7 A gentle touch.

In pain and uncertain of Zed's intentions, Jean stood in her corner and glared at the man. She suffered from a number of cuts and bruises but she wouldn't let Zed get anywhere near her.

However, Zed was not angry with her. He was torn by the mixed emotions coursing through him. He was furious at whoever had hurt her. But mostly, he was concerned for Jean.

Every time he saw a new injury, he felt like his whole heart was going to break.

Zed finally understood that he was not going to earn Jean's trust by forcing her. He thought about how he should handle the situation. After a little hesitation, Zed went to Jean's room to get a pair of pajamas for her.

Jean was in too much pain to notice that Zed had left the room.

She felt weak and dizzy and decided to sit on the couch. As Jean turned, she was surprised to see Zed standing in front of her. He stretched the pajamas toward her like a peace offering. Jean stood in a daze as Zed helped her wear the pajamas.

When he was done, Jean grabbed the pajamas as though it was her lifeline.

Zed squatted in front of her, said, "Babe, let me take a look, okay?"

His voice was so soft and comforting.

Jean felt something in her heart change and her whole body couldn't help but shiver.

Seeing this, Zed knew that Jean was softening even though she still felt some hesitance. The thought reassured Zed and he decided to soften his expression. He gave Jean a warm smile.

"Don't be afraid, you still have me in your life!"

Soothed by Zed's gentle persuasion, Jean finally let down her guard. She raised her head slowly.

Zed took a deep breath when he saw that tears had been trickling down her face.

He withheld his sadness and anger, and widened his smile.

This was the first time that Zed had smiled at her since their marriage. Jean was mesmerized.

"Let me see how many wounds you've got. I promise I won't do anything else. I just want to check your injuries, okay?"

Jean was confused. Zed usually ordered her around. He never spoke so considerately before.

She paused and bit her lip as she wondered whether she could trust Zed. Finally, Jean nodded. She had folded her arms in front of her chest as a barrier between Zed and herself. After agreeing to his request, Jean unfolded her arms.

Zed walked up to her slowly and began unbuttoning her pajamas.

Zed was extremely cautious. He knew that she was skittish and that any strange or unwanted action from him would put her on the defensive again.

As the wounds on Jean's torso came into his view, Zed growled. They were even worse than those on her arms.

Zed had expected that and now, with the injuries in plain sight, his suspicions had been confirmed. But he couldn't restrain the anger that rushed through him. He cursed, "Damn!"

Jean looked at Zed emotionlessly. She didn't respond to Zed's outburst. Instead, she watched as Zed applied medicine to her wounds.

'He is being so careful, so... Gentle...

Silent! It is so silent in this big living room. Why is it so silent?' Jean's thoughts were random and scattered.

When Zed had finished attending to Jean's injuries, he helped her wear her pajamas again.

All of a sudden, a warm feeling ran through her body.

For a moment Jean believed the suffering and torture the Wen family dished out to her would be taken care of by Zed.

"Let me take you back to your room."

Zed was still being gentle with her.

Cautious, Jean looked into Zed's eyes. She wondered if he was being sincere or whether all this was an act. Since his expression seemed genuine, she nodded slowly.

With Jean's permission, Zed lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

zed's embrace was warm.

Jean leaned her head on Zed's chest.

Zed looked at Jean, not knowing what she was thinking about.

He placed Jean on the bed gently and covered her with the quilt. After that, Zed smiled as he said, "Get some sleep!"

Jean nodded and closed her eyes.

Maybe it was because she was tired or perhaps it was the effect of the medicine that Zed had applied, but Jean felt her eyes getting heavy. The words, get some sleep, in Zed's husky voice lulled her to sleep.

It wasn't long before Jean was asleep.

But zed hadn't left the room.

He was standing by the door, quietly watching. Once Jean's breathing indicated that she was asleep, a cold expression settled on Zed's face.

That night Jean slept surprisingly well.

When she opened her eyes again, Zed was not in the room.

A ray of sunshine peeked through the gap between the curtains. Jean inspected her arms. The redness from the cigarette burn had subsided and her other wounds didn't hurt as much.

Jean lay in bed thinking about the events of the previous day. While she was accustomed to her family's behavior, she found Zed's actions and concern to be surreal.

she got up, walked to the curtains , and opened them.

the sunshine was quite dazzling.

"hmmmmmmm!"

The phone buzzed all of sudden.

Jean picked up her phone and looked at the text on the screen. she frowned.

it was her father.

The events of the previous day had changed Jean. Before, she would have trembled with fear and she would have been consumed with thoughts of what her father would do. She was also respectful of her father and stepmother regardless of how they treated her. After all, they were her parents. Today, however, Jean found herself devoid of any such feelings when it came to her family.

the phone kept buzzing.

jean answered the phone. before she could say anything, a loud hysterical sound came from other side.

"you son of... what the heck did you do?"