Kaden ate his food leisurely. He sat there like he was dining in a fine restaurant. With each relaxed bite, he ignored the venomous glare from his wife across the table. He sliced through the perfectly cooked filet mignon. Meanwhile, his wife sliced it like she was envisioning his face.

  "How's the food?" Kaden asked just to piss her off further.

  "Would be a lot better if you weren't sitting across from me." Lina stabbed the meat and placed it into her mouth. She could feel the flames of the fireplace. Her nostrils flared at the heat crawling to her back.

  Kaden's lips curled upwards. His gaze flickered to the two sculptures at the end of the table. He had just tossed in the picture frame. She looked like she was plotting his murder.

  "I just love my delightful wife," Kaden teased. "Always the kindest woman."

  Lina scoffed, wishing he would burn his tongue on the soup. He hadn't. Of course not. With another stab of the food, she placed her fork down. This instantly ruined his good mood.

  He narrowed his eyes.

  "Hungry for something else?" Kaden asked.

  Lina stood up and grabbed her sculptures. He immediately followed after her, dropping his utensils.

  "If the food isn't to your liking, then we'll have seafood. If you do not want seafood, we'll cook vegan."

  Lina pressed her lips together. "I'm tired and sticky. I want to sleep."

  Kaden's attention moved to her barely-touched food. He crossed the table and she stepped back. He gave her a warning stare.

  "I had the chef cook your favorite dessert, milk pudding. Come and have some," Kaden lured her, grabbing her by the waist. "You'll like it. There's extra sugar."

  Kaden lowered his head and took the sculptures from her hand.

  "My clothes are getting tighter."

  "Good."

  Lina gaped at him like he was crazy. He simply bent, kissed her on the mouth, and pulled her back to the dining room. Then, he called for Theodore to bring in the dessert.

  "I'm not hungry," Lina insisted.

  That was, until a maid placed the perfectly jiggly pudding onto the plate. She swallowed.

  "You're pregnant then?" Kaden countered.

  "I'll eat."

  Kaden scoffed. He leaned back in his seat and watched her pick up the spoon. She immediately dived into the dessert. She had the appetite of a child. He supposed it was because of her lack of childhood. At this, he softly frowned to himself. Both of them had a horrible childhood.

  Would they make great parents? Would they bury themselves in parenting books?

  "Let's discuss the ceremony," Kaden softly said.

  Lina continued to dig into the pudding, pouring a generous amount of strawberry sauce over it. Then, she paused at how familiar it looked like blood. She suddenly didn't want it anymore. Raising her head, she saw the maids in the corner of the room. They lowered their eyes, but she saw it. Red.

  Lina's heart trembled. This was a house of vampires and she was human. Releasing a shaky breath, she turned her attention to Kaden.

  "I've yet to visit a wedding planner," Lina told him. "But I'll see one tomorrow."

  "I'll clear my schedule and come with you," Kaden decided.

  "Really?" Lina asked, perking up instantly. She was worried she'd have to do everything alone. She didn't want to be lonely trying out the cakes, venues, food, and everything in between.

  "If you want something," Kaden calmly began, switching her eaten dessert with his untouched one. He realized the red sauce disturbed her, even though it was genuine fruit.

  "All you have to do is ask." Kaden settled his pudding in front of her, including the bright passionfruit sauce. Her lips parted and he gestured for her to eat. She smiled and dug in.

  "And if I ask for the world?"

  "I'll have them bend the knee to you," Kaden mused.

  "Those are just words," Lina teased.

  Kaden's eyes flickered. "That's what you think."

  Lina couldn't even laugh. She knew it wasn't a joke. Lucky for him and everyone else, she was not greedy.

  "You'll give anything I ask for?"

  "Anything."

  "I want a normal life," Lina mumbled. "A comfortable life where I can forage in the forest out of boredom, far from the limelight and paparazzi. I want a place to focus on my craft, work from home, and raise my children along the way."

  "We'll move."

  "This house is nice," Lina said to him. "There's a lovely forest not too far of a drive."

  "We'll move to a place where the forest is within walking distance, but will be fenced off for safety," Kaden instantly said. "A place that not even the paparazzi could reach. The house will have a quiet place dedicated to a library for you, a workspace you wished for, and a patio for you to enjoy the sunlight."

  Lina's breath was caught in her throat.

  "Anything else?"

  Lina blinked.

  "Whatever you desire," Kaden murmured. "You shall have. Now tell me."

  "I'd like pudding for dessert more often…"

  Kaden blinked. All the wealth in the world could be laid at her feet and she'd ask for something not there. He could make her wildest dreams come true. And she was asking for something as easy as food?

  One day she was going to give him a heart attack from surprise. Kaden could never understand her. The more he thought he knew her, it barely scratched the surface.

  "Pudding for dessert every week then."

  Lina immediately smiled and nodded, despite the hesitation in her eyes. She returned her attention to the food, fully aware of his intense stare. She didn't think she'd ever get used to it.

  "Why do you always watch me?" Lina mumbled.

  "To make sure you don't drop dead."

  "I'm serious," Lina groaned.

  "To make sure you don't disappear into thin air."

  Lina froze. She raised her eyes to him, worried by his behavior. She was even more concerned that he sounded serious to both responses.

  "Kaden—"

  "Everytime I look at you, I'm terrified you're just an illusion and I'm in a mental asylum. I have to touch you to know you're real. I have to watch you in case I turn away and you never return."

  Lina's eyes watered. She didn't know what caused this fear, but could only assume it happened before. The worst part? Kaden didn't even look pained by his own words, as if it was completely normal to feel that way.

  "And nothing in the world will reassure me otherwise. Not even your word. I have to touch and see you with my own eyes to know you're real and in the flesh, dove of mine."

  Kaden didn't take his attention off of her. Even now, he was haunted by the memories. He thought back to her escape in the forest under the dangerous rain. She'd rather suffer from hypothermia than go back with him. One moment she was in front of him and the next, she was gone, limp in his arms from the rain. He also pictured her in the battlefield, where one second she was well and alive, and the next, blood oozed from her as the light fled her eyes.

  "I try to not think about it, but it always comes back to me. I need to know you're truly here, in the bone," Kaden stated.

  Lina could say nothing. She could only offer him a pained smile, slide her hand across the table and touch his. Immediately, he curled his fingers around hers.

  "Next time, sit beside me," Kaden commanded in a soft voice. "You're too far away."

  Lina forced a small laugh. Even at a vulnerable time, he could still make demands.

  "And I can't place food onto your plate from the other side of the table," Kaden muttered under his breath, a personal complaint of his.

  "What was that?"

  "The dessert is going lukewarm. Eat."

  So, Lina ate. It was quite difficult with his tight grip on her hand and intense gaze. But she ate, nonetheless. Because he was watching and because he seemed like he'd shatter if she did not. Whatever caused his fear, she knew she was involved.

  They were two guilty lovers, each dying in regret and could never be healed except by time…… Time with each other.