Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Alicia realized that she couldn’t keep secrets from him. The intensity of his questioning both intrigued her and made it impossible to lie.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Caden gave a charming laugh.
“In that dream you just had, you didn’t just satisfy me; you nearly exhausted me.”
Alicia’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.
“What kind of nightmare is that?” she snapped back instinctively. “Who could possibly exhaust you? You’re like a machine that only needs a bit of tuning to run for three days straight.”
Caden broke into laughter.
He then said earnestly, “I really need to sleep now, or I might actually collapse.”
As he spoke, he opened the door and found Gerry squatting at the entrance, cradling Cade in his arms while his hand reached into the dog’s mouth.
Caden scowled.
“What are you doing?”
Gerry was looking into the dog’s mouth.
“He just swallowed my cufflink. I’m checking to see if I can retrieve it; I’m worried it might get lodged inside.”
Caden replied, “It’s already been swallowed.”
“What? That was a personalized cufflink from my brother’s military unit.”
Gerry was about to pick up the dog, but Caden stopped him.
“It’s useless. Come back tomorrow to retrieve it.”
Gerry asked, “Retrieve what?”
“Your cufflink.”
“Will Cade throw it up tomorrow?”
“It’ll pass through. You’ll have to come back tomorrow and dig through his poop.”
Gerry’s expression soured.
“Oh, I don’t think that cufflink is as crucial anymore.”
Caden was taken aback.
Gerry exhaled and decided to leave Cade be. He asked, “What were you two discussing in there just now? Something about exhaustion and collapse?”
Alicia’s lips quivered slightly as she moved forward.
Caden quirked an eyebrow.
“Private chats are for couples. Why the interest, being single and all?”
Gerry was caught off guard, feeling hurt. Wonderful, another personal attack.
Gerry had come over to discuss something Caden had asked him to check on previously. Seizing the opportunity while Alicia was away, Gerry whispered, “When will you inspect it with me?”
Caden poured himself a glass of water and said, “No rush. Give me a couple of days to rest.”
“You might not be in a rush, but I am.”
Caden’s expression turned stern.
“Why the rush? It’s not like I’m marrying you.”
Gerry took a sharp breath and maintained some distance.
“I’m just curious about how someone like you would make a proposal.”
Caden sipped his water, his expression cold.
“Someone like me?”
Gerry began to count off on his fingers.
“Cold, ruthless, arrogant, pretentious, dismissive, overbearing…”
Caden cut in, “You’re listing all my virtues. What about my flaws?”
Gerry was at a loss for words.
Indeed! Caden was so cheeky.
Gerry got straight to the point.
“Typically, proposals involve kneeling. Are you prepared to do that?”
Caden visualized the scenario, pausing briefly.
“I might consider it.”
Gerry blurted out instinctively, “What do you mean ‘might’? That sounds like you don’t love her enough.”
Caden responded, “Does love demand grand gestures? A simple act suffices.”
Gerry was left speechless.
He then noticed Caden consuming some pills, puzzled.
“What are you taking?”
“A medicine that can make me more ‘energetic’ in bed, you know,” Caden explained openly.
Gerry’s mind wandered instantly.
“Weren’t you overseas handling business the last couple of days? How did you manage to find time to be with Alicia?”
Caden answered casually, “Just multitasking.”
He then crammed the pills into his mouth and drank the rest of the water.
Gerry showed a knowing smile.
Alicia approached with a basket of dirty laundry and asked, “What are you two whispering about?”
Gerry exclaimed, “Alicia, your man is feeling drained and is trying to secretly boost his energy.”
Caden clarified, “Not secretly. Openly.”
Alicia’s lips quirked up.
She instructed Caden, “Collect the dirty laundry in the bedroom and wash them.”
Caden opposed, “Isn’t that the temporary housekeeper’s job?”
“It’s only a couple of items. Don’t bother the housekeeper. Just do it.”
Gerry laughed.
“Mr. Ward, even you have days like these.”
Caden responded with a hint of nostalgia, “She just acts tough in front of you. Normally, she wouldn’t dare order me around like this. She prefers to treat me like royalty.”
Alicia called out from the other room, sounding annoyed, “Caden, did you hear what I said?”
Caden promptly went to carry out her orders.
Gerry observed them in silence. Ever since the impromptu proposal in bed, Alicia had been tense, worried Caden might propose out of the blue. Because Gerry had been seeking him out often, and they appeared to be conspiring together, behaving suspiciously.
If it wasn’t for a surprise, then what was it for? However, over the next few weeks, Caden showed no signs of proposing. He was preoccupied with work.
As Alicia’s excitement dimmed, she couldn’t help but ask him, “That time you went overseas, you didn’t seriously think of that as a proposal, did you?”
Caden was silent for a moment. Surprises had to remain hidden, so he blurted out, “Wasn’t that just a playful moment in bed?”
Alicia fell quiet. Her heart sank immediately, overwhelmed by sudden anger.
“Are you making jokes about this? Do you see marriage as something unimportant?” she demanded sharply.
Caden responded in kind, “You didn’t accept at the time, did you?”
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Alicia’s anger intensified.
“You’re right. I didn’t agree.”
She removed the ring from her finger and threw it at him.
“Since I didn’t agree, you can have this back.”
The ring was small, and her throw was unexpected, so Caden didn’t catch it. It made a clinking sound and fell down the stairs.