Wilfred's expression was complicated. If she knew what he had done, she would not say such things. He did not dare touch her hand, let alone tell her about the darker parts of his life.Wilfred did not refuse her this time, letting her hold his hand. They sat quietly for a long while. The beads in Nina's hand seemed to deepen in color, the red tint becoming more prominent. She noticed this and asked, "Are these beads changing color?"Wilfred's eyes darkened. "Are they?"Nina held the beads up to the sunlight, confirming the brightening red. "I thought the beads might darken over time from wear, but this red seems to be getting brighter. These are your beads, right? Haven't you noticed?"Wilfred instinctively clenched his wrist, then smiled. "Maybe they're fake. I never had them tested."Nina's gaze fixed on Wilfred. "Would you wear fake beads for so long? I'm not saying they're fake, just that it's strange to have blood inside them."She sniffed the beads. "They smell of
"It’s my first time," Wilfred said.Nina raised an eyebrow. "Not bad for a first attempt. Let's see if you have a natural talent."Half an hour later, Wilfred emerged from the kitchen. There was no smell of smoke, which meant he had not blown up the kitchen. But when he set the dishes on the table, Nina was taken aback.She stared at Wilfred in horror.Wilfred, sensing her confusion, calmly explained, "This is chicken heart, and this is chicken liver… both are internal organs. This part is the chicken breast, and the legs have the most tender meat..."Listening to Wilfred's descriptions felt like a lesson in anatomy rather than a meal. She could almost picture Wilfred performing a dissection on the chicken while cooking. Instead of feeling hungry, she felt nauseous.Seeing Nina not touching the food, Wilfred asked, "What's wrong? Does it not look appetizing? I tried to keep it all intact.""It's not that..." Nina replied. "You didn't have to keep it so intact. Do you have anythi
Wilfred flinched, clearly not wanting to be touched. This only made Nina more suspicious. "Why are you still bleeding?" she demanded. His injury had been there for a while. Even if it had not fully healed, it should not still be bleeding unless he had a new wound. Wilfred tightened his sleeve, but the few drops of blood were hard to ignore. Forcing a smile, he made an excuse. "I cut myself while cooking. It's nothing serious."Nina was not convinced. "You've handled surgical tools for years. How could you accidentally cut yourself? You can't fool me! This doesn't look like a cooking injury. What really happened?"Wilfred remained silent. Seeing his reluctance, Nina took his hand and saw the hastily wrapped bandage around his wrist. It was not well done, likely because he had to do it himself with one hand. "It's just a minor injury," Wilfred said softly. "You've seen worse on me. This is nothing."He hoped she would drop the topic, but Nina's suspicions only deepened. "Did
Her gaze shifted back to Wilfred. He looked at her with a casual, unbothered expression. This was no longer surprising to him. Nina understood that the place Wilfred had come from was far from legitimate or transparent. As he said, they lived in darkness, away from the light.Even so, Nina was still deeply shocked, unable to fathom how people could live such different lives. "How could you give me your blood?" Nina's voice was filled with reluctance. "I would have woken up eventually. You didn't need to cut your wrist to help me. It's harmful to you. I don't need you to do that."Wilfred smiled, as if this was the easiest thing he had ever done. "It's just a bit of blood. It won't kill me.""You can't say that. You mustn't do it again!" Nina firmly opposed. "With me, you are a person who deserves respect, not an animal, and certainly not someone who needs to sacrifice themselves for anyone else. You are free. Don't bind yourself."Nina wanted to convey that he did not need to
Yvonne felt like she was in a dream, her head spinning. She could see that they loved each other, so how could they divorce so easily? Yvonne asked, "What happened? Nash is such a jerk for changing so quickly. I have to go confront him!"Nina had already accepted the reality. "There's no need. It's better this way. Look, now I have money and a house. I'm a rich lady now. Even if I never work again, I won't starve. You should congratulate me.""That just benefits the other woman!" Yvonne fumed, imagining herself in Nina's position. How could she bear it?"How much can she benefit, really?" Nina said. "Don't worry about it. It's over now.""Got it. I'm just worried about you. Are you okay? Do you need me to keep you company? I've been calling you, and you didn't pick up. I was so worried." Yvonne was genuinely concerned, but she knew Nina was resilient. Otherwise, Nina would not have stayed by Nash's side for so many years like an unyielding weed."If it were me, I'd divorce suc
"Alright," Wilfred said, watching Nina as she left.Nina pedaled her bicycle towards the city center, not far from her home. Nash had left her the most valuable property. It was a busy time, and she stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street.When the light turned green, she pushed her bicycle across the street. Suddenly, a young man offered, "Let me help you."Nina glanced back and saw a young man pushing her bicycle from behind, seemingly noticing that she was pregnant and might be struggling. Today, she was dressed casually, with her hair in a braid, wearing a straw hat, and a loose dress that revealed a slight baby bump. Apart from her outfit, there was little to indicate she was pregnant.She was not weak enough to need help, but not wanting to waste his goodwill, she said, "Thank you." Once she crossed the street, the young man headed in the opposite direction. She continued riding her bicycle along the non-motorized vehicle lane.For some reason, she noticed th
When Nina came out of the restroom, she saw the shop owner standing nervously by the door. Sweat was dripping from his forehead as if he had seen something terrifying.Seeing her, the owner greeted her like an important guest, "Oh, miss, you're finally out! My goodness, I can't buy this ring. Please, take it back!"He hurriedly handed the ring back to Nina."Why won't you buy it?" Nina asked, confused. "We agreed on ten thousand.""I can't, I can't!" the owner insisted, almost shoving her out the door. "I can't afford this ring. Please, go sell it somewhere else!"With that, Nina was practically pushed out of the store. She turned back to see the owner shut the door tightly, clearly closing up shop.Seeing him like this, Nina found it very strange. She had just used the restroom, and now the owner was acting like this?Nina took out her phone and saw the ten thousand the owner had transferred to her. "I haven't refunded the money yet..."There was no response from inside the st
Nina took the heavy bag from the young man’s hands. "If you won’t tell me, then don’t help. I’m not used to accepting help from strangers.""Take it easy!" the young man was worried that she might fall from exerting too much strength and tried to caution her.Nina placed the bag in the bicycle basket and prepared to leave. She rode slowly, aware that the young man was still following her. Nina glanced at him, her patience wearing thin. She got off the bicycle and raised her voice, "Why are you following me? Either stop following me or tell your boss to come out, or I’ll call the police!"Seeing her fierce demeanor, the young man hesitated. He received some instructions through his earpiece and decided to leave.Once he was gone, Nina continued her ride but could not shake the feeling of being watched. She wondered if someone had been keeping an eye on her the entire time she had been staying at home.Determined to find out, she pretended to lose control of her bicycle, wobbling