The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 201

Chapter 201

It was a night when sleep seemed utterly impossible.

Her body was worn to its limit with exhaustion, yet her mind remained wide awake.

And yet, almost embarrassingly, she’d simply drifted off at some point.

“Mm…”

Nina gave a small groan and stirred.

Her consciousness instantly returned, and every muscle in her body began to ache as if crying out in protest.

‘What… When did I even fall asleep…?’

After her husband’s sudden confession, she had thought there’d be no way she could sleep, but contrary to her expectations, she had slept soundly.

Rubbing her stiff eyelids, she let out a long yawn.

…Still, was it really possible to be this sore from just playing in the water for a while?

Her body felt so heavy, it was as though she might sink straight into the floor.

‘So this is the frailty of a noblewoman’s body…’

No, perhaps it was because this body hadn’t been healthy from the very start.

Either way, she’d have to work on building some stamina from now on.

“…You’re awake?”

Flinch.

Still half-drowsy, Nina lifted her stiff neck at the sudden sound of his voice.

She hadn’t even noticed him come back. Had he perhaps been awake all night?

Ash sat beside her, looking down with a faint, tired smile on his face.

Nina propped herself up on one hand.

“…When did you wake up?”

“How could I possibly sleep when you’re right beside me?”

Did that mean he hadn’t slept a wink?

Nina pressed her lips together, her face faintly flushed.

‘Wasn’t it you who said that you’d never feel anything for me?’

Even when they had shared a bed before, nothing had ever happened.

No though, even someone oblivious would find his words suggestive enough to make their heart skip.

“…Don’t say strange things like that. I don’t think I could get used to it.”

Rustle.

As he adjusted the blanket that had slipped down her shoulders, he murmured,

“I’ll try then, so that you can get used to it.”

The soft smile on his face, the gentle warmth in his eyes—both things she’d once thought she would never see from him—made her startle for a moment.

“T-That’s not what I meant. I just meant… act like usual.”

She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, trying to sound nonchalant.

If only she’d had a moment to sort out her tangled thoughts.

Her mind was still a mess from his bombshell of a confession the night before, and now that he was acting so differently, she didn’t even know how to respond.

“Are you cold?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

Now that she looked, the firewood in the fireplace was still burning.

She had expected it to be nothing but black ash and fading warmth by morning, but it seemed he’d added logs through the night to keep it going.

What had he been thinking, watching her sleep all that time?

‘Surely I didn’t snore, right? Or… drool…?’

Flustered, Nina quickly wiped around her mouth with the back of her hand.

Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any drool.

Given how many humiliating moments she’d already shown him, she half-worried she might’ve developed some new sleep habit without realizing it.

‘Wait. Why am I even worrying about this?’

It wasn’t as if she had any pride left to protect, or any reason to.

It wasn’t like she still loved her husband…

Her brows knit seriously as if pondering some deep dilemma, until suddenly her eyes widened, as though she had found the answer.

‘…Is this what it is?’

That strange impulse when someone seems to look at you fondly, or shows interest, and you can’t help but start thinking about them in return…?

Just then.

“Please turn around for a moment.”

“…Pardon?”

Tilting her head at his unexpected request, Nina hesitated before turning when she saw the insistent look in his eyes.

The simple motion of twisting her body sent a sharp pain through her muscles, almost enough to make her cry out.

Squeeze.

His hands came down gently on her shoulders, pressing and kneading with steady, careful strength.

“Ah…”

“Sleeping on the floor must’ve left you quite sore.”

“Aaahh…”

Her neck, her shoulders, even down to her shoulder blades. Each spot loosened pleasantly under his touch, and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to stop.

Letting out small groans, Nina let herself enjoy the feeling of his hands.

If nothing else, his massage was impossible to resist.

“Aunt…?”

At Ian’s small voice, Nina turned her stiff neck.

The boy had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes as he stepped out of the room.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes…”

Ian blinked sleepily at the sight of Ash massaging Nina by the fireplace, then quietly shuffled over and sat down beside them.