“It got scalded while cooking just now. It’s nothing!” Sylvie replied quietly.
Marley’s eyes flashed with distress, “Does it hurt?”
“It’s okay!”
He stood up suddenly and went upstairs.
Sylvie didn’t know what he went upstairs for. In a few minutes, he came back with the medicine box. With the burn ointment in his hand, he said, “Apply some ointment, burns hurt a lot. The injury on your foot hasn’t even healed yet and you got another one. Don’t forget to wipe it with alcohol after shower!”
He even helped her apply the ointment. His hand covered hers as he naturally held it. With such a sudden move, the warmth of his palm seeped through the back of her hand. It made the area that had burned hurt more and made her whole body heat up.
Sylvie stiffened, not daring to raise her head. She just stared at his big hand holding her own hand. His hand was strong and slender with visible joints, tenderly applying ointment on the back of her hand.
When the ointment was applied, the burning feeling on the back of her hand was replaced by a cooling sensation, and it felt a lot better. Keeping her head lowered, she said after a long time, “Thank you!”
“Let’s eat!” Marley let go of her hand, placed the medicine box on the table and went to wash his hands.
Only then did Sylvie look up and saw his back, looked down and saw the transparent ointment applied on her hand and didn’t move for a long time.
When he came back, they had a quiet dinner without any conversation.
After dinner, Sylvie was going to clean up the dishes but Marley stopped her, “Leave them, I will do the dishes!”
Sylvie was slightly surprised but heard him say in his deep voice, “You have just applied ointment on your hand, don’t put it in water. Go upstairs.”
Sylvie was instantly stunned and turned around in alarm, however, Marley had already taken the dishes she was holding and went into the kitchen.
His tall figure stood in the kitchen with no change in his cold and indifferent face as if the one who had spoken just now wasn’t him.
She stood stunned for a long time before turning towards the stairs.
As soon as she took her bag and went upstairs, she heard the phone ring.
She looked at it to see an unfamiliar number. She frowned and answered the call, “Hello?”
“Sylvie?” A deep and playful male voice came from the other side. Sylvie was stunned for a moment.
“Ernie?” Sylvie paused.
“Haha, I am so glad you still remember my voice.” It really was Ernie Hughes.
He laughed faintly on the other end and the voice of his laughter came through the phone making her very helpless.
Sylvie patiently said into the phone in low voice, “Mr. Ernie, I don’t know how you got my number. I really admire you for it, but can you please stop harassing me?”
Having heard what she said, it became really quiet on the other side. It was rare to be so quiet. As Sylvie finally decided to hang up, a sigh sounded on the other side. The long sigh pounded on Sylvie’s heart making her stop.
“Mr. Ernie, what on earth do you want?” Sylvie asked suspiciously.
“It seems that you are really afraid of me. Haha, never mind, I only wanted to send my greetings to you. Good night!” Ernie said and chuckled again as if he hadn’t just sighed like that.
Sylvie didn’t hang up the phone but held it to her ear feeling a little weird.
Ernie got her number and called but didn’t say anything. Was it just harassment? It didn’t feel like it.
“Good night!” Sylvie finished saying and was about to hang up.
“Wait…” Suddenly Ernie’s voice came from the other end.
Sylvie paused but did not say anything, waiting for him to speak.
Ernie’s usually cynical voice turned solemn, “Although I don’t know why you married Marley, I really admire you for it. Sylvie, to take such a step for Marley is really very special of you. But I also want to remind you that the person Marley loves is Jemima. You should be prepared so you won’t be sad in the future!”
Be prepared?
Sylvie pursed her lips and stayed silent.
“He doesn’t love you, Jemima is several times prettier than you!” His tone was cold, stabbing her heart like a knife.
A deep breath!
For a long time, Sylvie endured the sadness in her chest and then said softly, “I understand what you said, and I have heard it clearly. Thank you for your reminder but I know what I am doing. If you are worried about me, then it is not necessary. If you are worried about Marley, it is not necessary too, then you should really think about your gambling debts!”
Ernie’s words kept pressing in Sylvie’s heart. She didn’t want to pay attention to it but it was very hard for her right now. Especially when she thought about the woman in the photo who was very beautiful. She was so beautiful that she made other women feel suffocated. Yes, the fact that she loved Marley could only be a deep secret in her own heart, but her heart felt indescribably lonely.
Sylvie took a deep breath, suddenly a dull pain surged and the breath that accompanied was no longer smooth. Her eyebrows wrinkled, she turned on the laptop and began to check the materials.
Marley first came back to the bedroom. He opened the door and saw that Sylvie was busy.
Sylvie clearly noticed him at the door but didn’t move pretending she didn’t see him.
Marley thought she was busy and didn’t disturb her.
He stood at the door for a long time, his dark eyes looked like deep abyss of which she was unable to see the bottom. After a while, he quietly stepped out and closed the door.
The moment the door closed, she suddenly felt a sharp pain as if her heart had been stabbed with a sharp knife, making her unable to breathe. She felt that she had no strength left at all. She leaned back on the sofa, maintaining her posture for a long time without moving.
As the night darkened, clouds came up in the sky and covered the bright moon.
Without the moonlight, it was dark outside the window.
It seemed like even the air carried sad agony.
