Her feigned slumber was perfect, but even through it, Huo Ting Cheng could sense the subtle triumph in her, a silent, undeniable victory that came not from words, but from how she made him relinquish control to care for her fully.
The room remained bathed in soft light, the air thick with unspoken promises and quiet surrender, a fragile equilibrium between two wills bound by fear, love, and the sharp edges of intimacy.
Huo Ting Cheng sat motionless on the edge of the bed, his gaze never leaving Tang Fei's serene, sleep-like face.
The soft lamplight painted shadows across her cheeks, highlighting the delicate rise and fall of her chest beneath the covers.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, his broad shoulders finally easing just a fraction.
But the tension in his jaw betrayed him. Even here, in this silence, he couldn't shake the gnawing unease in his chest, the memory of her cries, her trembling, her sudden collapse into fragility.
