Chapter 58 - Pillow Talk and Unspoken Vows

The curtains fluttered gently in the night breeze, moonlight spilling into the room, casting silver shadows across the bed. Verbena lay with her head resting on Theodore's bare chest, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across his skin. His arm was wrapped around her waist, keeping her close, as if letting go would shatter this fragile moment.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

They didn't need to. The heat between them had cooled into something softer—something even more dangerous.

"You're thinking too hard," Theodore murmured, his fingers brushing through her hair.

"How can you tell?"

"You scrunch your nose when you're deep in thought."

She huffed softly, tracing a scar along his shoulder. "I just… can't believe this is my life now."

"You married a villain duke, faked amnesia, staged illness, caused a scandal, and now you're naked in his bed." He smirked. "It's quite the story."

"Don't forget being stalked by a narcissistic crown prince and my bakery-loving past life." She sighed. "My life could fill an entire webnovel."

"Would you read it?"

"Only if the villain husband was handsome."

He rolled on top of her, caging her under his body. "Handsome, am I?"

She flushed, but her fingers found their way to his jaw, tracing the sharp line. "Terribly."

His lips found her neck again, pressing soft kisses down her throat. "Good. Because I don't plan to let you admire anyone else."

Verbena's heart fluttered wildly in her chest. This side of him—the possessive, dangerously tender side—was new. And thrilling.

"Tell me something real," she whispered. "Something you've never told anyone."

Theodore paused, eyes darkening. "Why?"

"Because if we're doing this—whatever this is—I want to know the real you. Not the villain duke, not the cold husband. Just you."

He leaned back slightly, studying her face as though trying to decide if she was serious. "Alright," he said softly. "When I was twelve, my mother died protecting me. My father called it foolish. Said she should've let me die instead."

Verbena's heart ached at the quiet bitterness in his voice. "Your father was wrong."

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "Maybe. But after that, I stopped believing anyone could love me unconditionally."

Her fingers brushed his cheek, tender and soft. "Then you're a fool too."

His brow arched. "Excuse me?"

She smiled. "Because I'm right here, aren't I? And I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment, he didn't speak. Just stared at her like she was something he couldn't quite believe was real. Then, with a low growl, he kissed her again—slow and deliberate, like he was trying to memorize every breath, every sigh.

"You talk too much," he muttered against her lips.

"And you kiss too well," she shot back, pulling him down with her.

Their laughter melted into soft sighs and stolen kisses, hands tracing familiar and unfamiliar paths all over again. But this time, there was no rush. No desperation. Just quiet discovery—two broken souls learning to fit together, piece by jagged piece.

Sometime later, as the sky began to pale, Verbena lay curled against his side, sleep tugging at her eyelids.

"Theodore?" she murmured.

"Mm?"

"What if this isn't just a contract marriage anymore?"

He was silent for so long she thought he'd fallen asleep. Then, softly, he said:

"Then we'll rewrite the contract."

She smiled into his skin, warmth spreading through her chest. Maybe villains could fall in love after all.

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End of Chapter 58