Chapter Two
1171 Words
Annabelle froze, her face tight with tension and confusion.
"But—"
"Just get out, Annabelle," he said, more firmly this time, his tone as cold as the room felt. He didn’t even glance in her direction.
Realizing he might get angrier, Annabelle quickly dropped the scrub, her heart pounding. She left, feeling a knot of confusion in her chest.
As she paced back and forth outside the bathroom, her mind raced. "Will he be able to bathe himself? What if he slips in the tub?" She couldn’t shake the worry from her mind.
Finally, she couldn’t resist and went back to peep through the bathroom door. “Is he still okay in there? I don’t want to become a widow just yet... or worse, get blamed for murder!”
Her anxious thoughts were interrupted by the soft beep of her phone on the bed.
“Could it be mom?” she murmured, hurrying to pick it up. Her heart fluttered, hoping for news about her foster mother, who she’d heard was getting better.
She checked the message, and it was her best friend. "Check the school group chat."
“Is the exam timetable out?” she texted back quickly, bracing herself for exam season.
"Just check," her friend replied, adding a laughing emoji.
Anabelle sighed. “Flavia, honestly, you’re too much sometimes,” she muttered, but immediately opened her school group chat.
She spotted a video everyone seemed to be reacting to. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she tapped on it to watch.
“uhhh…ahhh,” a voice moaned from the video.
Her eyes widened as the screen filled with a shocking sight – two of her classmates pressed together, kissing and passionately having s*x. Anabelle's jaw dropped.
"Oh no, no, no!" She fumbled to close the video, but her nearly-broken phone froze.
“Ugh, not now!” she groaned, pressing buttons desperately, but her phone refused to respond.
The bathroom door suddenly opened, and Derek paused, his face darkening as he heard a strange, moaning sound filling the room.
“What… are you doing?” he asked, his tone sharp and suspicious.
Annabelle, who had been panicking and was now drenched in sweat, froze. She dropped her phone in shock, startled by Derek’s sudden appearance.
Flustered, she picked the phone and shoved it under the duvet on the bed, trying to hide it. The volume went down, but the moaning noises were still very audible.
“You’re…” Derek’s eyes narrowed, his gaze intense as if he could see her.
Annabelle gulped, fumbling for an excuse. “I’m… I’m just trying to learn… how to bathe properly,” she stammered, shifting nervously on the bed while still trying to muffle the sound.
Derek’s expression grew darker, a shadow of disbelief crossing his face. “You’re watching… a bathing video?”
“Yes!” she answered quickly, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her thoughts raced. "What mess did I find myself in?"
Derek raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly as he thought to himself, "Oh, so not only does she think I’m blind, but she also thinks I’m deaf. Amazing."
For a few moments, silence filled the room, aside from the persistent sound of moaning echoing from her hidden phone. Annabelle was so mortified she couldn’t move from the spot, her cheeks burning. She could feel Derek’s eyes on her, his breathing growing heavier as he stood there, uncertain what to make of the strange scene before him.
Finally, mercifully, the video ended. Annabelle quickly retrieved her phone from under the duvet, noticing it was hot to the touch.
“So, the video’s over?” Derek asked, his voice laced with curiosity as she stood up, trying desperately to maintain her composure.
“Yes,” she replied, barely able to hide her embarrassment. “I just… I just learned that scrubbing too hard isn’t good for the skin,” she added with a forced smile, hoping the conversation would move on.
Derek didn’t respond, but simply watched her, shaking his head slightly. Annabelle sat beside him as he clumsily began his skincare routine, tapping her screen furiously to delete the video for good.
Just then, another message from Flavia popped up. "Did you enjoy it? Maybe pick up a trick or two to practice on your blind, hot husband!"
Annabelle’s eyes went wide as she read it. Her cheeks flushed, and she began typing furiously, emphasizing each word, “Flavia, what the hell b***h! You almost got me in trouble! Do you realize that?!” She hit send, glancing over at Derek beside her, relieved that he couldn’t see her screen.
But as she looked at him, she noticed something—was that a grin on his face? Her heart skipped. "Wait, why was he smiling?"
Unknown to her, Derek had already somehow seen her messages earlier. A mischievous thought crossed his mind as he mentally repeated her friend's words: “Blind, hot husband, huh? What a description,” he mused, barely holding back a smirk.
Finally, he broke the silence. “What are you up to over there?” he asked, his tone casual but teasing.
Annabelle's face instantly turned bright red. "Oh no, why did he ask?" She panicked, shoving her phone into her pocket, as if hiding it would erase everything.
“Nothing!” she squeaked, her heart pounding from the embarrassment. But she could still feel Derek’s playful gaze on her, his smile only getting wider.
Derek leaned in a little, clearly enjoying this. “Are you sure? You sound... flustered,” he teased, drawing out the word.
Annabelle fumbled, feeling as though her entire face was on fire. "Flavia, I’m so going to get you for this!"
She felt her heart pounding as she thought about Flavia’s words again.
"It’s actually my first night with him," Her foster mother always said that consummating the marriage on the first night was a sign of good luck.
Feeling a sudden surge of boldness, she moved closer to Derek, putting her hands around his neck. She leaned in and, a bit clumsily, pressed her lips against his. She kissed him with an urgency that surprised her, trying to deepen the kiss.
Derek responded by wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her close. He pulled back for a moment, looking at her intently. “Are you sure you won’t regret what you’re starting here?” he asked softly, his voice filled with both warning and promise.
She just shook her head, breathless, and leaned in again, feeling her whole body reacting to his touch. Her thoughts raced, "What has this blind man done to my senses?" She slipped onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist, pressing closer.
Derek pulled back slightly, his hands gentle as he looked at her. “Have you done this before?” he asked, searching her face.
Annabelle didn’t answer. She could barely breathe, let alone speak.
He smiled knowingly. “Alright then, let me show you how.”
- Writer
