Chapter 8: This man is absolutely hopeless
Dominic had no idea how long he had been standing there.
It felt as though lightning had struck him where he stood.
"Darling, come here."
Clara’s voice finally snapped him out of his daze as she patted the empty space beside her.
Dominic blinked, cleared his throat, and quietly walked over.
Without a word, he climbed into bed and lay beside her.
The king-sized bed suddenly felt far too small.
He lay flat on his back, hands neatly folded over his stomach, as stiff as a statue.
Clara stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
To her surprise, Dominic had already closed his eyes.
Huh... he’s already asleep?
She couldn’t help but pout.
And here I was looking forward to listening to his ridiculous inner thoughts.
Ever since discovering she could hear his thoughts, teasing him had become strangely entertaining. Not only was it amusing... it also helped her understand the emotions he never expressed aloud.
With a quiet sigh, Clara closed her eyes ready to sleep; however, she woke up once again.
The image of Dominic collapsing in a pool of blood flashed through her mind again.
She jerked slightly, her breathing turning uneven.
This isn’t helping. I thought having Dominic beside me would make me feel safe enough to sleep.
Apparently... it wasn’t enough. But then, an idea suddenly popped into her head, and without opening her eyes, Clara turned over and wrapped both her arms and one leg around Dominic, hugging him tightly like a koala clinging to a tree.
The warmth beneath her arms instantly eased the anxiety in her chest.
"...What are you doing?"
Clara’s eyes flew open, staring at Dominic in surprise.
His eyes were open and he was looking at her with obvious confusion.
She blinked several times before waving a hand in front of his face. "I thought you were asleep."
Dominic looked at her strangely. "I was trying to," but then he glanced down at the way she was clinging to him.
"But then my wife suddenly decided to use me as a pillow." He paused. "Isn’t this... against the conditions you personally set before the wedding?"
His voice remained calm. His thoughts, however, were anything but.
(She’s hugging me.)
(My wife is actually hugging me.)
(Stay calm, Dominic.)
(Don’t smile.)
(Absolutely do not smile.)
(...She’s so soft.)
(I don’t mind if she keeps hugging me all night.)
(She can squeeze me like a plushie if she wants.)
(Actually... I volunteer to be her lifetime plushie.)
Clara’s eye twitched. Does this man have absolutely no filter?
She stared at his perfectly expressionless face. No wonder I was fooled by that poker face for so many years.
Outwardly, he looked as cold as an iceberg. Inside his head... he was one embarrassing thought away from writing wedding vows all over again.
"I already told you," Clara replied matter-of-factly. "I changed my mind."
She snuggled a little closer.
"And since I can’t sleep...I’m borrowing you as my plushie."
"...Plushie?"
For the first time in years, Dominic Sterling looked completely lost.
(She called me her plushie.)
(Does this mean she likes hugging me?)
(Should I hug her back?)
(No... what if I scare her?)
(Maybe just one arm?)
(No, that’s too much.)
(What if she lets go?)
(Wait... what if she hugs me every night from now on?)
(Would it be too obvious if I bought a bigger bed tomorrow?)
(No... a bigger bed would put us farther apart! Absolutely not.)
(Cancel that idea.)
Clara slowly lifted her head and looked at him. He hadn’t said a single word aloud. Yet his thoughts had become louder than a crowded marketplace.
A sleepy sigh escaped her lips. She reached up and hugged him even tighter.
"Good night, Dominic." Her voice was soft with drowsiness.
Dominic froze.
(Don’t think about her hugging you.)
(Don’t think about how cute she looks.)
(Don’t think about—)
While Clara had already fallen asleep, Dominic spent the entire night debating whether or not to hug his wife.
***
Morning arrived, and after freshening up, Dominic changed into his usual tailored black suit before heading downstairs for breakfast.
The moment he entered the dining room, Hannah frowned.
"Brother..." she said suspiciously. "Why do you look so sleep-deprived?"
She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes.
"Those dark circles under your eyes are terrible. Didn’t you sleep at all last night?"
Dominic calmly picked up the glass of water beside him.
"I slept."
His voice was as steady as ever.
Only he knew that he had spent the entire night lying as stiff as a corpse, afraid that the slightest movement would wake the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Before Hannah could question him further, another cheerful voice drifted into the dining room.
"Good morning, darling."
Clara walked in with a bright smile.
Having woken up to find Dominic’s side of the bed empty, she had quickly freshened up before coming downstairs.
She was still wearing her soft cream-colored nightdress, her long hair loosely falling over her shoulders.
The glow on her face made her look far more refreshed than anyone else in the room.
"Good morning, Hannah."
Instead of greeting her back, Hannah stared at her in disbelief.
"...Why are you coming out of my brother’s room?"
Clara blinked innocently.
"Because that’s where I slept."
"..."
The dining room fell silent.
Clara tilted her head.
"Isn’t it normal for a husband and wife to sleep in the same room... and share the same bed?"
Dominic, who had just taken another sip of water—
"Cough!"
He nearly choked.
Several servants immediately lowered their heads, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.
Hannah looked between the two of them in complete disbelief.
"You two..."
"...shared a bed?"
Clara nodded matter-of-factly.
"Of course."
Then, as if only noticing him now, she looked at Dominic carefully.
Her brows furrowed.
"Darling..."
"Why do you look so exhausted?"
She leaned closer, genuinely studying his face.
"Were you awake the entire night because of me?"
The room instantly became even quieter.
Several servants silently prayed for the breakfast to end as quickly as possible.
Clara, however, remained completely oblivious.
Or perhaps...
She wasn’t oblivious at all.
A smug smile appeared inside her heart.
I slept wonderfully...
But someone beside me spent the entire night talking in his head.
He really thinks too much.
Dominic’s face remained perfectly expressionless.
His thoughts, however, exploded into chaos.
(Don’t answer.)
(Absolutely don’t answer.)
(If I tell her I couldn’t sleep because she hugged me all night, Hannah will never let me live it down.)
(Stay calm.)
(Maintain your dignity.)
Hannah looked at her brother suspiciously.
"Brother..."
"You really didn’t sleep?"
Before Dominic could answer, Clara spoke again.
She looked at him with concern.
"Darling."
"I told you if you couldn’t sleep...you should’ve hugged me."
"Pfft—"
Mark, who had just entered the dining room with a folder in hand, almost choked on his own saliva.
Every servant instantly lowered their heads another inch, desperately trying not to laugh.
Even Hannah’s eyes widened.
Dominic slowly closed his eyes. He wished, just for once... that his thoughts would remain inside his head.
Instead—
(Hug you?)
(I wanted to!)
(But you were sleeping so peacefully.)
(What if I moved and woke you up?)
(Besides... you were already hugging me like a koala.)
(If I hugged you back, I would’ve embarrassed myself.)
(...Although now that she mentioned it... maybe I should’ve.)
Clara bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.
Hopeless. This man is absolutely hopeless.
Outwardly, Dominic Sterling remained the cold and dignified CEO everyone respected.
Inside his head...he was still replaying every second of being hugged by his wife.