Chapter 7: Coax your wife to sleep
The night had grown quiet, with darkness blanketing the Sterling Estate. Clara had barely drifted to sleep when the horrifying image of Dominic collapsing to the floor flashed through her mind.
Bang!
The deafening gunshot echoed in her ears.
Blood. So much blood.
She could still see him kneeling before her, his shirt soaked crimson, yet smiling as he gently wiped away her tears.
"Don’t cry... Isn’t this what you wanted?"
"Gasp!"
Clara shot upright in bed, her chest heaving violently.
Cold sweat coated her forehead, and her breathing came in uneven gasps as though she had just escaped drowning.
"No..."
She pressed a trembling hand against her chest, trying to steady the frantic pounding of her heart.
"It was just a dream."
She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath.
Then another. "It’s over," she whispered to herself. "That already happened... I’m back now."
She repeated the words several times, hoping they would calm the fear gripping her heart.
Gradually, her breathing steadied and the silence of the room returned.
Clara wiped the sweat from her forehead before lying back against the pillow.
Sleep...
I need to sleep.
She closed her eyes once more.
A few seconds passed. Then another memory surfaced about Dominic shielding her from the bullet and his body collapsing. His fading smile.
Clara’s eyes flew open again.
"..."
She stared blankly at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, the images refused to leave her mind.
She turned onto her left side. Then her right. Pulled the blanket higher. Kicked it away moments later.
She even counted her breaths the way she’d once read in a magazine. Nothing worked.
In the end, with an exhausted sigh, Clara sat up again and buried her face in her hands.
"I can’t sleep..."
She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.
2:17 A.M.
Most of the estate had already fallen silent. The servants were asleep. Even the hallway outside was eerily quiet.
Clara hugged her knees as another uneasy feeling crept into her chest.
He’s alive... I know he’s alive. So why am I still so afraid?
The answer came almost immediately. Because she had watched him die once, and no matter how many times she reminded herself this was her second chance, the fear of losing him again refused to disappear.
She let out a slow breath. Then, suddenly...an idea crossed her mind.
Her eyes lit up. Why don’t I go check on him?
The thought sounded ridiculous.
She had only been married for a few hours.
Walking into her husband’s room in the middle of the night would be incredibly embarrassing.
But then another thought crossed her mind.
Wait... shouldn’t we already be sleeping in the same room?
She blinked.
That’s right.
He’s my husband.
So why am I sleeping alone?
Without giving herself another chance to overthink it, Clara threw off the blanket, slipped into her slippers, and hurried out of the room.
"What kind of husband lets his wife sleep alone?" she muttered under her breath as she briskly made her way down the hallway.
***
Meanwhile, Dominic had just lain down on his bed, ready to call it a night, when a knock at the door broke the silence.
He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and frowned.
"Shouldn’t everyone be asleep by now?" he murmured.
Curious, he got out of bed and walked to the door.
The moment he opened it, he froze.
Clara stood outside, still in her nightdress, looking slightly flustered.
Before he could ask why she was there, she blurted out, "How could you let me sleep alone, darling? Aren’t you worried your wife might fall off the bed... or get scared by nightmares?"
For a long moment, Dominic simply stared at her.
He had expected everyone in the estate to be asleep by now.
The last person he expected to find standing outside his bedroom was his newlywed wife.
And asking to sleep with him, no less.
(Didn’t she say before the wedding that she’d never share a bed with me?)
(She even warned me that marrying me didn’t mean I’d ever be her husband in the true sense.)
Clara, who could hear every one of his thoughts, instantly stiffened. Her confident expression cracked.
Oh no... that’s right. How could I forget?
After Dominic had brought her back from the airport, she had accepted that the wedding was inevitable.
But she had also made one thing painfully clear. Although she would legally become Mrs. Sterling...she would never truly accept Dominic as her husband.
She had refused to share a room with him. Refused to let him get close. And had drawn a firm line between them before they were even married.
Remembering her own harsh words, Clara wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
An awkward silence settled between them.
Dominic watched her quietly, waiting for her to explain why she had suddenly appeared outside his room in the middle of the night after insisting on keeping her distance.
Meanwhile, Clara desperately searched for an excuse that didn’t make her sound like she had completely changed overnight.
Suddenly she forced an awkward smile.
"Well..." She rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding Dominic’s gaze. "I... changed my mind."
The words sounded unconvincing even to her own ears.
Dominic raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
(She changed her mind? Just this morning she looked at me as if I were her greatest enemy.)
(Did something happen after the wedding?)
(Or... is she running a fever?)
Clara nearly choked.
A fever? Seriously?
She quickly waved her hands. "No! I’m perfectly healthy."
The moment the words left her mouth, both of them froze.
Dominic blinked. "I didn’t say anything."
"..."
Clara’s smile stiffened. "I... um..." She wished she could rewind time by five seconds.
Thinking quickly, she forced out an awkward laugh. "You looked like you were about to ask."
Dominic studied her quietly. "...Did I?"
His expression remained as calm as ever, but his eyes were filled with curiosity.
(That was strange.)
(How did she answer a question I only thought about?)
Clara immediately changed the subject. "Anyway!"
She clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at him with a bright smile.
"I couldn’t sleep," Clara said matter-of-factly. "So here I am."
She pointed toward the bedroom.
"Now, be a good husband and move aside."
Before Dominic could respond, she gently nudged him to one side and hurried past him.
Without a hint of hesitation, she climbed onto the bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and made herself comfortable on one side as though it had always been her place.
Then she looked up at the man still standing by the door, completely dumbfounded.
"Well?" she asked, patting the empty space beside her. "Aren’t you coming?"
Before Dominic could recover from the shock, Clara added with a perfectly serious expression,
"And while you’re at it... coax your wife to sleep."
The room fell silent.
Dominic simply stood there, staring at her as if his mind had stopped working altogether.