I was almost certain now that the butterfly bow on that ribbon was made from the skin of the king cobra. No wonder it always felt cool to the touch smooth, glossy, unnervingly sleek. Realizing I had been tying snake skin onto my head for days made a wave of nausea slam straight into my chest and spread rapidly through my entire body. I shuddered violently.
So Captain hadn't confronted me directly… because he wanted this to disgust me, frighten me, warn me, punish me? Or maybe this was simply one of his twisted tastes? I stared at the ribbon trembling in my hands, and for a moment all I wanted was to rip it apart and stomp it into the floor.
But I couldn't. Not yet. Even if I couldn't see them, I could feel the cameras watching me. If I wanted to tear it to pieces, I'd better do it where no lens could catch me.
I grabbed the ribbon and bolted straight to my bedroom.
So much for thinking the Anderson devil was "adorable" or "simple." What a joke. He was vile, cruel and absolutely deranged.
The moment I reached my room, I threw the ribbon onto the floor and stomped on it again and again, as if crushing it was the only way to release the fury boiling in my chest.
It took me nearly half an hour to calm down, but then another horrifying problem surfaced: even though I now knew what the bow was made of, was I still supposed to wear it? If I didn't wear it, it would be like openly revealing that I had figured everything out. But if I did wear it…
Just thinking about it made my entire face scrunch up in revulsion.
Honestly, if I ever planned to sell snake venom again, Captain would find out anyway. Maybe it was better to reveal the truth myself. But I needed to think very carefully about what excuse to give him, how to say it without dying.
Around five in the afternoon, I heard the sound of a car horn.
Captain was back.
I straightened my clothes and rushed out of my room. My hair was loose and flowing, I had deliberately refused to wear that ribbon. When I reached the stairs, I didn't walk down. Instead, I stood on the second floor, glaring down in indignation.
With my hair undone, I probably looked even more striking soft, delicate, almost glowing. My eyes were slightly wet, my lids tinged red, tears clinging like I had just been bullied.
Captain, wearing a windbreaker, stepped inside and immediately looked up. The moment he saw me at the top of the stairs, hair cascading around my face, eyes shimmering like a frightened fawn his expression shifted. I looked soft, vulnerable… heartbreakingly fragile.
"Come down," he said, voice low and hoarse.
I didn't move. My eyes only grew more sorrowful, my lids turning redder, tears trembling dangerously.
"Come down. Now." His brows creased, gaze still locked on me.
I widened my eyes, stepping backward in fear, but he continued staring at me with that sharp, predatory intensity. My whole body trembled. I spun around, bolted back into my room, and slammed the door shut behind me.
...
Captian only caught a glimpse of her panicked silhouette and the door slamming shut. His thin lips tightened into a straight line, his brows furrowing even deeper. He had been away for less than half a day, what had happened now?At that moment, Ronan leaned close to Captian's ear and whispered, "Director Anderson, sister-in-law went to the surveillance room on the top floor today. It seems she's found out."Captian was smart, of course he understood exactly what Ronan meant by "found out."
So she already knew. He had thought he could hide it for a while longer. She looked so pretty wearing that ribbon… and it satisfied the darker thoughts he kept buried in his heart.Captian narrowed his eyes and, without changing his expression, headed upstairs. He walked straight into Rosy's room.
...
The moment I heard the door open, I curled up on the sofa, my eyes still red with a deep, lingering sadness. I hugged my small frame, feeling utterly wronged.
"The ribbon I gave you, why aren't you wearing it?" Captain lowered his gaze, pretending not to know the answer.
His words made my whole body tremble. I didn't know where the courage came from, but I grabbed the ribbon and threw it at his feet. "Mr. Anderson, you can dislike me, you can even hate me, but don't use something like that to humiliate me, don't disgust me like this."
"Humiliate you? Disgust you?" Captain stared at the ribbon at his feet, his eyes dark and unreadable.
My eyes burned again, filled with helpless grievance. "You clearly know what that bow is made of, yet you gave it to me. If that's not humiliation, what is it?"
"Didn't you say you liked it at the time?" he asked as he walked toward me, towering over me, a strange spark of excitement flickering in his gaze.
I bristled like an offended little rabbit. "At that time I didn't know what it was made of! Now that I know, I can't possibly like it. Mr. Anderson, killing the cobra was my fault, but I only did it because I thought its venom was good medicine, I was… I was tempted by the idea."
"Tempted?" Captain let out a soft laugh. Suddenly he leaned down and sat beside me, his large hand sliding around my waist. "Tempted enough to slaughter a king cobra, hm?"
"Yes." Curled up on the sofa, I forced myself to look small and terrified. "I'm a medical student… when I see something that can be used for medicine, of course I get curious."
Anger shook through me. My whole face tightened, looking even more pitiful. "Mr. Anderson, if you're heartbroken over that snake and want to punish me, I'll accept it. But you can't treat me like this. Every time I look at that ribbon, my skin crawls. I just feel… disgusted and wronged."
I turned my head away, refusing to let him kiss me. I acted stubborn, petty yet my hands were gripping my clothes so tightly that my palms were damp with cold sweat.
I was terrified truly terrified.
"How do you think I should punish you?" Captain's deep gaze stayed locked on my face, endless like a bottomless abyss.
My eyelashes dropped, voice trembling. "Mr. Anderson could throw me into the snake pit… or break my arms and legs… kick me out of the Anderson family… hand me the divorce papers… and then everyone in the world would know I'm the abandoned wife of the great Mr. Anderson. How pitiful…"
By the end, my whole body had folded up into a trembling ball, my eyes flooded with fear.
Captain stared at me for a long moment without speaking.
So divorce that was the ending I wanted? How could he possibly allow that? Not unless he tired of me first.
"It's just a snake," he finally murmured in my ear, his voice hoarse enough to send chills down my spine. "Why would I punish you? You're my wife. The snakes in that pit? You're free to kill them as you please. And if you don't want the ribbon, I'll give you a better one. As long as you behave."
As long as I didn't run around, and stayed a sweet, obedient doll.
I blinked, stunned. Why was this deranged man suddenly letting me off so easily?
But I had approached this head-on, I had played the helpless, soft little thing, and Captain happened to like that. Every time I showed weakness, he would let me go. This time was no exception.
I raised my head, my eyes still red, but widened with genuine surprise. "Mr. Anderson… are you serious? I can kill the venomous snakes however I like and I don't have to wear the ribbon?"
"You think I'd lie to you?" Captain stared into my reddened eyes. His gaze was so clear yet held an indescribable intensity.
I stiffened, then gently tugged his sleeve and whispered, "No… Mr. Anderson's word is iron. You would never lie to me."