Zain brought Aanya home. He turned on the light and slipped into his slippers.
Aanya's steps faltered slightly, and as soon as she saw the house, her eyes became moist.
"This is… the house of that wolf who is my husband!" she said softly. Then she looked at Zain and, with a playful surge of boldness, raised her hand and slapped him lightly.
"Zain! You're that devil husband and boss who used me like a puppet!" she shouted sharply, her nose flaring in anger. "You beast! You're the biggest problem in my life!"
Zain stood there stunned by her sudden outburst.
"Aanya, you're drunk right now. You need to rest. We'll talk tomorrow, alright?"
Aanya's eyes filled with tears, and her voice rose higher, trembling with emotion.
"Tomorrow? No! I want to talk right now, this very moment! Because of you, I can't live in peace! At the office, you act like a boss and pile extra work on me, and at home… as my husband, you make me do all the household chores! Sometimes you say we're friends… what exactly do you want from me?"
She pounded her fists against his chest and shouted,
"Because of your father, my father lost his life! My marriage to you happened without love—only hate, only hatred! You're a stone-hearted wolf!"
Her lips trembled, and the words came out with great difficulty,
"What have I ruined in your life, Zain? In the office, you treat me so rudely in front of everyone… what mistake did I even make? You're my father's killer!"
Her voice broke completely. She covered her face with both hands and began to cry bitterly.
Zain gently took her hands in his and looked at her softly. His voice lowered, filled with regret.
"Aanya… you haven't done anything wrong. It's always been my fault."
Aanya slowly lowered her hands, her tearful eyes searching his face.
Zain's voice trembled as he continued,
"I've always hurt you… but you never understood me, and I never understood you. I wanted you to hate me—so much that you'd never come close to me.
You only lost your father, Aanya, but I've lost far more… things I'll regret forever.
Yet it was you—only you—who gave me the courage to live again, when I was crying on that park bench in the rain."
Before she could say anything, Zain stepped closer and gently pulled her into his arms.
Aanya froze for a moment, feeling the warmth of his embrace.
Her tears welled up again, though her heart still carried a trace of pain.
Zain buried his face softly in her hair and whispered,
"I'm sorry… truly sorry for the pain I caused you."
Just then, a small rumbling sound came from Aanya's stomach.
Zain looked around, startled, and said, "What was that sound, Aanya?"
Aanya wiped her tears, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"That sound was from my stomach… I'm hungry," she said with innocent honesty.
Zain couldn't hold back his laughter seeing her childlike expression.
Smiling, he said, "Really? Did you even eat anything at Huan Jing's house?"
Aanya pouted and said,
"I did eat, but I was so angry that I don't know where the food went! It's like it disappeared! Now I'm hungry again. Can you cook something for me?"
"What? But I'm that wolfish devil husband and boss of yours—the biggest problem in your life, right? And now you're asking me to cook noodles for you? Wow, Miss Aanya Lu, just wow."
Aanya stubbornly shook her head, pouting her lips like a child.
"I don't care! Right now, I just want to eat noodles."
Zain ran his fingers slowly over her waist, hiding a smile, and said,
"Alright."
Aanya leaned against his chest happily and murmured softly,
"I'm sorry… I said too much earlier. You're actually a good man—one of the most handsome and kind-hearted men in this world."
Zain's breath caught for a moment. His eyes reflected warmth and tenderness.
Aanya leaned forward slightly and said, "Hurry up! I'm really hungry!"
Zain smiled and bowed his head.
"Alright, my dear wife. I'll make them."
He cooked the noodles and carefully placed the plate on the table.
Then he sat beside her, elbows resting on the table, quietly watching her eat.
After finishing, Aanya rubbed her stomach with both hands and said,
"The noodles were delicious. Now I'm completely full," and stood up.
Suddenly, her legs slipped slightly from drowsiness.
Zain immediately stood, reached out, grabbed her wrist with one hand and her waist with the other—
and in one swift motion, pulled her gently toward him.
Now they were so close that the distance between them disappeared.
For a few seconds, they just looked at each other without blinking.
Zain's gaze slowly drifted toward her lips.
Aanya She kisses his lips and he is shocked and says what have you done, you will regret it.then
Aanya had fallen asleep in Zain's arms.
Zain gently touched her cheek and whispered, "Aanya… are you really asleep?"
He softly said, "Wake up… wake up."
Aanya opened her eyes slightly, then closed them again, slipping back into sleep.
Zain lifted her in his arms and walked toward her room—but the door was locked.
So he took her into his room, where the door was open.
He gently placed her on his bed and started to walk toward the sofa.
At that moment, Aanya murmured softly,
"Sleep with me… I'm scared alone."
Zain tilted his head slightly and squinted.
"But you've always slept alone till now, haven't you?"
Aanya whispered, "I'm afraid of ghosts… please sleep here with me."
Zain nodded. He lay down beside her, keeping a little distance.
Aanya took a deep breath and soon drifted into deep sleep.
Zain slowly reached to remove her glasses,
but she held his hand tightly.
He tried to free his hand gently with the other, but her grip wouldn't loosen.
Zain placed her glasses carefully on the side table and rested one hand under her head.
He quietly watched her sleep.
A faint smile appeared on her lips, but soon her face sank into deep thought.
Zain looked at her and whispered softly,
"Saf… today you finally said everything you'd been holding in for the past three months.
Maybe now you feel lighter."
He whispered even more quietly,
"Whether you remember it or not… everything will change tomorrow.
I don't know… what I truly want."
He slowly turned his head toward the ceiling, as if trying to escape from his emotions.
Then he closed his eyes… and drifted into sleep.