He swiftly folded the nket and ced it neatly on the wooden sofa.


    Ten minutester, Lucinda stirred awake.


    She gathered her hair to one side andbed through it elegantly as she strolled out of the room.novelbin


    Immediately, she found Nathan outside, perched on a stool and smoking again.


    It appeared to be his third cigarette.


    His craving was unmistakable.


    Lucinda concealed the emotion in her eyes, set theb aside, and made her way to wash up.


    Momentster, having finished washing her face without applying makeup, Lucinda emerged looking naturally beautiful and radiant.


    She exited the bathroom, her gaze identally falling upon the man by the door d in his ck military coat.


    Nathan was there, a freshly lit cigarette in his hand.


    She wondered how he had started a new cigarette in such a short time.


    Did he no longer care about his health?


    As Lucinda looked his way, Nathan slowly turned to face her, their eyes locking briefly.


    After a fleeting two-second exchange, he averted his gaze with a look of dejection and continued smoking, a trace of hopelessness evident.


    Lucinda quickly approached him with a furrowed brow, reaching for the cigarette.


    “Stop smoking.”


    He sidestepped, wary of hering too close to the lit end.


    But his expression was defiant, a stark contrast to his sorrowful demeanor the previous night.


    “The only person who has the right to direct me is my wife.


    And since you’ve made it clear you’re not my wife, you don’t have that right.”


    Lucinda’s expression turned icy.


    Suppressing her anger, she retorted, “I may not be your wife, but that doesn’t give you the right to smoke around me.”


    With that, she snatched the cigarette from his grasp, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it under her shoe.


    “Hilda and I don’t smoke.


    If you insist on smoking, you’re forcing us to inhale it.”


    Lucinda was visibly upset, her expression one of sheer disdain for cigarettes.


    Yet, she showed no concern for him about the health risks associated with smoking.


    Nathan’splexion grew pale as he swallowed his difort.


    He averted his gaze from Lucinda’s furious stare and managed azy smile.


    “Alright, my bad.


    I’ll go outside the yard to smoke,” he said stubbornly.


    Slipping the cigarette pack back into his pocket, Nathan rose to leave.