Meanwhile, Michelle lay in bed rather dazed. She enjoyed a hot bath and soothed herself with some ginger decoction for warmth, but she caught a cold anyway.

  Her door was unlocked so she could hear when Luke arrived. Her heart went a mile a minute when she heard his footsteps stop in front of her door, and felt his presence close. To her great disappointment, though, the footsteps continued at a much faster pace as he walked away without giving her a visit.

  Maybe it was the illness that made her feel so vulnerable. She had already told herself repeatedly that the man was cold and unfeeling, but somehow her body still couldn't accept it. She couldn't control the tears running down her face. She chose Luke as her husband, but all she could do was staying silent. If she married any other man, she could probably have him at her beck and call. But Luke——Luke didn't love her, she believed.

  Michelle knew it was helpless, but she couldn't persuade her heart to understand and accept it. To her, he was home——a harbor where her drifting heart could dock securely.

  Late in the night, Michelle's temperature went up into a high fever. Her whole body was burning, and she felt weak and hazy as the drowsiness took over. She didn't seem to be fully there, and the sensations smothered her.

  She carelessly reached out to turn on the bedside lamp so she could get up and look for something to take that could help. Her stubbornness kept her from going to Luke for assistance, but she was too weak. When she tried to sit up, she fell back down, and she hit her head on the bedside a little too hard.

  "It's really late. Why are you still up?" The voice surprised her, but in a comforting manner. Luke appeared quietly at the door and switched on the light. He was on his way downstairs for water when he heard her rustling about. He walked in on instinct, thinking that something might be wrong with her, only to find her rubbing her head and grimacing in pain.

  "Sorry. Did I disturb you?" Michelle looked unusually ruddy, her voice hoarse.

  Her voice and pale skin concerned the man. "Are you alright? You sound strange." He frowned. He thought it would be best to leave her alone to rest, but before he knew it, he was walking towards her.

  "Yeah, I'm good. Maybe it's because I went

  Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

  To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

  "As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

  She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

  Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

  t, it would seem she thought much too highly of herself. Luke had said he would take care of her, and she took those words and made them heavy in her heart. 'Foolish, ' she thought.

  "Would you like some congee?" Maria interrupted her thoughts. "Mr. Luo asked me to cook some before he left. He said you might want something hot after you wake up." Maria's tone was concerned, but Michelle looked at her, puzzled.

  "What did you say? Luke was here last night?" Maria's words sparked some hope in Michelle. She looked at her with her eyes aflame.

  "Yes, he looked tired, like he didn't get a wink of sleep." Maria was pleased to see the strain easing between the two. She wanted to see their relationship grow well. Maybe they would even have a baby soon, she thought. The night was promising.

  "Did he say where he was going?" Michelle felt something skipping happily inside her. He was true to his word, it would seem. He stayed by her side last night, so that must have meant progress, right? He was beginning to accept her as his wife, she thought eagerly.

  "I'm afraid not. But at this hour, he's usually off to work with Mr. Mu." Maria found the question odd. How could she know about Luke's whereabouts?

  "Okay." Michelle smiled. "I see. Thank you, Maria. You can go about your day. I'll go downstairs and eat the congee in a bit." She had no appetite, but it was Luke who had Maria cook congee for her. She put her hands on her cheeks when she felt herself smiling. To show she was grateful, she had to go try some.