Chapter 9 chapter eight

The day Benny proposed an annulment, Leo bought her a gift: a brand-name microscope.It was a majestic instrument, with its rotating slide holder, two-stage condenser, projected tracer, and brass decoration as brilliant as Cupid's golden arrow. Why buy this gift?He couldn't tell either.He didn't even know if she needed a microscope.But that's just the way males are, sometimes bringing home something bright and colorful with sizzling hopes. The microscope and countless accessories were packed in an exquisite mahogany case. He put the case on the study table, and then went to the other side of the room to pour a small glass of brandy.

are you free?I have something to tell you. He turned around in surprise.She was at the door of the study, wearing a blue silk suit, which was what she usually wore to work in the hospital.But now it was afternoon, God knows how long he hadn't seen her at home during the day. Of course, he said.Want a drink? She declined and sat down at the table.Would you please sit down too? He sat down behind the desk, face to face with her.She sat stiffly, looking tired, with tight lips and heavy dark circles under her eyes.She smelled of a strange chemical, not carbolic acid, but the pungent smell of ammonia.But he hadn't been this happy in a long time, finally being able to be close to her again, to talk to her again.

She put her hands on the table, clasped her fingers, and began to lecture him at length. After the first sentence, every word she uttered lost its meaning, like turning over a page in an Oxford dictionary, and the words just flowed by.He watched her mouth open and close, her lips made different shapes, and felt her voice hit the eardrums, but he couldn't understand a word, only knew that she was about to throw him off the cliff. When things were going wrong, he left his seat and went to the window to open his pocket watch.Some deranged part of him wanted to know the time, how long it would take for her to state, how to end their marriage with a bunch of lies.But time has become like an ancient dialect, and he can't understand it anyway.So he stared blankly at the pocket watch, which was a gift from her when she was engaged, and the inside of the cover was engraved with love is patience and love is kindness.

He feels neither patience nor kindness.He had planned to drag her upstairs as soon as she had finished, and let her complain to the bedposts about his brutality. After she did finish speaking, he looked back at her.And she gazed at him expectantly.Can I count on you to cooperate and get this done? She stood up.Put one hand on the table and press the microscope case with the other. He returned to the table and pulled over the box that she was holding down.He opened the lid and assembled it before her eyes.When he was done, he took a step back.That's right, this instrument is indeed exquisite, and the store says it can last a lifetime.

On the other side of the table, she glanced blankly at the microscope, then raised her eyes to look at him, her eyes were as green as a rainy summer day.Well, can I count on you to cooperate and get this done? He suddenly realized: she is not worthy.She doesn't deserve this microscope.She didn't deserve to let him go out of his way to please her, just to tease her to break the silence.Marriage was noble and solemn, and she did not deserve it. Of course, he said.I will try my best to cooperate. As long as he focused his eyes, he could see the shape of the shoulders, the lines of the arms.She sat on him without moving, naked like a mermaid, her skin soft and hazy under the slightly blue starlight.

Although he could barely see some light and shadow, this was the first time he had seen her so much naked.In the cool bedroom of his London home, with the shutters tightly shut, he paints every inch of her sleeping body.He knew her body's topography (the angle of her knees, the rise and fall of her spine), its touch (slightly rough on her heels and elbows, fine hairs on her arms and calves), her taste (sweet at the tips of her nipples, a slightly spicy turmeric-like aroma between her legs) ).But he hadn't seen it. He spread his palms on her stomach.She is like a statue given life in mythology, warm and still.He put his other arm around her and pulled her upper body across.

She resisted, but it was just a show, but she actually wanted to refuse, because he didn't use any force.He pulled her over and kissed her chin and forehead.She turned her face away, as if worried that he would kiss her on the mouth.So he kissed her ear very delicately, listening to her soft and choked breathing in joy. Her ears, her shoulders, the tops of her arms.His hands slid down her back, cupping her soft, round buttocks.Inside her, he stiffened again.She moaned softly.Such a beautiful sound, pure lust, pure pleasure. Because the bed was small, he slowed down and turned carefully to come over her.He kissed her throat, collarbone, and breasts.Her hips moved, pleasure washed over her.

