Chapter 2
"No issues with the card," I said.
With a face like that, it was probably for the best if Russell couldn't walk.
At least he wouldn't be out stirring up trouble.
Russell shook his head desperately, his mouth opening and closing, but not a single sound escaped.
"Go ahead, scream all you want. Even if you tear your throat apart, no one will care," I said.
After that, I paused and chuckled to myself.
Oh, right.
He couldn't even make a sound.
By the time it was over, dawn was approaching.
Russell lay on the bed, his gaze vacant as he stared up at the ceiling.
The blanket had slipped down to his waist, and his collarbone was lined with marks.
I propped my head up and watched him.
The more I looked, the more pleased I felt.
He felt my gaze and slowly turned to face me.
His eyes were rimmed with red.
He opened his mouth, tried to speak, but nothing came out.
Finally, he turned his head away, his eyelashes trembling, glistening with a trace of tears.
I found myself liking him even more.
Even if he were nothing but a pretty face lying there, he'd still be my pretty boy.
The most handsome man in Hamburg now belonged to me.
The next day, I wheeled Russell over to greet his mother.
Russell's mom, Salena, was born into a prestigious family. She was the picture of elegance and grace, and back then, she was one of Hamburg's most famous talented women.
As soon as Russell saw his mom, he started gesturing desperately, trying to get his point across.
"Get her out of here. I want her gone!"
Salena didn't understand sign language, so she turned to me.
"What's he saying?" she asked.
I smiled and translated, "He says you can't kick me out."
Russell whipped his head around and glared at me, signing frantically, "That's not what I said!"
I went on translating.
"He says he's crazy about me," I said.
Salena's eyes were rimmed with tears as she took Russell's hand.
"Russell, I won't send Alma away," she said.
"Before, I was worried the Schultz family wasn't wealthy enough, that Alma wasn't respectable, and that you wouldn't like her.
"But seeing how much you care about her now, I'm so happy."
Salena had the staff set up a feast, filling the table with all kinds of dishes.
I tenderly served Russell some food, making sure his plate was never empty.
Russell shot me a dark look and gestured stubbornly. "No way. I'm not eating."
I told Salena, "He says he's not into this stuff."
Russell was getting desperate. "That's not what I said!"
I turned to Salena.
"He says he wants some oysters," I said.
Salena clapped her hands in delight.
"Oh, you two are just married. You need to eat some oysters and keep your strength up.
"I'll have the cook whip up a few extra batches. Russell can have as many as he wants!"
Before long, the cook brought out plates after plates of oysters, filling up the whole table.
Russell stared at the sea of oysters, completely dumbfounded.
He sat up straight, signing even more desperately.
"Mom! She's totally lying to you. Please, get her out of here—right now!"
I helpfully translated, putting on my best caring act.
"He says that's still not enough.
"He says he's planning to give you three chubby, bouncing grandkids," I added.
The whole room fell silent.
Salena jumped up, her voice shaking with excitement. "For real? He really said that?"
I nodded.
"No doubt about it," I said.
Salena pulled me into a tight hug, crying her eyes out.
"Ever since Russell's accident, he's just shut himself away in his room. I really thought he'd stay like that forever...
"But now he's finally saying things like this. It's all thanks to you. You're really something."
I put on my most reassuring face.
"Salena, don't be too upset," I said.
"If Russell isn't working, I'll just level up an alt for you."
Salena was so excited she started spinning around, practically doing a little happy dance.
She took off her emerald bracelet and slipped it onto my wrist.
Then she pulled off her earrings and unfastened her necklace.
"Bring me my ruby set. It's hers now," she shouted.
I was practically drowning in gold and jewels, my eyes dazzled by all the bling.
I turned to look at Russell.
He was just sitting there, his face was practically ashen.
On the way back, he was signing furiously in his wheelchair. "Alma, just you wait."
Smiling brightly, I pushed him along in his wheelchair.
"Alright, hubby, I'll be waiting," I teased.
"Tonight, we're going for round two."
His hand gave a little shake.
I was really living my best life now.
Every day, I roped Russell into all kinds of things.
I loaded up my tablet with a ton of adult films and just started streaming them one by one.
By the end of week one, I'd already knocked out the entire SM category.
Week two, I breezed through all the fetish stuff.
Maybe those oysters really worked their magic.
Once he realized resistance was futile, he started playing along.
Even with just one good leg, he somehow managed to run me ragged.
He was on fire—definitely not acting like a patient.
The maids had to change the sheets multiple times, their faces bright red each time.
Everyone had to admit—Russell's got a will of steel, even if his body's not at its best.
That day, a few of my besties asked me out for coffee.
With a husband this hot, you bet I was going to flaunt him.
I took Russell out in his wheelchair and made our way to the dessert shop by the mall.
My girlfriends crowded around, their eyes practically popping out of their heads.
"Damn, that's Russell? He's even hotter in person than in the photos!"
"Honestly, with his legs out of commission, you never have to worry about him sneaking off to cheat."
"Plus, he can't even talk back—no way he'll say something dumb and piss you off."
Seriously, the more I thought about it, the more perfect he seemed.
I was getting tired from pushing him, but I still wanted to go shopping with my girlfriends.
So I parked him by a pillar at the mall entrance, locked the wheelchair brakes, and tied a scarf around it just to be sure.
All set.
He was definitely not going anywhere.
I crouched down and said to him softly, "Honey, I'm heading out for a bit of shopping. You just stay here and soak up the sun, alright?"
Russell looked at me like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He was so pissed, his fingers were actually shaking.
"Oh, come on, why are you so clingy?" I teased.
Honestly, what am I gonna do with you?
"This is a girls' day out. What's a big guy like you doing crashing our party?"
When I got back from shopping, Russell was pushing the wheels himself, moving so fast it looked like the wheels were about to spark.
As soon as he got inside, Russell immediately started searching for pen and paper.
"Pen and paper? Already packed up," I said, giving Russell a playful wink.
"It's getting late—time for the main event."
Russell was so pissed, he pointed right at me and started waving his hands at the staff like crazy. "Kick her out! Get rid of her!"
The staff were stunned, then turned to me.
I stepped in to translate. "He says he's over the moon about marrying me, so all of you are getting a three-month bonus."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, madam!" the staff cheered, practically jumping for joy.