Chapter 10. A Sudden Kiss

Aerin was clearly a deranged woman, and Lana was absolutely certain of it. She had no shame whatsoever. How could she say such things in front of Lana?

"Do you have no shame?" Lana asked. 

"No matter how long your relationship with Sky has been, I am his wife. The world knows me as his spouse, not you. In the end, you will always be the mistress," she said at length.

Aerin clenched her fists. Without hesitation, she delivered a harsh slap to Lana's cheek, and it was precisely at that moment that Sky emerged from the bathroom.

"What are you doing, Aerin?!" Sky rushed in panic toward Lana, who was bowing while holding her throbbing left cheek after Aerin's slap.

"She called me mistress!" Aerin yelled.

"But you shouldn't have slapped her! She's sick!" Sky shouted back.

"Are you defending her?" Aerin questioned.

"Not like that, I just—"

"Shut up! I'm angry with you!"

Aerin stormed away from Sky and Lana, walking briskly. She even slammed the bedroom door shut as she left. Sky sighed wearily. He hadn't expected that bringing Lana and Aerin together would lead to this.

"Aren't you going to follow her? Your girlfriend is angry," Lana suggested to Sky.

Sky fell silent for a moment but chose to sit beside Lana, gently touching her reddened cheek.

"I'll talk to her later," Sky replied. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked, looking at Lana with guilt.

Lana remained silent for a few seconds. She hadn't expected Sky to defend her and choose to stay by her side. He was even concerned about her well-being.

"I'm fine. I'm not a weak woman who would cry because of a slap," Lana said.

Sky nodded, but he still didn't release his hand from Lana's cheek until Lana pushed it away.

"Just go away. I want to rest," Lana said, reclining and turning her back to Sky.

Sky didn't say anything further either. He lay down beside Lana, his eyes fixed on her back.

"Let me know if someone hurts you," Sky suddenly blurted out, causing Lana to turn to him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you're mine. I don't like my possessions being touched and hurt by others," Sky replied casually.

Lana rolled her eyes lazily. She was almost touched by Sky's words, but she had to remember that she was just an item he had bought.

"And if the one hurting me is you?" Lana asked.

"Fine. Because only I'm allowed to do that," Sky replied lightly.

Lana rolled her eyes again. She realized it was pointless to be touched by Sky's attention. He was still a heartless man.

Lana refused to speak further with Sky and soon closed her eyes. Maybe it was because she wasn't fully recovered physically and she fell asleep very quickly.

Lana slept soundly, and she woke up when morning had arrived. She noticed that the IV tube in her hand had been removed. As she tried to get up, a hand wrapped around her waist stopped her.

Lana turned and found Sky still asleep. She was slightly surprised because his face was unexpectedly close to her neck, and she could even feel his warm breath on her skin. Sky's proximity froze Lana's body. This closeness seemed to make her heart race faster.

"Why am I feeling so nervous?" Lana wondered in her mind.

Perhaps it was because she hadn't been in such close proximity to a man for a long time. Maybe there was a part of her that actually desired the affection of a partner. Maybe... that was the only explanation Lana could come up with.

Lana didn't push Sky's body away as she usually did. She remained still, observing Sky's peaceful face while he was asleep. It was very different from when he was awake and only spoke hurtful words.

"No wonder so many people are fascinated by him," Lana thought.

She realized she was quite late in recognizing Sky's handsome face. He had a strong jawline, but his face looked serene. He had thick eyebrows, a very sharp nose, and his lips...

Lana closed her eyes when her mind was about to praise Sky's beautiful red lips. She repeatedly tried to tell herself to stop being fascinated by Sky.

"Remember his annoying behavior! Remember his hurtful words!" Lana reminded herself over and over again.

While Lana kept her eyes closed, Sky woke up from his sleep. Lana pretended to be asleep, not wanting to engage in conversation with him.

"She hasn't woken up yet?" Sky murmured.

Sky touched Lana's forehead to check her temperature, and then he sighed in relief.

"She's recovered," he said.

Sky didn't immediately get up from his bed. He continued to hug Lana and watched her carefully. It seemed that Sky was starting to enjoy this time when Lana was still asleep because only then they didn't argue, and he could pay more attention to her.

"Good morning," Sky said, gently kissing Lana's cheek.

Lana was almost startled by the sudden kiss, but she managed to control herself well and remained calm. When she heard Sky's footsteps moving away and the bathroom door closing, Lana immediately touched her cheek, which had just been kissed by Sky, and whispered, "He seems to be crazy."

"And I must be crazy too because my heart is racing," she continued in her mind. 

Oh, it felt better when Sky was just being mean rather than like this. It was becoming difficult for her to hate Sky with all her heart.

"Oh, you're awake," Sky said as he dried his face.

Lana, who had just sat on the bed, cleared her throat in response to Sky's words. Sky, seeing Lana remaining silent, grew worried. He sat back on the edge of the bed to be closer to Lana.

"Are you still feeling weak? Still unwell?" he asked.

Lana shook her head but remained silent.

"Then why? Why are you being silent? Are you still angry with me because of what happened yesterday?" Sky continued to inquire persistently, but Lana replied with a shake of her head.

"You're probably still angry," Sky said. "I apologize. I will try to be more careful with my words," he continued.

Lana stared at Sky with deep gaze, leaving him confused. It felt better for her to shout at him than to remain silent like this.

"Am I hurting her so much?" he thought.

"Don't stay silent. If you're angry, you can shout at me," Sky said.

Lana continued to shake her head, but this time she opened her mouth, "I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?" Sky furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I want to make sure of something," Lana said.

Before Sky could ask what Lana meant, she drew her body closer, eliminating the remaining distance between them. Lana pressed her lips to his.

Lana kissed him.