My Husband, the Assassin

Chapter 018

The night view didn’t last long. Once the boat docked, William said a quick goodbye to Caitlin and headed straight to Sophia’s villa.

It was already eleven o’clock. Sophia sat on the sofa, staring at the TV. Nora was keeping her company, nodding off every few seconds.

Neither of them seemed to notice that the screen had been cycling through the same boring commercials for the past hour.

“Nora, go to bed,” Sophia said, glancing at her drowsy cousin. “I’ll watch a little longer.”

“You haven’t gone to bed either,” Nora mumbled, stretching with a yawn before simply lying down and resting her head on Sophia’s lap. “You’re worried about William, aren’t you? Just call him.”

Sophia huffed. “Worried? I hope he drops dead out there.”

Nora giggled. “Sure you’re not. Come on, call him.”

Sophia eyed the phone on the coffee table. A dozen anxious thoughts flickered through her mind.

What if the i***t doesn’t have money for a cab and can’t find his way back? No—he just treated everyone to dinner.

Maybe he got lost? Unlikely—he dropped Nora off safely.

What if something actually happened to him?

The idea twisted in her stomach. If he got hurt because she hadn’t made sure he got home, she’d never forgive herself.

“Call him,” Nora urged, suddenly sitting up, wide awake with the same worry. “What if something did happen?”

Sophia nodded quickly and grabbed the phone.

The second the call connected, a ringtone blared from the front door.

Both women whipped their heads around just as a sweaty William stood in the entryway, fishing his phone from his pocket and checking the screen.

“Oh! My wife’s calling me?” He ended the call with a grin and looked over at them. “You two were waiting up for me? I’m touched.”

"No one's waiting for you," Sophia snapped. "We're watching TV."

She shut it off with the remote, face icy. “Now that you’re here, I’ve lost all interest in television. Nora, let’s go to bed.”

With that, she marched upstairs.

William watched the light fabric of her skirt sway, catching glimpses of smooth, pale skin that made his pulse kick. She moved like something out of a dream.

“William, why are you so sweaty?” Nora asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she stood.

He gave a sheepish smile. “No cash for a ride, so I ran. That’s why I’m late.”

Sophia paused halfway up the stairs, frowning. After a beat, she called back without turning, “Money for dinner but not for a cab? Ever heard of an ATM? Idiot.”

“You’re a genius, wife—I honestly didn’t think of that.” William smacked his forehead, playing up the regret like a total goof.

Nora giggled, eyes curving into sweet crescents. “You’re such a dork, William. I’m exhausted—good night.”

She skipped over, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “She was waiting for you. Keep at it—she’s actually really good to you.”

Then she bounded upstairs, leaving a faint trace of her fragrance behind.

William inhaled it, his mind wandering for a moment. He brushed his hand over the sofa, still warm from where they’d sat, and felt an unexpected swell of gratitude.

Is Sophia starting to like me? He shook his head with a bitter laugh. No way. One day isn’t enough to melt that ice. She’s probably just worried she’d feel guilty if something happened to me.

Still… my wife waiting up? That feels pretty damn good.

He headed to his room to grab clean clothes—only to remember he hadn’t bought any yet. He slumped onto the bed, staring at his two-day-old underwear and weighing his options.

Wash them and go commando, or… yeah, commando it is.

“William, what are you doing?”

He froze mid-rock-paper-scissors with himself. Nora stood in the doorway, holding a brand-new pack of men’s boxer briefs, eyeing him curiously.

“Uh—just practicing an advanced martial art technique…” He quickly hid his hands. “What’s up?”

“You’re such a liar.”

She smiled brightly and handed him the pack. “Sophia and I picked these up for you. She was planning to take you shopping tonight when you got back, but you never showed. We’ll go tomorrow—get up early, okay?”

“Good night, William.” She flashed another sweet smile and disappeared upstairs.

He stared at the boxers—exactly his size—and felt a strange ache in his chest.

Why is Sophia doing all this?

He shook his head, unable to figure her out. Her words were sharp, but her actions… completely different.

She was looking out for him.

And spotting his underwear size? That wasn’t just good guessing. Sophia noticed details—small, thoughtful things.

In the bathroom, freshly showered, he reached for a towel and found a new deep-blue one hanging there.

A note sat beside it: “Jerk—if you use mine again, I’ll make you regret it.”

Warmth flooded through him. He ran his fingers over the soft fabric, hit by a feeling he hadn’t known in years—someone caring enough to think of him like this.

It was such a small gesture.

But in all the time since leaving the teacher over a decade ago, no one had looked after him this way.

He smiled, dried off with the blue towel, then couldn’t resist picking up the red one beside it—clearly Sophia’s—and breathing in the faint trace of her scent.

Perfect.

The next morning, sunlight spilled into the villa. Nora stayed buried under her covers, but Sophia rose on schedule.

She had a street race that afternoon—she needed to get William decent clothes this morning.

Not because she cared if he had anything to wear. That wasn’t her problem.

But she’d told Gavin and Tyler he was her fiancé. She couldn’t let him show up to a race in a tank top and beach shorts.

That would make her look ridiculous.

Even if the whole fake-fiancé thing already did.

As she stepped out of her room, a delicious smell hit her.

Sophia frowned. Daisy coming in this early on a Saturday? She had the weekend off.

Curious, she headed downstairs—and spotted William in an apron, carrying a plate of what looked like perfect scrambled-egg pizza from the kitchen.

He glanced up, saw her, and froze.

Fresh from sleep, hair slightly mussed, Sophia looked effortlessly stunning. The sleepy, soft version of her punched straight through him.

“You’re beautiful,” he blurted, forgetting his planned casual “good morning.”

She arched a brow. “You cook?”

His brain scrambled. If he said yes, she might expect this every day.

He shook his head. “Just this—scrambled-egg pizza with milk. Authentic European style. Want some?”

He’d picked it up years ago in the Middle East.

Sophia snorted. “Probably tastes awful.” She brushed past him to the bathroom.

When she returned, she ignored his plate entirely—and helped herself to the exact same breakfast he’d made.

William hid a grin. Classic tsundere move. In the kitchen, he snatched the instant coffee from her hand. “Real coffee needs fresh grounds. That stuff’s loaded with sugar —you’ll pack on weight.”

He pulled out the coffee maker. “Knew you wouldn’t drink milk, wife, so I made you coffee too. Humor me?”

Sophia stared at the freshly brewed cup. “We were out of beans. Where’d you get these?”

“I ran to the store this morning.”

Truth—he’d woken up early on purpose. She’d waited up, bought him clothes, worried about him. The least he could do was return the favor.

Sophia blinked, surprised he’d gotten up before her—and gone out just for her coffee.

He’s… not terrible.

But a guy like this has no business running the group.

She took the cup with a glare and sat at the table. Then her eyes landed on the heart-shaped design he’d piped into the center of her pizza.

“You did this too?” she asked, pointing.

William nodded proudly. “Like it?”

“Hmph. You think a cheap trick like this will make me fall for you?” Face cold, she picked up the knife and sliced the heart into oblivion.