Chapter 131

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 131. Strange Behavior (2)

Annette was always quick to empathize with the pain of others, and especially Raphael’s. On the outside, he seemed stronger than anyone else, but at the core he was fragile and unstable. It made him very dangerous.

Now, who had been bothering him with some nonsense?

Whoever it was, Annette was very angry with them. Putting her food down, she rose from her bed to approach him, laying her hand affectionately on his shoulder. Comforting.

“Don’t pay any mind to what people say,” she said. “It is true that lineage is still very…important, in Deltium. For a noble family, it is an important foundation of a person. It’s hard for a great tree to grow from nothing, in barren ground.”

Pausing, she carefully chose her next words. It had been heartbreaking to listen to Ben March talk about Raphael’s past, and she wondered what she could possibly say to comfort him. After mentally selecting and rejecting several approaches, she opted for sincerity.

“But you are a tree that has grown larger than anyone else, and in a very desolate land,” she said. “People will envy you, and try to belittle you, but I am very proud of you. You are a much more incredible man than anyone who was just lucky enough to be born into a good family.”

“Annette…”

Raphael realized he had been holding his breath while he listened to her answer. He had been afraid to learn what she thought, and now he found his eyes were hot, almost as if he were about to cry.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Lightly, he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, as if it itched. It seemed that Annette wouldn’t care about the truth about his mother. Plucking up his courage, Raphael decided for the first time in his life to trust someone else.

“What you asked the other day,” he began. “About whether I liked you, even a little bit.”

“What…why would you bring that up?”

That had been some time ago, and the sudden swerve in the conversation surprised her. Her expression hardened at that bitter memory, especially when he fell silent, stressing her all over again.

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since,” Raphael said, oblivious to all of this. He told the truth. “I like you so much, Annette.”

Annette could feel her eyes moistening as she looked at him, and she bit her lower lip. For a moment, Raphael thought she might cry, but she smiled instead, with something complicated underneath.

“Thank you. It’s enough that you don’t hate me.”

That was all the answer he got. She even turned to go back to bed, as if there was nothing more to say. It gave him a sick feeling, as if the floor was breaking under his feet. Something was wrong. Automatically, he reached for her, grabbing her arm.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quickly. “It’s not that I don’t hate you. I like you!”

The second confession sounded even more sincere, and she was shocked by his sudden conviction. His emotions were written all over his face, and his huge body was stalking urgently after her.

All that came out of her was a sigh. At this point, it seemed impossible to even begin to form a sentence in response to this confession.

“How much?” She asked seriously, turning back to him.

“…what?”

“How much do you like me?”