Chapter 15 Shawn Waited Me Home Late at Night
94%
+8 Pearls
Shawn asked me to dinner, and honestly, it caught me off guard. We’d been married for six years, and apart from special occasions when we’d join the family for a meal out, we usually just ate at home. Occasionally, I’d go all out–setting the table and cooking a whole spread–but then Shawn would get caught up in endless calls, endless business. Ultimately, my efforts would be futile, and I would find myself alone at the table, nibbling on cold food.
Now that we had a live–in cook who carefully planned our meals every day, Shawn suddenly wanted to take me out?
I had experienced the loneliness, letdowns, and quiet hurt of rejection. Maybe it was his turn now.
“No, I’ve still got a lot on my plate,” I said without looking up. “Ask someone else.”
Shawn stood there as if he’d been turned to stone. Even the gentle expression on his face froze.
He probably expected me to be thrilled, to jump at the chance. He didn’t expect me to brush him off like it meant nothing.
“Work will always be there–you won’t finish it all in a day or two. But eating your meals? That still matters.” Shawn, for once, managed to sound a little patient as he tried to convince me to eat on time.
“I’m not hungry.” I looked up and smiled politely. “Had some dessert earlier.”
Since my reaction was calm, just quietly indifferent, he seemed a little relieved.
“Alright then,” he said. “I’ll go get Yuna. Don’t stay too late.” And with that, he left.
I turned my focus back to the paperwork in front of me.
Shawn said a board meeting was needed to finalize my position, but I knew that was just for appearances. When it came to work, he was dominant. He made a statement, and it was done. The board respected his judgment–no one ever second–guessed him.
Of course, there were always whispers. I was his wife, after all. Mixing business and family didn’t sit well with everyone. But I trusted Shawn’s ability to keep things in line.
It was nearly 11 p.m. when I came home, my arms full of files. Yuna was already asleep–Shawn had taken care of that. He was on the couch in his pajamas, sipping tea.
When I walked in, he put down the cup. His long legs crossed, and his eyes met mine. “You come home this late?”
“Yeah, there’s still a lot I don’t understand yet,” I said calmly as I kicked off my shoes and headed upstairs. I wasn’t in the mood for a heart–to–heart.
Shawn sat there, frozen once more as I neglected him. Then, slowly, he stood and followed me up.
In the bedroom, the first thing I did was grab my pajamas before heading to the shower.
I took my time—at least half an hour. When I came out, Shawn was sitting on the other side of the bed,
reading.
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Chapter 15 Shawn Waited Me Home Late at Night
aside, and tell me he was tired of brushing me off.
+8 Pearls
I sat at the vanity, rubbing lotion onto my skin. The pleasant scent filled the room. In the mirror, I looked different. My face had a soft glow, my skin was smooth, and my eyes were bright, brimming with life.
“Are you done yet?” he asked from the bed, probably because I was taking so long.
I knew what he meant. Was I ready to perform marital duty and get intimate with him?
Maybe it was the way I’d been dressing lately–more confident, more feminine. Men are visual. He might not love me, but he definitely wanted to sleep with me again.
I finished applying my hand cream, walked to the other side of the bed, and lay down.
Shawn seemed a little sulky, as if he’d been waiting for a long time and growing impatient. The moment I lay down, he tossed his book aside, flipped off the main light, and slid under the covers toward me. His hand, warm and insistent, found my waist, fingers slowly trailing upward.
I reached out and gently stopped him, murmuring, “I’m exhausted tonight.”
His arm froze, tension rushing through him. His voice came out rough and low. “It’s been three months, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, about that.” I wasn’t in the mood to give him an exact count.
“You don’t want it?” he asked. Shawn knew my body well–he understood me, and he knew how strong my drive had been after holding back for a long time. In the past, I’d always been the one who needed that intimacy more than he did.
“Not really,” I said honestly. The truth? I didn’t want it at all. It wasn’t that he was tired of me–it was that I had grown tired of him.
Shawn’s breathing quickened. In the past, if I said no, he’d always stop–immediately.
But tonight he was different. His fingers remained pressed against my skin, tense, as if my rejection had stirred something in him. He wasn’t pulling away like the polite gentleman I’d known.
“Is someone else keeping you satisfied?” he suddenly whispered near my ear, lips brushing against it, his voice tinged with frustration. “Who’s been satisfying you?”
I almost laughed at this. Shawn–so proud, so self–assured–actually asking something that childish?
“You really don’t trust me at all, do you?” I shoved his arm away and sat up, glaring at him. “Just because I turned you down, it meant I cheated on you? So what about the years that you ignored me? Who were you with then, Shawn? Don’t throw accusations around like that.”
He didn’t expect me to blow up like that. Under the soft amber light, his expression shifted. He sat up, his intense gaze on me. “Then why won’t you let me touch you?”
fixing
“I’m not in the mood,” I said simply, standing my ground.
“You need a mood for this?” he rebuked, annoyance evident in his voice.
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Chapter 15 Shawn Waited Me Home Late at Night
Shawn was stunned. Maybe my answer was bold, maybe I was too direct, but I didn’t care.
- 94%日
94%廳
+8 Pearls
In another life, I spent more than 30 years swallowing my pride, staying quiet, keeping the peace. This time, I’d rather live boldly and speak up. Holding everything inside isn’t good for the heart–or the body,
“Tiffany, what’s going on with you?” His tone suddenly softened, sensing something was off. “It feels like something’s been bothering you. Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I lay back down and turned my back to him. “I’m just tired of this same routine, over and over. It’s dull. Lifeless. My mom didn’t bring me into this world just to wither away inside this house. I should be out there–watching the flowers bloom, the rivers flow.”
Again, my words left Shawn speechless, as if he finally realized I had a voice and a will of my own. Perhaps the quiet, obedient version of me had been a façade all along. And this, the woman with fire in her voice and steel in her spine–maybe this was who I truly was.
“Did you feel wrong over the past six years of being the perfect wife?” There was a new edge to his tone- part anger, part disbelief. Maybe he was frustrated that I’d faked it for so long, or maybe it was just that I no longer fit into the neat little box where he once kept me.
a