Who's Exiling Who Now, My Dear?

Chapter 4 Why So Nervous?

Tanya's heart was pounding so hard that she thought it might explode.

Aries' instincts were almost superhuman.

He was blind now, but somehow he could still tell it was her?

Frozen in place, Tanya felt a cold sweat creeping down her palms.

And there he was, his nose brushing against her hair, sending chills down her spine.

"I'll take your silence as a yes, huh?"

"No!"

Tanya blurted out the response, panicked, but quickly forced herself to steady her breath, trying to hide any signs of nervousness. She pulled away from him, trying to dodge his touch.

"How could it be me? I didn't even see you last night," she said, forcing her voice to sound casual.

Aries stared at her profile for a moment, his gaze weighing her every word. Then, with a soft grunt, he responded, clearly skeptical.

"Really?"

His tone said it all—he didn't buy it.

Tanya shot him a quick glance.

"Yeah."

To make it sound more convincing, she added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask my friends from ninth grade. I was with them all night."

Aries didn't know any of her ninth-grade friends, so Tanya wasn't worried about him asking around.

Just as she thought her excuse had worked, Aries reached out and toyed with a strand of her hair, twirling it between his fingers.

"The length, texture, and smell—everything's the same. Are you telling me I'm wrong, sister?"

His voice was teasing, but the coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

Tanya knew that if she didn't clear this up fast, that hand would move from her hair to her throat—and she'd never get out of this alive.

Aries had never been one to show mercy.

If he didn't hate her, this could have been a simple misunderstanding.

People slept around, right? No big deal.

But she wasn't just anyone—Aries had made his disdain for her perfectly clear, and she knew what he was capable of.

So she had to lie. Calmly. She couldn't afford to slip up now.

"It's probably the shampoo," she said, trying to sound casual.

Aries raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?"

Tanya, feeling her heart race, quickly added, "There are a lot of coincidences, you know. You can't just assume it's me because we smell the same. And as for the texture—most women's hair is like this. It's not really evidence, is it?"

Aries smirked, but the smirk didn't reach his eyes. His cold gaze drifted down to her chest, watching her breathing quicken.

"Well, if it's not you, then why are you so nervous?"

Tanya couldn't believe it—how could a blind man tell she was nervous?

She stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief.

His gaze was vacant, unfocused—he couldn't possibly see her. So how did he know?

She followed his line of sight... To her own rapidly beating heart.

"H-How do you know I'm nervous?" she stammered, her voice betraying her.

Aries leaned down, his face close enough for his breath to tickle her lips.

"Sweetheart, your breathing's so heavy. If you're not nervous, then why?"

It wasn't that he could see her—it was that he could hear her. He'd picked up on the sound of her quickened breath.

Tanya, realizing he really couldn't see, finally relaxed a bit. She gave him a sideways glance and let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Well, it's because you're standing so close," she said, trying to sound casual. "I'm worried your mom might see us, and that's why I'm so nervous."

Aries narrowed his eyes and looked towards where she was glancing.

He stared at the spot for a few moments and then drawled in that same, teasing voice, "I see..."

Tanya could tell he still wasn't convinced.

She quickly lifted her chin and responded, trying to redirect his attention, "Don't you trust me? Or... You'd rather it be me?"

Aries was about to scoff when Tanya, in a flash of boldness, stepped up on her toes and leaned in, mimicking his earlier move, brushing her lips close to his.

"Brother," she teased, "You didn't start falling for me after I went abroad, did you? Trying to make an excuse with some woman who looks like me so you can keep me around?"

The warm, fragrant air from her breath hit his face, and for a brief moment, Aries froze.

But only for a moment. He quickly straightened, his posture stiffening as he backed away, the disdain clear on his face.

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Four years apart, and you're still lost in daydreams."

Daydreams or not, what mattered was that she had dodged his suspicion.

"It's not me. But if you keep insisting it is, what can I do? I'll just assume you're trying to trap me in some way."

Aries looked down at her, his eyes cold, deep, and unreadable.

Tanya nearly broke under that stare but somehow managed to hold her ground.

Just as she thought she couldn't stand it anymore, Aries took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

His towering frame made her feel even smaller.

"Better hope it's not you," he murmured, his voice low and menacing. "Otherwise... you'll be doomed."

Of course—Aries was still as ruthless as ever. No surprise there.

Tanya, heart hammering, realized just how close she'd come to making a mistake.

She'd barely gotten away with it this time.

Once the tension passed, she swore under her breath.

"If it was me who volunteered to sleep with you, may God rip my head off and use it as a soccer ball for you!"

The truth was, she hadn't wanted any of this. It had been forced on her. So, she figured the oath didn't really count.

Aries snorted at her vow but didn't respond. He simply stood up straighter, grabbed his cane, and started walking away.

Tanya let out a long, shaky breath, watching him stumble slowly forward, tapping his way ahead.

Once the fear finally passed, she reminded herself to be extra careful around him in the future. She couldn't afford to slip up like this again.

She straightened herself up, took a deep breath, and followed him into the house.