She still carried the hurt with her. It was always there, but she couldn't figure out why the news of Bai Ye Qing's death was bringing it all to the surface.

  'Why do I care? Why do I give a shit whether he is alive or dead?'

  And then she realized how angry she was at him. Angry that he had died.

  It was too easy. He deserved to live through the guilt and pain of what he had put her through. He deserved to deal with the repercussions. He deserved to realize he had lost everything in the world and get thrown around like a rag doll. He deserved to have to remember her as the person who ruined him. But now… he was just gone.

  She jumped when Mo Qingchen came up behind her. The way he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her was sweet, but it startled her.

  "Did I scare you?" he asked softly, seeking out the crook of her neck.

  "A little."

  He was silent for a moment. "The bedroom is nice."

  She tilted her head to one side as his lips brushed against her skin. "The whole house is nice."

  "You want to go see it?"

  He moved his hips against her ass, and she knew exactly what he was insinuating. And hour earlier, she had been so ready to jump his bones. Now, she felt lost in her own head.

  But she was determined not to allow that scum to ruin her time with her husband.

  "Yeah," she answered quietly, reaching for his hand on her hip.

  He turned her to face him, and always so perceptive to her emotions, his eyes immediately searched hers. "You okay?" he asked, reaching for his hand on her hip.

  She nodded, stepping closer to him to nuzzle her face against his chest. Maybe sex was a good idea. She was feeling extremely clingy.

  "I am okay."

  He cradled her head against his chest as his lips kissed her temple. "I love you."

  She melted into his arms. He didn't say it often, but he somehow always knew the perfect moment.

  "I love you," she murmured in response, stretching to kiss the hollow of his throat. "So much. You have no idea…"

  She looked up to meet his hard gaze. Shaking his head, he brought his hands up to hold hers between his palms. "Delusional," he muttered as he leaned down to kiss her.

  Unyielding fondness paralyzed her as his lips met hers. For a moment, she couldn't even kiss him back. She just stood there, frozen in love, while his mouth moved against her.

  Then, all at once, her heart swelled and her lips parted. She pulled him into an embrace of burning need.

  She whimpered as he picked her up, tightening her legs around his waist and fisting his hair in her hands, pulling just hard enough to elicit a throaty moan from him.

  His lips never parted from hers until they were in the bedroom and he was setting her down on the edge of the massive bed. The room looked nice but it wasn't important enough to warrant more of her attention. She could only think about how Mo Qingchen started sinking down to his knees between her legs.

  She combed her fingers through his hair, watching him as he looked down to take off my fluffy slippers. He placed it on the wood floor beside him. With unnerving patience, he repeated the same process with the second shoe and then each sock. He was moving slowly and it made her anxious for more.

  Once he was finished, she reached for him, but he didn't come to her. He just stared at her and took her bare foot in his hands, holding it in a way he was able to use his thumbs to work and massage the arch.

  It was sweet, but her foot was not what she had in mind for him to attend to.

  "Come here," she urged.

  "Be patient." She frowned at him as she let her arms fall, leaning back to support herself on her palms. "I want you to relax."

  "I am relaxed," she countered, trying not to pout.

  "Yeah?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow at her.

  "What?" She hated his sexy smirk at times.

  "I always know what you are thinking, you know…"

  "You are a mind reader now?"

  He shrugged. "Something like that."

  She huffed at him as he dropped her foot and rose up slightly to slowly push his hands up her thighs to her hips. "You are more transparent than you think."

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "Those cute little faces you make aren't just in bed, you know."

  She glared. "I feel like you are patronizing me."

  It was his turn to frown at her as he rubbed at her hips. "Not at all. I am just telling you that I know you. That I know what you are thinking. You are telling me that you are relaxed when you are not."

  She was beginning to get irritated.

  "That." He interrupted her thoughts accusatorily, almost in frustration. He stood up to lean over her, his eyes level with hers. "Right there."

  "Qingchen, what are you—"

  "Stop thinking about him." It took her a moment to understand what he meant. And he was spot on.

  She closed her eyes for a moment as she faced the truth. It was a struggle to communicate at times. They were still learning, still working on it, and probably always would be.

  But Mo Qingchen was far too important for her to stop trying.

  "I—"

  "Ever since…" he hesitated for a moment. "For the last many months, it is like you are internalizing everything. I see it on your face, Qian Meng. And it is difficult for me to know where to start. You start thinking and I can see there are thinking you are bottling up that is bothering you."

  There were so many things she wanted to say to Mo Qingchen. Everything was swirling around in her brain, and it was difficult to know where to start. But then, without any warning, the one thing she wanted to wait to talk with him about just… tumbled out.

  "I want to have a baby."