Chapter 99 Bruises
“Okay.” Norton gave a short nod.
Yvonne secretly rolled her eyes. Was he incapable of saying more than a few words at once?
“I’ll get it now.”
She wasted no time and was back in minutes with a fresh cup of coffee.
But the moment Norton popped open the lid, he frowned slightly. “Still too bitter.”
Yvonne was at a loss for words.
On her third attempt, Norton barely even looked up. “Too sweet.”
What on earth did he want, then?
That was when it hit her–he was ridiculously hard to satisfy.
Whatever, she’d keep trying.
On her fourth attempt, she took her time, carefully adjusting the sugar to get the perfect taste.
But the second Norton took a sip, his brows furrowed. “The water wasn’t even boiled.”
Yvonne just stared at him. Now she knew getting on his good side was never going to be simple.
And so, this ridiculous cycle went on.
By the seventh cup, she was so desperate she called Leif and spent ten whole minutes grilling him for tips.
Even after that, she still messed up a few more times before managing to serve another cup.
This time, Norton picked up the cup, blew on it lightly, and took two slow sips.
Yvonne leaned in eagerly. “Well? How is it?”
“It’s… decent. Not awful.”
Not exactly high praise, but hey, at least it was acceptable.
By lunchtime, the two of them sat down with Edmond for a meal.
She took a nap in the noon. When she finally woke up, the sky outside was already turning dark.
She rubbed her head groggily and checked the clock. It was over five.
She’d been slept for three whole hours!
Heading downstairs, she saw Norton playing chess with Edmond.
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Chapter 99 Bruises
Edmond looked up with a warm smile. “Had a good nap, dear?”
Yvonne felt a little awkward. “Sorry, I overslept.”
“It’s fine. Eating well and sleeping well just means you’re healthy.”
But midway through his sentence, Edmond suddenly paused, his chess piece hovering in the air.
“Grandpa, your move,” Norton prompted.
But Edmond ignored him and turned to Yvonne instead. “You had two plates of pasta at lunch, right?“.
“Yeah. The food here is just way too good.”
She was still gushing about the food when Edmond suddenly dropped a bomb. “Are you pregnant? I remember Norton’s grandma and mom acting the same way–eating and sleeping so much–when they were expecting.”
Yvonne went stiff. Pregnant? That was impossible.
After all, she had never done it with Norton.
There was simply no way she could be pregnant out of nowhere.
“Grandpa, I think you’re just too excited about the idea of a great–grandchild. She just happens to sleep a lot,” Norton said casually, trying to steer the conversation away.
But Edmond wasn’t giving up so easily. “You should still get checked–just to be sure!”
With no other option, Yvonne had to come up with a quick lie. “I already took a test. I’m definitely not
pregnant.”
Edmond’s hopes were clearly through the roof.
If she hadn’t said that, he would’ve no doubt dragged her and Norton to the hospital for a full check–up.
But no matter how many tests she took, there was simply no way for a baby to appear out of thin air–not when she and Norton had never had sex.
After her response, she could clearly feel Edmond’s mood sink.
Even during dinner, he barely touched his food.
Later that evening, Edmond insisted that Yvonne and Norton stay over at his place, which left them with no
choice but to share a bed.
Remembering the last time they had to do this, Yvonne felt a wave of unease wash over her.
To avoid any awkwardness, she let Norton shower first. Only when he was done and already lying in bed, seemingly half–asleep, did she finally make her way to the bathroom.
When she stepped out, the room felt oddly quiet.
She glanced at the bed, only to find it empty. Norton was gone.
A quick search led her to the balcony, where he was standing.
He stood there, phone in one hand, cigarette in the other, caught up in a call.
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Chapter 99 Bruises
She couldn’t make out the words, but there was a rare softness in his expression.
She had planned to wait until he finished his call before stepping out to do the laundry.
But after several minutes, he was still on the phone.
With no other option, she stepped onto the balcony anyway.
Since they were close, she could vaguely hear the voice coming from the other end of the call.
It was soft, sweet, and brimming with affection. “But I miss you. It’s been so long since we last saw each other.
I want to see you. Can you come over?”
There was no denying it–the woman’s voice had a charm that was hard to ignore.
Even Yvonne, as a woman, had to admit it was captivating.
Norton, the man who always seemed distant and impossible to approach, clearly had a weakness for soft-
spoken, delicate women who knew how to act coy.
And Shelly fit that mold perfectly.
From the moment Yvonne married Norton, all they ever seemed to do was clash. It wasn’t surprising that he
couldn’t stand her.
But certain things–her personality, her habits–were deeply ingrained in her. She couldn’t change them. And if she did, she wouldn’t be herself anymore.
It meant she was never going to be the kind of woman he idealized. Never the perfect love he might have
wished for.
After doing the laundry, Yvonne climbed into bed alone.
Though she was tall and slender, she barely took up any space, pulling just a corner of the blanket over herself.
Norton noticed how little of the blanket she had and instinctively frowned. “Don’t you feel cold?”
“No, I’m good.”
“I don’t like seeing people uncomfortable.” With that, he reached for the blanket.
He had only meant to cover her with half of it, but when he pulled at it, his eyes landed on her exposed skin. Faint bruises, some still swollen and red, stood out against her skin.
Some had faded with time, but the ones on her back were still painfully obvious.
A few remained swollen, showing no signs of healing just yet.
That night in the bathroom, she had been covered up–he hadn’t seen the bruises.
Norton pushed the blanket aside and stepped closer.
The memory of that night made Yvonne curl up instinctively, a faint tremor running through her.
“What… what are you doing?” She sat up, curling into herself, her arms hugging her body tightly.
Norton reached out, his warm hand wrapping around her ankle as he pulled her closer.
Chapter 99 Bruises
Yvonne’s voice wavered with fear. “I know you want to fulfill Edmond’s wish, but…”
Before she could finish, his hand pressed gently against a bruise on her thigh.
“When did you get this?”
“The day of the crash.”
“Did you put any medicine on it?”
“I did. But the doctor said they’d take time to fade and that I should massage them sometimes.”
Norton pressed his palm lightly against the bruise.
Even his gentle touch made her wince. “It hurts…”
“Where else?” His voice was cold, his gaze piercing.
Yvonne thought about the massive bruise on her back. Back then, the impact had left her in unbearable pain.
When she finally saw it in the mirror, her back was a mess of deep purple.
Honestly, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
With such a large area covered in bruises, she didn’t want him to see it.
She didn’t want him to witness this vulnerable side of her.
But it was too late. He had already pulled up her nightgown.
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