Twisted Ties of Love

Izabella gently nudged Casey awake, his eyes still heavy with sleep as he glanced at her. His mind was still foggy from sleep, but as soon as his gaze met Izabella's, his pupils instantly cleared. "Awake?" His instinct led him to check his phone, seven in the morning. "It's still early, want to sleep a bit more?"

"No need," she replied, "Why didn't you sleep in the bed last night? Doesn't your neck get stiff sleeping like this?"

Izabella's question made Casey aware of the stiffness in his neck. He tried rotating it, wincing at the ache. It was the telltale sign of a crick in his neck.

Casey shrugged, trying to shift the focus, "We're not married yet, I have to be responsible."

"We're dating, isn't it normal to sleep together?" Izabella had thought herself to be conservative, but Casey seemed to be even more so. They had shared a bed before when he was drunk.

What Casey didn't dare to tell Izabella was that he was afraid he couldn't control his physical reactions sleeping next to her.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

He wanted to give Izabella everything good, to make her feel secure, to give her the most perfect love in the world.

Yet, Casey had his insecurities. He was in his thirties, while Izabella was only twenty-two. They said that a three-year age difference might as well be a generation gap, but he and Izabella had crossed three such gaps.

Though Izabella was mature for her age, Casey couldn't help but worry about the age gap, afraid that Izabella would find him old.

"So, we can only sleep together once we're married?" Izabella's gaze fixed on Casey's earlobe, which was slowly turning a delicate shade of red.

Casey nodded, taken aback.

"In that case, we'd better get married soon." Or else, how long would she have to wait?

Casey was surprised, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift into a pleased smile.

Izabella stretched languidly in bed, sitting up and pushing the covers away. Her nightgown was loose, strappy, and slid down to reveal a generous amount of skin. Her soft, glowing flesh seemed like it would leave a mark if pinched.

Izabella, oblivious to any issue, looked like a well-fed cat, her eyes half-closed.

Just as she was about to get out of bed, Casey, sitting on the edge of the bed, abruptly stood, pulling the covers back over her.

Confused, Izabella looked at him, then at the blanket now covering her again, noticing the tremor in Casey's hand as he held onto the blanket.

"Promise me not to wear such nightgowns in the future."

This was the first time Casey had ever spoken to her in such a serious tone. Amused, like she had discovered a new continent, Izabella asked, "Do you mean I shouldn't wear this type of nightgown at all, or just not in front of others and only for you?"

Casey seemed to struggle, like a flame flickering in the wind. "Not in front of others."

Izabella laughed, "Alright, once we're married, I'll wear them for you every day."

How could he handle that? Being teased by Izabella first thing in the morning, Casey was momentarily dazed until Izabella reminded him, "Pass me the clothes I took off yesterday. I'll change in the bathroom." Casey picked up the clothes and placed them on a nearby chair, "Just change your clothes here. It's more convenient. I'll go to the bathroom. Call me when you're done."

Then he fled to the bathroom, leaving Izabella chuckling. She glanced at the tightly drawn curtains before moving to change out of her nightgown.

This was her first time wearing such a nightgown, and it wasn't even that revealing. If he couldn't handle this, what would he do when they were married and things got more intimate.

Once Izabella had changed and fixed her hair, she called out to Casey, "You can come out now. I'm dressed."

Casey emerged, only then daring to look at Izabella.

"Come in and freshen up, I've got the water ready, and the toothpaste is already on the brush."

As Izabella entered the bathroom, she found everything prepared for her to freshen up. She couldn't help but compare her past self, thinking of how she had also tried to please someone like this, as had Bell.

Being with Casey always put Izabella in a good mood. She looked into the bathroom mirror. She had cried a lot the previous night, but there was no sign of swelling or redness around her eyes. She touched the area around her eyes, it felt smooth, as if something had been applied.

Izabella, who was very observant, noticed a bottle of eye cream on the shelf, the cap still loose.

It seemed that Casey had applied the eye cream to reduce her swelling while she was asleep.

After freshening up, Izabella emerged to the sound of a knock at the door. Casey opened it to find Wendy standing there with a disgruntled expression, her face falling even further when she saw Izabella. "Izabella, did you sleep with my brother last night?"

Casey smirked, "Would you rather she slept with you?"

"Jerk!" Wendy's eyes widened in outrage. "You said you wouldn't sleep with Izabella before marriage and yet you sneak off with her in the blink of an eye. Did you sneak into my room while Izabella was asleep last night? Men's words are full of lies!"