Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three

As evening descended, just as Bella was about to close the door behind her in preparation for bed, a foot wedged itself in the doorway, preventing the door from closing completely. Bella furrowed her brows at her husband, who stood outside with a bright smile.

"Bella, let's sleep together tonight," Max said, his voice gentle as he looked at her.

Three years into their marriage, they had shared a bed, but Max had never touched his wife. It was only half a year ago that Bella discovered her husband's affair with her close friend, prompting her decision to stop sharing a bed and separate their sleeping quarters.

However, Bella didn't clearly state the reason for their separate bedrooms; she simply cited their busy schedules and the need for personal space to rest. At that time, Max had no objections, for the woman he desired to be beside then was Pearl. But now that Max saw a problem, they had been sleeping separately for half a year.

"Why the sudden...?" Bella attempted to close the door again, looking both puzzled and wary.

But Max didn't seem to notice, continuing to smile as he spoke. "What's wrong, Bella? It's natural for us to sleep together because we are husband and wife. Moreover, we've been married for over three years. Don't you think it's time for us to have a child?"

Mentioning having a child, Bella had once yearned for it deeply. However, in the past, Max had brushed it off, either diverting the topic or citing reasons such as his unstable career. Now, with Max wanting a child, Bella's answer would undoubtedly be a resounding no. Yet she couldn't show the resistance on her face; she lowered her voice instead.

"That's true, but you know, I've just started working not long ago, so I'm not used to it yet. I always feel exhausted after work. Besides, we're still young, and having a child... we can postpone it for later," Bella said with a gentle smile, but her posture was ready for confrontation if Max dared to enter her bedroom.

Max showed clear disappointment; he still wanted to enter Bella's bedroom. He desired intimacy and closeness with her. Three years into their marriage, he hadn't even touched his wife.

"How can you say that? Ideally, after marriage, we should have had a child by now. But... because of my busy work, I can only compensate you now. And yet, you say you don't want a child, Bella?" Max raised his voice, feeling extremely irritated.

Bella couldn't help but scorn her husband inwardly. If Max weren't her husband, she would have kicked him out of the house that very night. Neglectful, indifferent, dismissive, and betraying his own wife, and now, when he was bored, he wanted to come back, seeking the tenderness and care of his wife.

"Max. Are you raising your voice at me? Have you forgotten that you're the one who ignored my desire for a child, the one who often used work as an excuse to avoid me every night? And now, you speak as if you're a good husband wanting to make it up to your wife?" Bella said, feeling annoyed. She hated Max's habit of constantly blaming the other person and believing he was right.

Max sighed. Bella hit the nail on the head, making him lower his voice. "I know I was wrong, haven't I? I've already apologized to you before. Having a child is natural, whether now or in the future, it's all the same."

The apology lacked sincerity, and Bella could see through Max's neglect and avoidance. But she didn't want to expose it; she wanted to see how far Max could go with his excuses.

Bella didn't want to continue the conversation with Max. It was clear he knew what he had done to her, but of course, he dared not admit that for three years of marriage, he had constantly neglected her because he had an affair with her friend, Pearl.

"I'm tired now and want to go to sleep. You should go to bed too. We can discuss having a child later. Besides, at this moment, I've just started working, and I need stability in my job, so-"

"Just because of your career, you don't want a child?" Max interjected angrily, cutting off Bella's words.

Bella smirked slightly. "Are you talking about yourself? Fine, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, dear." With that, Bella gently pushed Max out and closed the door. She was cautious, afraid that Max might sneak in while she slept, so she locked it from the inside.

As soon as Bella lay down on the bed, she heard a loud noise. Perhaps because his demands weren't met, Max slammed the door shut in anger.

Bella chuckled softly, feeling amused. She felt Max was truly a shameless man, a husband who didn't know shame. But Max's reaction surely indicated he didn't know Bella had discovered his affair, and of course, he didn't know his wife was also having a clandestine relationship with his friend.

The marriage had been on the rocks ever since Bella discovered her husband and her best friend were having an affair. Max and Pearl were unaware that their clandestine relationship had been exposed, and the marriage continued only because Bella desired it to, though internally it had long decayed and shattered. Only Max didn't know that, but he secretly blamed Bella, thinking that Bella was angry for no reason because he had ignored her for a long time.

Bella wasn't as sleepless as she thought; she lay awake, pondering over the past and recent events. Now that Max wanted to reconcile with her and expressed disgust toward Pearl, it pleased her. Yet, even as Max sought to return, she harbored no intention of forgiving him.

But would Pearl truly let things be?

Lost in her thoughts, Bella heard the sound of an engine starting. Only then did she realize Max had left without a word. Perhaps he went to Pearl's house to address his needs, or perhaps he feared Pearl might say something to Bella and hurried to her. Either way, when Bella showed him Pearl's messages, Max's complexion turned pale as he tried to come up with excuses to prevent her from leaving.

"Whatever the reason, it doesn't concern me," Bella smirked to herself.

Yet, as Bella began to doze off, she heard the doorbell and knocking outside, assuming it was her husband returning, she didn't leave her room. But the doorbell persisted. Bella sighed irritably, thinking it was probably some drunk who had stumbled to the wrong house, a common annoyance in their neighborhood.

Though she initially thought she couldn't sleep, Bella drifted into a deep slumber shortly after. She couldn't gauge how long it had been when she felt something heavy, like a boulder, on top of her.

Her body felt weighed down, and in her subconscious, she instinctively pushed the weight off. But no matter how hard she pushed the "boulder" didn't budge; it seemed to grow heavier, making it difficult for her to breathe, causing her to thrash involuntarily.

Suddenly, Bella heard a soft chuckle. A large question mark formed in her mind, "Can a boulder laugh?"

This thought jolted her awake, and she opened her eyes to see who or what was pressing down on her. To her astonishment, it was Levi.

"W... What... Levi, what are you doing here? Wait, how did you even get into my house?" At this moment, she thought she was dreaming, and Levi had appeared in her dream. Bella rubbed her eyes and looked towards the door, seeing it was open, although she distinctly remembered locking it from inside.

"Did you think you were dreaming, huh?" Levi's deep, masculine, and familiar voice made Bella abruptly realize this couldn't be a dream; his voice was too clear and real.

Furrowing her brows, Bella pushed Levi away, calming herself before asking, "How did you break into my house? Moreover, breaking and entering at this hour—if someone else not me had found you, they'd have called the police."

"So, you're not going to call the cops on me, are you?" Levi pointed to himself and grinned.

Bella sighed, "If you want, I can call them right now. Alright, cut to the chase, why are you here at this hour?"

But Levi didn't answer immediately; instead, he stared at Bella intently, his enigmatic smile making her feel somewhat uneasy about how to react.

"You and your husband seem very close recently, huh? Do you both want to reconcile after Max betrayed you?" Levi's charming smile persisted, but there was an undertone of dissatisfaction in his words.

Bella couldn't fathom what he wanted; breaking into her house illegally in the middle of the night and now talking nonsense.

"Levi, my relationship with Max has nothing to do with you. Yes, I want your help, but I don't need you interfering in my relationship with Max because I can handle it on my own. Moreover, please answer my question first: why are you here?" Bella furrowed her brows, remembering Levi's odd behavior from the last time they interacted; something was off about him.