Chapter 2 Fury (Part Two)

Louie withdrew her gaze from the TV and met Charles's deep eyes. There was clear complacency in them. He was ordering her!

He was trying to stir up trouble on purpose; she refused to indulge him. Getting up from the sofa, she walked to the cabinet and grabbed his hair dryer. "Here," she said, handing it over to him.

"Go on. Dry my hair," he said, eyeing Louie coldly. He walked to the leather sofa in two long strides and sat down. The sofa groaned under his weight.

Biting her lower lip in frustration, Louie plugged in the dryer and found a comb to do his hair.

"It's too hot. Are you trying to burn me to death?"

Charles asked sarcastically.

Louie scoffed. Her eyes fixed on her favorite TV play, she answered casually,

"Your hair will dry faster if the temperature is higher."

Charles snorted and picked up the remote control on the tea table. With a sneer, he changed to the news channel.

Louie was maddened by his childish behavior. "Charles! What's wrong with you? Do you really have to act like this every time you get drunk? Change it back to the TV play channel!" Normally, she would have tolerated his hateful attitude, but tonight, she was inexplicably on the edge of her temper. You could even say that she was affected by the sentimentality of the TV drama. A flame was burning inside her-thawing her frozen heart, melting the ice wall that had been frozen for the past three years.

Charles didn't respond. Louie's voice was not too loud, and the anger in her tone was suppressed by the roar of the hair dryer and the sound of the TV. He turned a deaf ear to her and continued to watch the news. The smile at the corners of his mouth became broader.

Louie fumed. She turned off the hair dryer and unplugged the power cord angrily. After placing the hair dryer back in the cabinet, she glanced at the TV coldly, turned around and left the living room.

Every time they quarreled, Louie would stand down. Anger surged in her, but she suppressed it; she hardly had any energy left to fight him.

Surprisingly, Charles didn't stop her from leaving. He stared coldly at her retreating back, and the sneer on his face gradually disappeared, and his gaze became unfathomable.

Since Louie left, Charles had no interest in watching the news anymore. He turned off the TV lazily and sat at the dinner table to eat his fried rice with eggs.

Around ten minutes later, Louie heard light footsteps outside her room. She turned down the volume of her computer and listened to the sound.

The footsteps stopped outside her room, and then came a knock on the door, accompanied by Charles's deep voice. "Louie, open the door."

Remaining seated at the table, Louie replied indifferently, "Your room is all set up, and the door is not locked. Good night!"

In the course of the past three years, she had only lived with him for a few days. Except for the time when they had returned to his parents' home, they lived separately. He had several lovers outside their marriage, and she preferred to stay alone anyway.

Both of them had a silent understanding; they did not interfere in each other's business. He had once said that as long as she did not embarrass him in public, he would not bother her. She had willingly accepted his terms.

There was a moment's pause before he spoke again, and this time his tone was heavier. "Open the door. I have something to tell you."

'Does he really intend on pestering me this late into the night?'

After considering it for a few seconds, Louie paused the TV show. Then, she stood up and walked to the door. In an irritated tone, she asked, "What do you want? Say it!"

"Louie, if you don't open this damn door right now, I'll break it down!" There was undisguised anger in Charles's voice, and his warning was crystal clear. He gritted his teeth in anger, thinking of what Louie had done that afternoon. His wife smiled brightly while talking to another man, but in front of him, she was like an ice sculpture-hiding behind thick blocks of ice in spring, summer, autumn and winter.

And he could only quarrel with her while he was drunk. The two of them seldom met each other, except during few occasions. No one in Charles's business circle knew his wife. This was their marriage.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Louie opened the door a crack and asked,

"What is it? I'm going to sleep!"

Squinting, Charles pushed the door open, swaggering into the bedroom. He said sarcastically,

"You sleep with your computer on?"

He walked to the king-size bed, which was covered in a light blue quilt, and threw himself onto it lazily. Looking up at Louie, who was still standing at the door, he asked, "How many days have you given Auntie Zhang off?"

Louie was annoyed. She frowned. The hateful man, as soon as he walked in, slumped into her bed and was now asking her insignificant questions.

"Two days. Today and tomorrow,"

she answered in a stiff tone. Then, she walked to the computer desk and sat down on the chair in front of it with her back to Charles.

"My mother is coming tomorrow. You'd better ask Auntie Zhang to come back. You'll come with me to the airport to pick my mother up in the morning." Charles looked up at the crystal chandelier above his head. He settled his head comfortably on the pillow and casually pulled up the quilt to cover himself. He still had his slippers on.

"Tomorrow?" she asked loudly. "I see." But she had made plans with Amelia.

"What? Are you busy tomorrow?" Charles asked casually, sounding unconcerned.

"It's nothing. I had planned on going shopping with Amelia. I will cancel. Will mother be staying here or somewhere else?"

Louie didn't care much about her mother-in-law's arrival, because like most other mothers-in-law, her mother-in-law didn't like her and was unnecessarily strict with her. She wondered why the old lady was coming now.

There was no answer. Louie turned around and saw that Charles had already fallen asleep.

She sighed and looked at the sleeping man. He was such a hateful man, but his sleeping face looked so peaceful. He was fair and masculine. His dashing eyebrows were gently spread. His nose high, and his thin lips were slightly pursed. And those long and thick eyelashes... She was jealous of them. No wonder women chased after him, even though he was a married man.

He was a pain in the ass while he was awake, but she didn't mind it as much while he was fast asleep. Even while he was drunk, he only ever acted crazily in front of her. She had heard that drunk people knew clearly what they were doing; she believed this to be true. Obviously, alcohol took off his indifferent mask. However, he would always go back to his cold and heartless self the next morning.

After standing in front of the bed for a few seconds, Louie bent down to take off his slippers and shifted his legs on to the bed. After tucking him in, she turned off the computer and walked out of the room.

Charles had been a little strange this time. Louie didn't want to think too much about it. She thought about what Nelson had said that afternoon; her mind was in a mess. Was that man really willing to come back? Had he gotten over the pain in these past three years?

He said nothing when he left three years ago. Why did he tell her when he was about to come back now? Was he planning something, or did it mean that he had completely let go of her?