GoodReadAfter uttering those words, Dorothy closed her eyes, her body starting to tremble ever so slightly as if bracing for the agony that was imminent.
But the pain didn't come.
Instead, what arrived was him propping himself up and withdrawing from her.
"I don't want you to compensate me in this way," he said, dropping the words like a stone before turning and walking into the bathroom.
Dorothy remained lying on the bed, her hair splayed out around her like strands of seaweed.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWith his weight lifted, the air rushed back into her lungs in greedy gulps, and a bitter smile flickered across her lips.
Was this compensation? Not really.
She just wanted to feel Everett. Truly feel him intimately.
Even if it meant pain, it was something real.
The sound of water from the bathroom started up again, a gentle patter.
Dorothy sat up in bed, didn't bother with the lights, and just sat on the edge, waiting for him.
When Everett emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, she was there to meet him with an embrace.
"Just this once, no questions, okay, Everett?" "About your mom?" Dorothy nodded.
"Alright, | won't ask." He was always the one to give in, and he was used to it by now.
Everett stroked her hair. "Were you scared today?" "Yeah, | thought something happened to you." He never willingly cut contact with her, and she worried—was it an infection, had his condition worsened, was he in a hospital somewhere, or had there been an accident...
Countless possibilities had flitted through Dorothy's mind, but she never imagined he'd gone to the cemetery.
"I'm tough as nails, nothing's going to happen.” "Well, if you don't take care of yourself, who knows?" Everett chuckled, pulling her into his lap.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"If | died, Kenneth would be over the moon." "Why bring him up again?" "Didn't Kenneth flaunt in front of you that he could go to the cemetery, and | couldn't? That's just showing off." Everett was too smart not to understand.
Dorothy paused, instinctively wanting to explain, "I didn't tell Kenneth | was going today. He didn’t know! It was a coincidence we met there, and then... we walked down together.” "As far as | know, he doesn't have any family buried there." That was true.
"And | overheard a staff member saying he was visiting his mother-in-law." Dorothy was surprised. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Kenneth wouldn't do that. Look, we brought our kids back, and although he was reluctant, he didn't stop us! We've talked privately many times, and he's agreed to start dating and find a girlfriend. Can't you stop being hostile towards him, please?" "We'll see when he actually finds a girlfriend." Everett didn't believe Kenneth would follow through.
Dorothy sighed softly, "I don't want to argue about this, make it seem like I'm defending Kenneth, and then you get jealous again.
All l know is Kenneth and | can only be friends, nothing more." In the darkness, Everett's gaze locked onto Dorothy's eyes.
They looked at each other for a long while before he finally exhaled deeply.
"I can never seem to win with you." It felt like he was the only one ever caught in a bind.
"How could that be? You're the big boss, after all.” "With you in the way, how can | be?" If it weren't for Dorothy, Kenneth would have been sent far from the country long ago, never to return! He could give Kenneth money, a place to stay, a house, a car, but he had to keep him away from Dorothy!
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