that?”

But her thumb hovered over the ‘send‘ button; she hesitated to send the message out.

If she ended up overthinking things, wouldn’t that question be awkward?

Rosalie immediately deleted the unsent message. She probably was overthinking things and got the wrong idea as usual.

She had gotten many wrong ideas, and developed one too many foolish ideas with Theodore.

She had an overly fertile imagination, which wasn’t a good thing in this context. She couldn’t mistake a tender look from another as love.

Theodore saw the struggle on Rosalie’s face and said casually, “Who are you chatting with?”

Rosalie’s heart leaped out of fright. She instinctively placed her phone screen side down, as if she had a guilty conscience.

Their eyes locked; Theodore shot Rosalie a piercing stare. Or rather, it seemed as though he had caught her in the act.

As they looked at each other, the air between them seemed to freeze.

They stared at each other for over ten seconds, during which Rosalie suddenly remembered that she and Theodore were already divorced.

What was she scared of?

Why were they acting as thought she had cheated on him?!

She had a clear conscience.

That thought filled Rosalie with renewed confidence. She flipped the phone around and said, “A friend.”

“Is that so? What friend is it?” Theodore pressed further.

He clearly saw the guilt in Rosalie’s eyes just now, which turned into stubborn confidence in a split second.

Rosalie said flatly, “Sebastian.”

What was there to hide? She was already divorced from Theodore. Wasn’t it normal for her to chat with Sebastian?