She held his wrist hesitantly.For a moment he was filled with apprehension that she would push him away.But her hands climbed up his arms and finally wrapped around his neck. His heart slowly returned to its original position, and his body moved with the corresponding worship rhythm.But her cooperation was like a strong aphrodisiac, and soon he was intoxicated by desire. If he hadn't been concerned about pleasing her, he would have been unable to resist the domination of his lust. However, when she clung to him tremblingly, he couldn't bear it anymore, the wave that had been waiting for a long time finally rushed to the shore, and the fervent admiration turned into ecstasy.

He advances aggressively, possessing her, marking her, filling her with himself, dominating and submitting at the same time, taking and giving at the same time. He is both her master and her slave. As soon as she came to her senses, she hurriedly got out of bed, picked up her pajamas and put them on in a hurry. Stay with me, he said. Best not to play tricks. So you just came to ravage my body?There was a hint of a smile in his tone.He knew she couldn't do that. It took her half a minute to find the sleeves to slip in, and he sat up on the bed to light a lamp. Don't rush away. very late.

It was very late when you came.He had only been wearing pajama pants, but now he had his jacket on, but all three buttons were undone.The flickering light glides over the bare skin of his throat and chest.sit down. She shook her head. He fisted her cheek with his thumb.I am a patient, you want to make me stand all the time? Medically speaking, he was no longer a patient, and he could stand for as long as he wanted, not to mention that they had to start up the Lowari Pass early in the morning.Still, he was too thin, and she still thought he needed rest. She sat down on the edge of the bed without hesitation.He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.I don't bite, you know, he said.I may lick, but I don't bite.