Pulling herself together, she buried her head in the material and soon had a sample in her mind. First, she found a notebook, a pen and drew a simple drawing. She thought about buying a sketch book and a pencil tomorrow as there was nothing here, or maybe she should just go back to her own home which was more suitable for work.
It was just that, would Marley agree?
Busy until late at night, Sylvie finally closed her notebook and checked the time. It was midnight. She got up to shower before bed and came back with her head bowed.
“The wound on your foot needs to be disinfected.” A low male voice sounded suddenly startling Sylvie.
She raised her head in alarm and saw that Marley was sitting on the sofa in the bedroom with a medicine box. Carved like a divine sculpture, he looked very stylish, but the smell of tobacco on his body confused her.
Sylvie felt a little embarrassed and hummed in a positive response.
“What were you busy with?” He leaned back on the sofa and stared at her questioningly with his deep eyes.
“Reeding the materials, I was just reading the materials…” Sylvie responded vaguely.
Marley said gently, “You read them all night? Didn’t you feel bored?”
“No.” She whispered.
Marley glanced at her and asked, “Does your face still hurt?”
“Not anymore.” It was only a slap. She wasn’t that weak.
“What about your foot?”
“It also doesn’t hurt anymore!”
“What about your hand?”
“Nothing hurts anymore!” What had happened to her recently? Why were there so many injuries? But…
“Be more careful in the future.”
Sylvie smiled and said, “Yes! Let’s sleep. Don’t you have to get your dad discharged from the hospital tomorrow?”
Marley was slightly startled. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes flashed with an unknown emotion, “Sylvie, he is your father-in-law. He is our dad, not just my dad from now on!”
“Oh! Okay, I got it!” Sylvie replied hurriedly.
But after all, they were going to get divorced, weren’t they?
“I will disinfect it myself; you go wash up!” Sylvie said. She was a little embarrassed, and if he held her foot to disinfect it, she was going to be really embarrassed.
She walked to the sofa and bowed her head as she passed him to get the medicine box. Just as she was about to get it, Marley pulled her and she fell into his arms unable to keep herself steady.
“You…” She turned her head in panic. Under the light, his handsome face looked really charming.
Marley lowered his head to look down at her, his eyes lit like torches. He held her waist with his big hand, glanced sideways at her feet and said in a congealing tone, “I will disinfect it for you.”
Sylvie immediately shook her head, ‘It’s really not necessary anymore. Go, wash up!”
“I still have something to do later!” He spoke.
“Then you should just go and do it!” She blurted out.
His eyes hardened and he suddenly tightened his wrist, clamping her tightly in his arms as he bent his waist to find her lips.
“Marley…” She struggled and resisted but he locked her in place domineeringly.
“You are rejecting me!” Suddenly, he said in a deep voice.
His deep voice echoed in her ears and his familiar smell of tobacco surrounded her.
In a split second, Sylvie felt her heart ripple suddenly like a roaring ocean. She held her breath for a moment and resumed her calmness as if her heart never throbbed.
“Go quickly, don’t be too late!” She stopped struggling, lowered her head and said faintly.
Marley’s slender fingers pinched her chin and gently lifted it up to make her face him. He saw the panic and a trace of stubbornness in her eyes. There was struggle and confusion in her clear eyes.
Marley’s handsome face reflected in her eyes. His deep and secretive eyes had a strange charm enough to make people fall for them. He said faintly, “Why did you reject me?”
Sylvie’s eyes were clear and her expression was blank. After a long silence, Sylvie whispered, “I didn’t!”
She just didn’t want to expect too much and then being unable to stand firm, fall all the way down and be crushed to pieces. It was better for her to stay on the ground so that her heart wouldn’t fall that deep and break!
Marley’s gaze became deeper and deeper as he stared at her closely with a firmness in his eyes that couldn’t be denied, “I will apply the medicine for you!”
Sylvie felt a little bit dumbfounded. She could only nod her head, “Okay! Let me go, you can’t apply medicine like this!”
He was holding her and she was sitting on his lap. How was he going to apply medicine in this position?
But when she told him to let go, he frowned and his expressions became a bit impatient. His tone became even deeper as he said, “I want you to sit on my lap!”
How was he such a child?
Sylvie was startled, “Marley, stop it!”
She pulled off his huge hand that was holding her waist, “Hurry and apply the medicine and then go!”
However, the big palm was tight in her waist, not allowing her to escape. Instead of letting her go, he tightly encircled her slim body with his arms and lowered his head to smell the fragrance of her body just after shower.
The scent calmed his heart. Her fragrance was particularly calming and relaxing, “Sylvie, can’t you listen to me?”
His tone was soft, so soft that it made her heart palpitate.
Sylvie just smiled faintly and whispered in his ear, “But I am not a puppet and only puppets are obedient! Even if I am really obedient, I won’t be able to become as obedient as a puppet!”
Her answer made Marley’s eyebrows wrinkle tightly and his hands around her waist tightened vigorously making her waist hurt.
“I am not trying to make you a puppet! I just want to know what you are thinking!” He spoke. He just felt a bit uncomfortable that she was so close to him yet she was so far away.
***
“If you want to know, it is very simple. Just use your heart!” Sylvie said softly, “If your heart is in it, you will feel it. If not, then you won’t remember even if I tell you!”