(From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Can you wait for a bit? Let me get the food for you," I said. She was in my arms. And it seemed she was still shaking.


    "Okay," she mumbled.


    I did not like the fact that because of her family, she still had to suffer like that. At this moment, I wanted to kill her family more than ever. Even thinking that those disgusting people hurt my wife so badly was enough for me to want to grab their heads and smash against the wall.


    She had been crying for a while. She was even talking in her sleep though it was more like she was trembling and mumbling to herself in pain. It was the hardest thing to see. I shook her to try to wake her up, but it took her a while to get up.


    The front of my shirt was wet with her tears. I did not like to see her cry at all. No matter what the reason was, I just wanted to see her smile all the time. Crying did not suit her. But at least, she was crying in front of me. Even though I did not like to see her cry, if it was in front of me, it was a bit better as it would be bad if she looked vulnerable in front of others.


    Who knew what anyone could do to my vulnerable wife?


    I brought the food for her on the bed. The maids had brought our food in the room already. On my order, they did not wake her up. But I did not know she would sleep for this long.


    "Your face is all puffy," I said and wiped her face with my thumbs. Her cheeks were very soft, even though she was skinny. She looked even redder than usual.


    "I''m sorry you had to see an ugly sight," she muttered and tried to hide her face.


    "How can you be ugly, my wife? You''re always beautiful no matter what," I said. And it was not a lie at all. She was always beautiful- when she smiled, when sheughed, when she was expressionless, and even when she cried. But I did not like to see the beauty her crying face made. Crying was just a no.


    "But I..."


    "Don''t talk anymore, my wife. Eat. You''re hungry, right?"


    She nodded. "Let me feed you," I said.


    "No, it''s fine. I can eat by myself," she said quickly.


    "Don''t you want me to feed you?"


    "No, it''s not like that. It''s just... it might trouble you..."


    "It won''t. Doing something for you can''t trouble me," I said. "It''s fine now, right?"


    "If you want to..."


    "I do," I said and cut the meat for her. "Open your mouth."


    She opened her mouth slightly and I fed her. It was the first time I was feeding her. It was not even something great, yet I was feeling happy. Her mouth looked full. Perhaps the amount I cut was too much for her.


    "Should I cut a bit smaller?" I asked.


    She nodded immediately. She looked cute with her mouth full to the brim as she was trying to chew properly. I could not bring myself to tease her since she was sad. But I kept it in my mind so I could tease herter.


    "Is it how much you take in one bite?" she asked.


    "Kind of."


    "Jesus, I felt like I was suffocating," she mumbled.


    "That''s because the space inside your mouth is small," I chuckled. "It''s really small actually. I wonder..."


    "... Why do I feel like you''re thinking about something indecent?"


    "Absolutely not."


    ''Absolutely yes.''


    It took quite a long time to feed her, but it was enjoyable. It was always fun to watch her chew on her food. For some reason, I always found it adorable.


    "So you''ve gone out, right? How were things? Was everything alright?" she asked.


    I never talked about this kind of thing with others. But now that she asked, I could not help but feel a bit different. And it made me want to give her a detailed description and even show her the charts.


    "Everything is fine. The good thing is I didn''t need to clear out mosquitos tonight. I could, but I didn''t want to have blood on me tonight."


    "Is it because of me?" she asked.


    "... Kind of. I don''t want you to..."


    "You''re doing the right thing, right?"


    "... I guess so."


    "Then I don''t mind seeing you like that. I mean, I don''t know what to expect, but I think it will be fine since it''s you," she said.


    "Is that so?"


    "Hmm, you''re my husband after all. I should not be scared of you."


    "Should not be? But are you scared of me?"


    "Not really. I mean, not usually. Just sometimes, I flinch..."


    "Why? Am I scary?" I asked.


    "It''s not that, you know. I just... I don''t know. You''re so cute all the time, but when you''re angry, you kinda look dangerous," she muttered.


    ''Cute again? Where did she even get the idea?''


    "By the way, did you eat?" she asked.


    "You don''t have to..."


    "You didn''t, right? Eat."


    "I will eatter. You can go to sleep again if you want to. You don''t look like you can stay awake for a while more," I said and tapped on her nose. Her nose was so cute that I always wanted to touch it.


    "Nope, not happening. I''m not that sleepy anyway," she said. "I want to watch you eat now. You look adorable."


    "..."


    ''I should be the one saying that.''


    "But you look..."


    "I''m alright. I said that, right? I''m fine. Don''t worry," she smiled. It was that nk smile again. She always smiled like that when she was sad.


    I did not like to see her like that. That freaking smile... I needed to wipe that away. Where was her beautiful natural smile?


    "I can''t just say no to you," I said and looked away.