Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha’s black pupils shrank suddenly and her heartbeat started to quicken.

She was not seeing things, was she?

Did Timothy really eat that grain of rice so naturally without even feeling any disgust?

On one side, Old Madam Barker and Aunt Julia could not help but cover their smiling lips. Old Madam Barker teased, “Look, Aunt Julia, the couple should be spending more time together, right? Wouldn’t their feelings continue to deepen if they interact with each other a bit more?”

Aunt Julia nodded repeatedly. “When I first got married, everything about my husband irks me, but after living together for some time, we practically became inseparable. It’s important for newlyweds to be lovey-dovey with each other!”

As someone who enjoyed surfing the internet, she added, “The internet always says that couples with good relationships don’t have any hands. I never understood what it meant, but now I do after seeing Mr. and Mrs. Barker today!”

They fed each other as if they did not have hands themselves.

Aunt Julia finally knew why the old lady requested her to prepare a sumptuous lunch for their hospital visit after answering a phone call in the morning.

If her guess was right, then it had to be Timothy who made the call.

Timothy appeared to have figured things out. At long last, he wanted to get along well with the young lady and spend the rest of the days in happiness.

That way, the old lady could finally feel at ease. There was hope yet for her to carry Timothy’s little babies!

…

Samantha’s cheeks turned hot as she listened to the teasing remarks between Old Madam Barker and Aunt Julia.

There was no ‘good relationship’ between her and Timothy… Her life was a play, and everything was just a mere act.

Then again, it was not as though the two of them never had a good relationship with each other…

Actions as intimate as feeding each other and eating each other’s food brought her jolted memories from when they were in love two years ago. It seemed that all her memories were from that time.

Timothy had once been so kind to her that she became spoiled and gave everything she disliked eating to him. She even requested Timothy to pour water for her if she was thirsty and even asked him to bring the glass to her mouth so she could drink.

Whenever she started craving for something in the middle of the night, she would also call Timothy and tell him what she wanted to eat. Timothy would then scour almost the entire Capital City just to buy it and deliver it to her.

Such memory fragments were aplenty, so much so even remembering one tiny bit would make her heart ache.

She thought to herself that she might not have been in so much hurt if it had not been for the incredible kindness Timothy showed to her. She probably would not cling so desperately to those unforgettable memories either.

In addition, she might probably not feel so overwhelmed simply because Timothy pretended to dote on her.

However, was Timothy’s past kindness genuine or was it all just for fun and there was no element of love within them?

She admitted that it was something she had always been brooding about in the bottom of her heart.

“Sammy, Tim!” Old Madam Barker called out to them. She then grabbed Samantha’s hand with one hand and Timothy’s with the other, then placed his hands on top of Samantha’s.

“I’m really happy to see the two of you like this. It’s my hope that the two of you will always be happy. Promise me, okay?”

Old Madam Barker looked at the two people with an extremely eager look.

Timothy’s hand moved and his big palm wrapped Samantha’s hand right away. His dark eyes looked back at Old Madam Barker and his thin lips opened slightly as he responded, “Okay.”

As soon as he said that, Samantha’s heart skipped a beat and she unconsciously turned to look at Timothy.

Her gaze happened to meet his dark and solemn gaze, though there seemed to be a distinctly discernible tenderness, just like…before.

Samantha’s heart started beating harder.

She could not tell whether Timothy was acting at that moment, or whether his answer was genuine.

The old lady shifted her attention to Samantha due to the woman’s silence. Then she could not help herself from remarking in a gentle yet coquettish tone, “Promise me, Sammy!”

Samantha snapped back and looked at Old Madam Barker. She did not know whether her answer was simply to keep up with the act or whether it came from the heart, but she unknowingly uttered, “Okay.”

Old Madam Barker beamed with joy right away.

Timothy lowered his eyes and a faint little smile appeared imperceptibly on the corners of his lips.

…

Old Madam Barker chatted with Samantha for a moment, then reluctantly got up and left. Only then could Samantha breathe a huge sigh of relief.

In that short span of ten minutes, Old Madam Barker had already come up with names for her tenth child with Timothy. If the conversation continued further, she felt that she might not be able to bear it for much longer.

After sending off Old Madam Barker and Aunt Julia, the ward became silent again. It was difficult to adjust too quickly to that atmosphere.

If Samantha were to be honest with herself, Timothy’s performance earlier really left her feeling confused.

She and Timothy have acted in front of Old Madam Barker before, but for every interaction prior to that day, the feeling that Timothy gave her was that it truly was an act.

It was as if he could get into that cold and ruthless character the second a director yelled ‘action’, although it might be true to say that he never really needed to actually go into character.

However, everything he did at the ward that day was so natural. There seemed to be no indication that it was an act, and it all seemed to come from his heart’s truest feelings…

Was it merely an illusion?

The words Timothy said earlier rang in Samantha’s ears. ‘I have taken care of someone before. Someone…I love.’

She bit her lower lip lightly, then hesitated for some time before finally making up her mind to ask him.

Her mind would think about it all the time if she did not ask him, and those thoughts would haunt her again and again.

Samantha took a deep breath, raised her gaze, and looked at Timothy who had just walked out of the bathroom.

She opened her mouth but wondered if she should ask it outrightly or test the waters by asking, ‘We performed really well earlier. Grandma probably won’t doubt us anymore, at least for the time being. I guess… Since you seem to have a lot of work, you can go back to the company. I’ll be fine by myself here.’

Timothy looked up at her and narrowed his dark eyes nonchalantly without saying a word.

Samantha could not tell what that look meant and whether it was good news or bad. Nevertheless, she saw him walk right to the sofa, take his seat, then switch on his laptop before reading the report.

He still appeared intent on staying there.

Since he had decided to stay when there was no need for him to play pretend anymore, Samantha’s uncertainty decreased somewhat while her courage increased slightly.

Feeling a little nervous, she gulped and clenched her hands into a fist. After secretly cheering for herself on, she opened her mouth and called out softly, “Timothy…”

Timothy raised his eyelids and looked at her.

His gaze disrupted the sentences she had strung together beforehand. Her scarlet lips opened and closed several times before she was able to find her voice. “Can I ask you a question?”

The man was somewhat surprised that she would have questions for him.

Timothy raised his eyebrows slightly and answered curtly, “Ask away..”