The Woman From Hell

His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he looked at me and waited patiently for my answer as if he had all the time in the world.

I finally heaved a sigh and surrendered. "Tyler Schuman, like me, was adopted by our mother. We have been living together for more than a decade; he’s like a brother to me. However, something happened a few years back, and he left home. Ever since then, I lost contact with him. It was only recently that I got back in touch with him when we bumped into each other at Rosella City.”

I avoided the main point and spoke only about vague events, briefly walking him through our past.

He began with a poker face. "It all sounds so lovely, huh? Reuniting with your childhood sweetheart? Do you regret not meeting him earlier?”

Anger surged through my veins. I raised my voice. “I told you, he's my brother. That's all there is to it!”

"Wanda, do you think I’m stupid? If he's just a brother, why didn't you tell me about him earlier? And do all brothers act so snuggly and cuddly around their sister?" He squinted at me and sneered. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

"The only reason I didn't tell you was because I didn't feel a need to. As I've already said, something

happened between us and I have more fear than affection toward him. I've already said I'm sorry for today-I know I was in the wrong, and I can admit to that, Theo. Anyway, it's getting late and you should eat. I'm going back to the room."

I was so agitated that all I wanted to do was get out of there. I was afraid staying would only push me past m y limit. There was no other choice-I had to leave before my emotions took control of me and made everything worse.

"Wanda, watch yourself. Are you seriously apologizing to me with this attitude?" he roared at me from behind. I ignored him, responding instead with a slam of our bedroom door.

After washing up, I lay in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, not feeling any wave of tiredness wash over me.

Theo came in about half an hour later. He stormed in with a displeased look on his face, and he simply stood still for a bit, briefly looking at me before turning into the bathroom. It was obvious he was still upset, just like I was, but it was also clear we were both trying to keep it to ourselves to avoid another fight.

Quietly, I sighed again. I had been wearing my emotions on my sleeve lately, and it was not helping m e in any situation I was involved in at all. I knew for a fact I should not be acting this way, but I just could not seem to overcome it. If this were to persist, would I be able to stay sane until the child was born?

As these thoughts were running wild in my head, Theo stepped out of the shower, toweling his hair dry. Another towel was wrapped around his waist. That was all he was wearing.

I looked up, gazing at the prominent lines that formed his body, and then, I landed upon a bruise that spanned a good few inches. It started at his shoulder and stretched all the way down to his back-the spot where I hit him yesterday with my bat. I wondered if I had injured him internally.

Well... It looked like it hurt a good deal!

I crawled out of bed and rummaged through the storeroom until I found the first aid kit. By the time I fished out the vial of medication and returned to the bedroom, Theo had already climbed into bed.

I walked toward him and ordered, "Turn around."

Taken by surprise, he glanced up at me in confusion.

"Your whole back is bruised, it needs embrocation. Let me help you with that." I met his eyes and found myself incapable of fending off the guilt that almost suffocated me.

"Oh, so now you know how ruthless you were?!" He tossed a glare at me, but he set his phone down and obediently flipped himself around.

I poured some of the medication out onto my palm and applied it along the mark on his back. "Does it

hurt on the inside?" I asked between rubbing motions.

He turned his head slightly and looked me fixedly in the eyes. “Did that question not pop into your head when you swung that stick at me?"

My hands froze mid-action as I fumbled for a reply. After a brief moment of silence, I resumed where I had left off and continued massaging his back gently.

He swiftly caught onto every tinge of my remorse, and the glacial expression on his face softened. The corners of his lips curved upward in a flawless arc, and he said in his deep voice, "No, not at all."

"What? What were you saying?" I blurted. He had knocked me off guard.

"I said... it doesn't hurt. You should exert a little more force! It feels like you're just trying to tickle me," he uttered. As he spoke, he even cast an enigmatic gaze a t me.

I feigned ignorance and quickly finished up with a few more sloppy rubs. With that, I stowed the vial away and scurried into the bathroom to clean my hands.

When I got back, he was still lying on the bed in the same position I had left him in.

I paused for a brief second before I got into bed and lay down, my back facing him as I perched on the furthest edge of the mattress.

Once the lights were off, he drew me into his embrace. "You were the one who flirted with me first. Are you trying to evade responsibility now?" Just then, his deep, sexy voice filled the darkness.