President's Substitute Wife novel Chapter 212

One was purple and the other was water blue.

“What is this?” I could see at a glance that these two boxes must be ornaments.

As he took off his suit, he said, “the purple one is Jack’s gift to Daisy.”

“And the blue one?”

“I bought it for you.”

“Me?” I picked up the blue box with white ribbon outside.

When I hesitated to open it, he had changed his clothes and came over. He held my waist and put his chin on my shoulder. “Other women have gifts. Of course, you have to have gifts.”

“Thank you...”

My heart was warm.

“Don’t say thank you to me. I said I’ll love you this time.” He held the box in his hands. “Open it up and see if you like it.”

“OK.”

I opened the box and there was a necklace in it. There was a curved pendant like a smiling face.

I remembered a colleague wearing it before.

When I saw it, I thought of the necklace Sean had given me before.

Sean reached out and took out the necklace. The next second I felt my neck cool.

He put the necklace on me and said, “Eric recommended it to me. He said girls like it, so I guess you will, too.”

“I like it. Thank you.”

By this time he had put it on me.

I bowed my head and touched the necklace on my neck. There was an indescribable feeling in my heart.

In the evening, Sean and I had dinner and sat on the sofa together. He watched the financial news. I sat and sketched.

When Sean was here, I always sketched him.

I drew him from every angle every night.

There were many difficulties in this relationship. This time I really hoped we could be together forever.

But I was always upset.

Our relationship seemed to be just a meteor across my sky. Even if I tried my best to catch it, it was just a passer-by.

So I liked painting him.

I sprayed it with fixative.

It was a kind of eternity.

When I began to draw his second sketch of tonight, his cell phone rang.

He took a look at his phone and frowned slightly. It was obvious that he was hesitant. At last he got up and went to the balcony.

I watched him answer the phone on the balcony. He kept pacing during the call.

He walked up and down the balcony and frowned. It seemed that he had met something important.

I stopped drawing and just looked at him.

About 10 minutes later, Sean finally came out of the balcony. He strode to the door and picked up his clothes.

He turned to look at me at the door and hesitated for a moment. He said, “turn off the lights and the TV. Go upstairs and have a rest. If someone comes in, call me right away. Don’t make a sound. Then...”

He paused.

It seemed that he was thinking about what else he didn’t tell me.

“What happened?” I looked at Sean.

He never seemed like that.

He was silent for a moment and said, “Nothing. I’ll turn off the light for you first.”

Sean finished and left.

I sat in the living room. The whole first floor only had the light of TV. I looked at the unfinished sketch in my hand and felt uneasy.

I turned off the TV and went upstairs to turn off all the lights.

Although I was afraid and worried, I tried to overcome it in order to do what Sean said.

I was lying in bed alone as if waiting for something.

I lay for a long time. Nothing happened and I didn’t fall asleep.

I was anxious and I had many guesses in my mind.

I was even wondering if he would never come back.

I looked at the wall clock and it was 3 a.m.

Sean hadn’t come back yet. Did something happen to him?

Shall I call him? What if he misunderstood me?

When I hesitated, I heard someone downstairs opening the door with the key.

I was extremely nervous.

Finally I curled up in the quilt and my heart pounded.

Then I heard the footsteps of someone going upstairs.

It was Sean.

I was very familiar with the rhythm of his going upstairs.

After confirming it was him, I quickly got up from the bed and walked to the bedroom door. I saw him coming up the stairs.

“Honey!”

I rushed over and hugged Sean’s neck.

When I realized what I was shouting, I was also a little shocked.

But soon I didn’t care. I put my hands around his neck and get closed to his body. “Honey, shall we get married? I don’t want anything. I just want you to be my husband.”

He gently held my body and carried me to the bedroom.

The room was dark and I couldn’t see his expression, but I could feel him tired.

I was standing on the bed and as tall as he was.

He didn’t speak. I looked at his face in the moonlight and asked him, “what happened?”

“...”

Sean was silent. I clearly felt him hesitant for a moment. He opened his arms and held me tight.

He seemed to rub me into his body.

He put his head on my shoulder.

At that moment, time seemed to be still.

My heart pounded. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m sorry I can’t marry you.”

Sean held me tight, but he said that in the end.

“Why?”

“Because...” He held me. I could feel his hesitation. Finally he said, “I need to prepare.”

“... OK.”

I knew that was not the reason, but I knew better that he wouldn’t tell me the real reason.

He held me so long that I forgot the time. He said, “go to sleep. You’re going to celebrate Daisy’s birthday tomorrow.”

“OK.”

“Sorry, I may not be able to go with you, but I’ll try to pick you up at night.”

“OK.”

I didn’t force Sean.

But I knew there really seemed to be something he couldn’t control.

Sean used to give me only two answers. Yes, or no.

He never said that.

I was in bed and he was taking a bath. I couldn’t sleep and heard the water in the bathroom for a long time.

When I was going to go in and have a look, the water stopped.

He came out and wore the sapphire blue bathrobe that he seldom wore. He dried himself roughly and lay in bed.

He was behind me but this time he didn’t hug me.

But maybe because he was behind me, I felt relieved and was going to sleep.

I seemed to hear him moan very softly.