At lunchtime, just as she'd promised, Elise ordered a wide variety of dishes to enjoy.
Braden stared at the food on the table. Sure enough, Elise hadn't eaten more than half of anything before giving up entirely. He took a spoonful of stew, expressionless, while she sat across from him, frowning and saying nothing.
"Am I... causing you a bit of trouble?" Elise propped her chin up with her hands, lowering her head, avoiding his gaze.
She hadn't just left her food unfinished—she'd barely eaten anything, so after finishing his own meal, he still had to clean up her leftovers.
Braden took a sip of his drink, calm as ever. "Not at all. When you said you wanted to eat, I was already prepared for this."
Her voice grew softer, her brows furrowed. "I thought I'd eat at least more than half... but I didn't even get close."
"But I am curious about your appetite. You and Ruth used to eat a lot, and now you barely touch anything—it's a bit odd." Braden looked at her seriously. "I'm not trying to criticize you. I'm just worried something might be wrong. You're cold all the time, and your appetite's dropped. Let's get you checked out by a doctor sometime so I can feel at ease."
"No need, I'm not feeling unwell!" Elise lifted her face, though a hint of disappointment lingered. "I just thought... you seemed so expressionless, like you might be mad at me…"
A flicker of surprise crossed Baden's eyes before he held out his palm to her. "Give me your hand."
Without hesitation, Elise followed his lead, feeling his hand hold hers tightly.
"What are you thinking about? Why would I ever be mad at you? All I want is to take care of you," Braden said, a gentle smile curving his lips as he reassured her.
But as he held her hand, he could feel its chill, which worried him. Was something wrong that she hadn't told him?
"I don't know… Lately, I've just been overthinking everything, feeling anxious for no reason. I know we're happy, but sometimes I wonder, is this real happiness?" Elise said with a hint of guilt. "I'm sorry, maybe I'm just overthinking…"
"It's okay to overthink. I didn't just meet you today; I've known you for twenty-nine years. Maybe I'm not your first love, but I've definitely seen more of your highs and lows than anyone else," Braden said, stroking her face with a warm smile. "No matter what happened before, I'll keep holding your hand and be by your side. We're married now, so you can lean on me. You don't have to face everything alone."
"Okay," Elise said, steadying herself and swallowing her anxiety.
He always worked so hard to calm her fears, cherishing her with all his love. She thought, maybe it was time she grew stronger and stopped making him worry.
That night, the moon's soft light illuminated the dark sky, gathering the stars into a brilliant river that cascaded down, bathing the sleeping earth.
Elise stood on the balcony of the guesthouse, leaning on the railing as she gazed up at the breathtaking night sky.
Though she often admired the night, there were few times she had looked up with such a sense of happiness.
She touched the wedding ring on her hand, thinking of Braden still in the shower. Though she still felt a bit uncertain, he had reassured her earlier that day, promising she could truly rely on him. Maybe she could finally be at ease.
The only thing she didn't quite understand was why Braden had mentioned that Gunnar wasn't the easiest to talk to. If that was true, wouldn't handling Tyree's issue be tough for him?
"Thinking about something again?" Baden's arms wrapped around her from behind, his fresh, post-shower scent drifting over her as he held her close.
"Talking about Tyree today, I was worried it would put you in a tough spot." She gripped his hand tightly. "If it's too hard, we don't have to transfer him."
He joked, "How could it be hard? If it weren't for the cameras, I probably would've put him in the hospital."
He thought, since serious reassurances couldn't fully put her at ease, maybe a lighthearted approach would work better.
"No way! What if the police caught you? I can't let you do that, and I'd be worried about you..." Sure enough, just as he predicted, her unease faded away in an instant.
"Are you really okay?" He buried his head into her shoulder, his voice low. "Or... do you want to get away from me?"
"No, absolutely not. I like you, I love you so much. I never thought of that..." She panicked, holding his hand on her waist even tighter.
"I love you too, even more than you love me." He chuckled. "Just teasing. Don't take it so seriously."
"How could you? You gave me such a scare..." She said it, but her tone wasn't angry; instead, there was a hint of shyness.
"Sometimes, I just want to hear you be sweet and say you love me." He explained, "So, do you get it now? I'm not the only one who feels a bit insecure. But you don't stop loving me because of it, right?"
She nodded, agreeing with his words.
"Then you don't need to think you're overthinking. Sometimes, the happier we feel, the more we fear losing it. Isn't that what you told me?" He turned her around to face him, looking at her with determined eyes. "But I won't leave. I'll never leave. I promised to protect you, and I will."
"Now I feel a little regret. If I hadn't been so jealous of others having older brothers to look out for them, maybe we could've started dating sooner." She hugged him tightly, resting against him, sweet and innocent as a child. "I love you so much, really love you."
"It's okay. I've felt that way too." He gently stroked her head. "We've got forever. Isn't that enough time?"
"You think you're in one of the idol dramas Ruth likes watching?" She couldn't help but laugh.
"I've actually been wondering if you're not used to me being so sweet to you?" He laughed too. "Are you more used to our old teasing, back-and-forth life?"
"I'm more curious—are you really going to call Nathanael 'Dad'?"
"Who cares about him… but are you feeling a bit happier now?"
"Very happy. So lucky." She smiled sweetly, holding him even tighter.
She loved hugging him, being close to him, leaning into him. It made her feel joyful and sweet.
She could smell the scent of cedarwood on him and feel his warmth. She loved this feeling of being together.
"Then shouldn't you do something to make me happy too?" He bent down, brushing his lips against her soft, sweet neck.
"I've already made you happy… I told you I love you…" She shivered, closing her eyes tightly as she felt his gentle kisses.
Of course, she understood exactly what he meant, but it looked like they were in for another late night.
