Chapter 2
"You said it yourself," I mumbled through a mouthful of food. "That was the old me.
"From now on, do whatever you want. I won't interfere."
The System had told me earlier that the thing Samuel hated most was me trying to control him.
I expected him to be relieved.
Instead, his face went cold, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
After a tense silence, he finally said, "You're angry because I had dinner alone with Emily?
"Fine. I'll keep my distance from her for a while. Is that what you want?"
His tone was resigned as exhaustion clouded his features.
I looked up at him, genuinely surprised.
"I never asked you to do that. That's your decision."
I went back to my food. "Don't you dare try to blame me for it later."
He stared at me for another long moment before turning and heading for the bathroom.
Five minutes later, the apartment plunged into darkness.
I was on the couch, and a primal fear gripped me, my body starting to tremble.
I had always been terrified of the dark.
The bathroom door flew open.
I heard frantic footsteps rushing toward me.
And then I was being pulled into a damp embrace. Samuel was shirtless, smelling of soap and steam.
"I'm here," he murmured.
His voice was softer than I'd ever heard it. He rubbed my back gently.
Three minutes later, the lights flicked back on.
I was still in his arms, and he was wearing nothing but a towel.
When he saw me staring, a faint blush crept up his neck. He coughed and practically bolted back into the bathroom.
I watched him go, seriously contemplating the divorce.
He was undeniably handsome, with a kind of refined, academic charm.
The System's voice cut through my thoughts.
"Don't bother. All of Samuel's tenderness is reserved for Emily."
That one sentence extinguished any lingering doubts.
When he finally emerged half an hour later, he found me calmly playing games.
He opened his mouth, clearly about to ask why I wasn't acting like my usually clingy self.
I used to cling to him like a vine after a moment like that.
"Just say it," I said, not taking my eyes off the screen.
He came over and sat down right next to me.
His breath tickled my ear.
His gaze drifted down and fixed on my earlobe. He seemed to have just noticed the small stud I was wearing.
"When did you start wearing earrings again?" he asked. His voice went husky with a flicker of desire in it.
The System reminded me that Samuel preferred a natural look and disliked anything flashy.
For him, I had stopped wearing jewelry for years.
I clicked my tongue and scooted away.
"Because I like them."
He gaped at me in shock but said nothing.
Then, his phone rang.
He glanced at me, as if debating whether to answer.
I reached over, snatched it from the coffee table, and answered it for him.
Emily chirped. "Sam, I made your favorite garlic shrimp! I was thinking of bringing some over. Are you home?
"Oh, and I still have some research questions to discuss."
The System explained Emily always used "research" as an excuse to pull Samuel away from me.
It had happened more times than I could count.
I didn't care to hear the back-and-forth.
I set the phone down and headed to the bedroom.
Samuel glanced at my retreating back and ended the call quickly.
"I'm not home. Let's talk tomorrow."
He followed me into the room and just stood there for a moment, watching me. Then he got into bed, lying beside me, and his hand began to trail over my hip.
I slapped it away and sat bolt upright.
"I'm sleeping in the guest room."
He shot up, his hand clamping around my arm.
He growled, "Luna! "Luna! Playing hard to get stops being cute!"
He was trying to keep his anger in check, but his eyes burned with a raw lust.
I slapped him across the face.
His head snapped to the side.
"If you ever touch me like that again," I warned, "I will personally castrate you."
I grabbed my pillow and a blanket and walked out, leaving him there in the stunned silence.
His expression was thunderous.
That night, I dreamed fragments of memories with Samuel.
I saw Samuel screaming at me.
"I was just having a professional discussion with a student! Can you stop being so disgusting and paranoid?"
I saw myself collapsing on the floor. My face was streaked with tears.
He just looked down on me, letting strangers point and whisper.
The scene shifted.
Emily and I were in a car accident. I was bleeding on the ground.
Samuel ignored my screams, scooping up Emily and rushing her to the nearby hospital.
Later, a nurse told him the blood bank was low. He finally looked at me.
His first words were not of concern.
"Her blood type is the same as Emily's. Take hers first. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."
I almost died from blood loss.
There were so many more memories just like that.
I woke to a tear-soaked pillow.
After I showered and dressed, I went to the kitchen.
Samuel was at the stove.
I looked at him calmly.
"Samuel, let's get a divorce."