I don't want you to lick me either. Then I'll only lick where you want me to, okay? No, it won't happen a second time. Um.So how did it happen the first time?He kissed the corner of her eye lightly.Are you out of your mind too? certainly.Delirious with primal desire and stupidity.sorry.There will never be a second time. I want a second time, his voice is low but fierce. She shook her head. Why? Because it's not right. Is it the same as our marriage?His tone was less warm. She swallowed.That's right. He stood up, the tent barely high enough for him to stand upright.After losing Tao Tao, has your heart turned to stone?he asked with his back to her. Her heart did not turn to stone, because there was a sharp pain at this moment.Please don't make judgments about things you know nothing about. You're right, I don't know anything about your heart, because you've gone to great lengths not to let me know.However, since you are a scientist, you should know that sometimes indirect observations can yield equally strong evidence. what are you talking about? I have seen with my own eyes the undeniable proof that you have no feelings. The heat of the night is gone.She stepped on the ground with bare feet, feeling so cold.if it is about the annulment of marriage Not really.He brushes his hair.You probably forgot.But a long time ago, you once received a thank you letter from the sender named Betty Yang.You performed a caesarean section for her and gave birth to the child smoothly.In the letter, she wrote that when the baby grows up, she will tell him that at their most critical moment, God sent an angel who turned into a female doctor to save them. Suddenly she began to tremble.I remember that letter. I'm sorry, because I found the letter crumpled up and thrown away. I have received so many thank you letters that it is impossible to keep them all. If you have kept any one, you should keep that one.She, he turned to face her.Or, because losing Tao Tao is too painful in your heart, so you can't see that other children have not lost their mothers? She stood up abruptly.Loud applause echoed in the tent.When she looked at the stinging palm, she finally realized that she had hit him.Don't say that about me, she almost snarled.Don't even think about it. He rubbed his face with the back of his fingers, but his expression showed no hesitation.Why shouldn't I think?Why shouldn't I draw reasonable conclusions? Because your conclusion is wrong. He pursed his lips in disdain.Now that you know your own logic so well, explain it.Why is that letter in the trash? Bernie was in a very good mood that day.A week before the wedding, Leo visited her in the hospital before leaving for a series of speeches in Paris.Many of her colleagues were meeting him for the first time and were still smitten with her handsome fiancé. She felt superior, almost soaring into the sky with ecstasy. This perfect day will soon add another record of a successful caesarean section outside the hospital.The circumstances of this case are a bit unusual: a lady's maid left her job to get married, but her husband died in a work accident just six weeks later, so she had to return to her old employer.The butler repeatedly emphasized that the maid was officially married and the child was innocent, as if worried that if it was an illegitimate child who was pregnant out of wedlock, Beni would be hasty in performing the operation. She took the child out of the womb, and his cries were loud and powerful.Assisting nurses washed and swaddled him and reported that the baby was fine.Bernie cut the stitches and peeled off the bloodstained gloves. She prepared a pamphlet of what you need to know about caring for a C-section wound.When the surgical assistant was cleaning and packing up the equipment, Bei Ni handed the booklet to the housekeeper, and highlighted the most important points. In order not to make the housekeeper too nervous, she also specifically stated that the hospital would send nurses to visit the mother and child every day for the next three weeks . The operation was carried out in the servants' room in the basement of the lady's mansion, and the dining table was used as an operating table.There was a small window near the ceiling, looking out onto a small garden between the main house and the stable.While the housekeeper was studying the pamphlet, a woman's voice came from outside with a very elegant accent. You're here. Then Bernie heard his voice.Didn't you say that the servants are on vacation this afternoon?How can I see there are still figures in the maid's room? No, it couldn't be Leo.He has set off for Paris.It's impossible to show up at the back door of a woman's house like a wild man who came to have an affair. real.the woman said.There is no one in the house. I think it's still a T. But that voice really sounded like Leo. Oh, come on, you're already here. The door closes.Footsteps moved towards the front of the main house, and then went upstairs. Miss?The steward called her. Benny turned her head in a daze.What? I was just asking, do you and the other two want some tea? Please get them tea, I don't need it, she said.May I borrow the restroom, please? The housekeeper told her how to wash her hands.Bernie went upstairs from the basement, passed through the green woolen door curtain, and saw the main staircase leading from the vestibule upstairs.She went upstairs silently, repeating frantically to herself: It wasn't Leo, it wasn't Leo, it couldn't be Leo. He would never do such a thing. Right? The bedroom of the host couple is usually located on the third floor.After going upstairs, she walked more lightly. Looks like you still prefer to leave the door open, the man said. Bernie was startled.The door is on her left, as long as you take two steps forward, you can She covered her mouth, and a naked woman was lying on the big bed. And I can still undress faster than you, the woman blinked playfully. Admirable, the man said. It is impossible to imagine that person as Leo.Can't.But every time he spoke, she trembled all over. He moved.A mirror at the far end of the room reflected his face.She opened her mouth wide, but didn't scream.For an instant the world seemed to be falling off a cliff, and then she descended, swift and silent as a ghost, trembling with every step. She never forgot Tao Tao, and she never forgot those splendid three years.She thought she was out of despair, but she hadn't.She's been waiting for another fairy godmother to arrive.In her heart, Tao Tao is a friend and a reliable partner, and even a fairy godmother who drives away loneliness and brings magic to her. Leo has the same magic.In any occasion, as soon as he appears, the whole audience is immediately full of vitality.When he spoke, everyone listened attentively.Previously Tao Tao had the same influence on the children.Young ladies literally fainted when he smiled, as happened in two cases at his first prom in London. Most importantly, he brings her into the magic too.On those good days, he looked at her as if he were interested in her, and with all his heart and only her, as if she meant something, not just to him, but to the whole world.In the eyes of the social circle, she had always been a bewildering eccentric, but because he favored her, everyone treated her with a noticeably warmer attitude. In her eyes, he is the one to succeed Tao Tao.After waiting for so long, she finally found this person who could bring her happiness, end the monotony, regain laughter and excitement, and start a new golden age.She loved him for that, with the unsuspecting passion of a boy and the total confidence of a child. Her Leo, so gorgeous, so beautiful. In the end, there was such a catastrophic shortcoming. Looking back now, it's really strange that she didn't have any vitality.Not that day, not for a whole week, until seeing him at the altar on the wedding day, and the anger in my heart was kindled instantly.Before that, she only felt shame, and the unbearable shame made her go straight home and go to bed with her head covered and crying, unable to even look at herself in the mirror.She was so overwhelmed by shame that she was convinced that, in all social situations, people would laugh at her for being ignorant and gullible. Over time, anger overshadowed shame, grief over anger.But the shame is always there, and the darkness lurks sadly at the bottom of her heart.Because she couldn't face the shame, she kept quiet about what she saw. Or it could be because you can't bear to relive the excruciating pain of betrayal. You don't really care about the letter, you've never met the person who wrote it anyway, she said.You just want to know why I don't want to continue being husband and wife with you. He stared at her, his gray eyes were like a rainy day.Very reasonable.Why? Because I found that you were young, superficial, self-righteous, and full of frivolity and absurdity that made me despise.Shame on me for my poor choice.There are plenty of men in London to match me, and I'm looking for a selfish playboy. He froze, as if he had stopped breathing. She sighed.Now you know all about it.Good night.