Seraphina grinned even wider. However, Elowen frowned.
"Then can you read me a story?" Seraphina snatched the storybook from her mother and held it out to Soren.
"Of course." Soren readily accepted the book. He sat beside Elowen, purposefully pressing himself closer to her.
Elowen stiffened. His touch, the warmth of his body, sent heat through her. She instinctively tried to move away.
Soren leaned toward Seraphina, blocking Elowen’s escape. "Which story do you want me to read?"
He held the book out to Seraphina.
The little girl pointed at one of the stories. "This one."
"Alright." Soren leaned back against the headboard, one arm stretching behind Elowen’s shoulders.
Elowen’s breath hitched.
"So this story says..."
"Since your daddy is reading you a story, I’ll leave." Elowen quickly slipped off the bed. "I still have some work to finish."
Without glancing back, she hurried out of the room.
Soren’s mouth remained open as he stared at her departing form.
’She just left. Does she not want me near her?’ He felt a bit disappointed.
"Daddy, read the story for me." Seraphina’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Uh..." Soren nodded. "I’m reading it."
Outside the room, Elowen pressed herself against the wall beside the door. Her heart raced faster and faster. She put a hand on her chest.
"Was he flirting with me?" Her cheeks felt warm.
She then heard Soren’s voice drifting out of the room as he began reading the story to Seraphina.
Elowen froze. She turned her head slowly.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She leaned forward and peeked into the room through the door’s narrow opening. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her hand moved to her mouth.
’He is actually reading her a story.’
The more she watched, the more surprised she became.
She had imagined this moment countless times. But Soren barely had time in the past.
He was always busy with work, always leaving, and always choosing everything else over his family.
Now he had come home early and patiently read Seraphina a story.
Her suspicion only grew stronger.
"No... this is not right—definitely not right," she whispered. "Something has gone wrong with him."
She turned and hurried away.
Elowen didn’t go to the bedroom. She headed straight to the study.
’There has to be something,’ she muttered in her mind. ’I need to find out what it is.’
She searched the whole room, rummaging through the shelves, cupboards, and drawers. But she found nothing suspicious.
Frustrated, she finally sank into the plush chair behind the desk, breathing heavily.
Soren’s smiling face suddenly flashed through her mind.
The gentle look in his eyes when he looked at her, the softness of his voice when he read Seraphina a story, and the way he had pressed himself against her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Everything came rushing back one after another.
A strange warmth spread through her body. Her stomach fluttered.
"Stop..." She covered her ears as if that could silence her thoughts. "Stop thinking about him. This change is temporary, only temporary. He is not serious about me."
She was about to leave when something caught her attention.
A pile of files lay on the side of the table.
Those were the only things she had not checked. She hesitated for a moment before she reached out and picked up a file.
Those were project documents—nothing useful for her. She checked another file and then another.
Still nothing.
But when she opened the last file, her eyebrows shot upward.
Inside, she found a promotion document for an employee. And the name on it was Tahlia.
She read the document over and over. Her surprise deepened.
’So he is making her the vice president of his company.’
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the file. A sharp sting pierced her chest.
’He is keeping her so close to himself. And here he is, pretending he has changed. Soren, how long are you going to lie to me?’
Inside Seraphina’s room...
Seraphina fell asleep soon.
Soren stopped reading. He closed the book and placed it on the bedside table. He looked at her pretty, peaceful face.
A soft smile touched his lips.
"Goodnight, princess," he whispered as he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead.
Gently, he got out of bed, tucked the blanket around her, and slipped out of the room. He entered the master bedroom next door.
Elowen had not fallen asleep yet. She was sitting at the table by the window, working.
Soren approached her. His eyes fell on the design spread across the table.
It was a modern residential building with clean lines, large windows, and an open layout.
She had carefully marked the floor plan, showing the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and garden area.
Every space had been arranged to make the house feel open, rich, and comfortable.
Soren stared at it for several seconds. He was genuinely stunned.
"This design... It’s amazing."
He had never paid attention to her work before. He didn’t know she was this good at her job.
Elowen looked up. "Really?" she scoffed in disbelief.
Back then, she had wanted to join the Vale Corporation, but he had said a small designer from a second-tier college wasn’t qualified to work for his company.
And now he was praising her work.
She wasn’t happy. All she felt was a hollow ache in her heart.
"You never appreciated my work before. You once said I graduated from a second-tier college and that I wasn’t qualified to work at Vale Corporation."
Soren’s mouth remained slightly open. He couldn’t speak for a long moment.
He had said many cruel things to hurt her in the past. And now, he regretted every one of them.
"I know I was a jerk. But I’ve changed now."
"Changed?" she interjected immediately. "This change happened overnight. That seems fishy." She cocked her head. "What are you hiding, Soren?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" She rose to her feet and searched his eyes. "What is it, Soren? Tell me what you want. I never said no to you. I signed the divorce papers without hesitation. Where do you want me to sign this time? Just say it. You don’t have to pretend to be a good husband."
The doubt in her eyes hurt him more than he had imagined.
"I already told you. I want nothing but you." He reached out and held her hand. "Trust me, Elowen. I’ve changed."
She shoved his hand away.
The pain shot through his arm, and he grimaced.
Elowen’s expression changed instantly. Her eyes fell on his hand.
There was blood on his knuckles.
Her annoyance vanished.
"What happened to your hand?" she asked, grabbing his wrist. "How did you get hurt?"
Soren stared at her. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
’This was his wife.’
She was still the same caring and gentle woman.
What a shame that he had not seen it sooner.
"What’s wrong with you?" Elowen frowned when he remained silent. "Why are you staring at me?"
Soren blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He looked down at his reddened knuckles.
"Did you fight someone?" Her gaze darkened.
Soren instantly remembered what had happened at the club. The gentleness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by cold anger.
"Yes." He didn’t lie. "If he dares to come in front of me, I’ll beat him again."