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Eyan and Eva collapsed onto the bed, breathless, their bodies trembling from the storm that had just passed.
Eva gasped softly, her chest rising and falling against Eyan's. It had been four long years since they last shared the night — four years of distance, silence, and aching hearts.
Eyan didn't move. He stayed there, his face buried in the curve of her neck.
When their breaths finally began to calm, he slid an arm around her waist and drew her even closer, pressing his weight against her.
Eva, still catching her breath, wrapped her arms around him in return.
Then… she heard it — a quiet, trembling sound.
A soft sniff.
Eva froze. For a moment, she thought she'd imagined it.
But no — the sound came again, faint and broken.
Her eyes widened.
"Eyan…" she whispered, her voice fragile. "Are you crying?"
He nodded against her neck, his shoulders shaking.
"Why?" she asked softly.
His voice cracked as he spoke. "It hurts....when you told me to leave, when you wouldn't even look at me."
Eva let out a weak, bitter laugh. "Now you understand how I felt."
He lifted his head slightly, eyes red. "What do you mean?"
"Eyan," she said quietly, "are you asking because you truly don't know?"
He nodded. "Yes. Tell me."
She sighed, looking away. "You're impossible."
Eva's voice trembled as she spoke, "Eyan, we haven't shared a night since Leo is born. You know how weak my body became after giving birth…"
She drew in a shaky breath, her eyes lowering. "And after three and a half years, when the physician finally said I was healthy again, I thought—finally—we could share a night together again. But right after that you—you started acting strangely."
Eyan frowned softly. "Strangely? Like how?"
Eva's tone cracked, the frustration she'd buried for so long spilling out. "You stopped kissing me. Then, after some time, you stopped holding my hand. You stopped sleeping beside me, and in the end…" her voice fell to a whisper, "…you stopped even looking at me."
Eyan blinked slowly. "Oh. That."
Eva let out a small, bitter laugh. "Do you have any idea how much I missed you at night? How much I wanted you to hold me? Do you know how it felt when you stopped even looking at me?"
Her eyes glistened. "Eyan, why did you do that?"
He stayed silent, his expression unreadable.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" she pressed, voice trembling with emotion.
Eyan finally exhaled, a heavy sigh escaping him. "Eva… I was afraid."
"Afraid?" she repeated, confused.
He nodded. "When the physician said you were healthy again, I wanted to share a night with you. I wanted it more than anything."
"Then why didn't you?" she demanded, voice soft but hurting.
Eyan's jaw tightened. "Because after so many years of distance, I knew if we share a night together again… I wouldn't be able to hold back. And you would get pregnant again."
Eva's brows furrowed. "And what's wrong with me getting pregnant again?"
He looked away, his voice quiet, almost breaking. "You had just recovered, Eva. I didn't want you to go through childbirth again."
"Why?" she whispered.
Eyan's gaze dropped to the sheets, his voice low and trembling.
"Eva, I told you before how… after giving birth to Leo, you suddenly stopped breathing for a while."
Eva nodded softly. "Yes, I remember."
He exhaled shakily, eyes clouded with the weight of an old memory. "But I never told you how I felt at that moment."
His throat tightened. "Our baby was in my arms… but you—" His voice broke. "You were lying there, lifeless on that bed."
He swallowed hard, fighting the tremor in his tone. "And when the physician said that—" He paused, his breath hitching. "That you were dead…"
Eva's lips parted, her chest tightening as she watched tears gather in his eyes.
"I couldn't breathe," he whispered. "It felt like my whole world was falling apart. That image of you… not breathing… it still haunts me, even now."
His voice cracked, filled with anguish. "I don't ever want to go through something like that again. That's why I didn't want you to give birth again. Childbirth takes so much from the body… I couldn't risk your life a second time."
He looked at her then, his eyes raw and pleading. "So I kept my distance from you."
Eva's gaze softened, her heart aching at the pain in his words. "Oh, honey…" she murmured, brushing her thumb across his cheek. "You were worried over nothing. That happened because Leo wasn't… a normal child."
She smiled faintly, trying to ease the heaviness in his heart. "Our second child would be born healthy—like any other child. You don't have to worry about that."
But Eyan only shook his head, a faint tremor still in his voice. "Still… I am afraid."
Eva's expression melted into something then asked softly, "But that still doesn't explain why you stopped kissing me… holding my hand… sleeping beside me… even looking at me."
Eyan let out a long sigh, his face flushing slightly as he avoided her gaze. "Because… my body wasn't listening to me."
Eva blinked, puzzled. "What?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, his ears turning red. "Every time you got close, my body reacted. So I stopped kissing you… and holding your hand."
"Then," he continued, voice low and embarrassed, "after some time, even sleeping beside you became difficult. Every night was like a battlefield. Every night, I wanted you… more and more."
He covered his face with one hand, groaning softly. "And in the end, even looking at you for a brief moment would drive me crazy. So… I stopped looking at you altogether."
Eva was left speechless by his bold confession. Her heart thudded softly in her chest as she stared at him.
"So… is that why you didn't look at me this morning during breakfast?" she asked quietly. "And you pulled your hand away when our fingers touched?"
Eyan gave a small, guilty nod. "Yes."
He exhaled, voice lowering with a hint of embarrassment. "I did look at you… but only through your reflection. I couldn't make myself look at you directly."
He hesitated, his lips curving faintly as his eyes softened. "But when—for that brief moment—our hands touched, and our eyes met… and I saw you in that red dress—"
He stopped, his voice turning husky. "Do you want to know the first thought that came to my mind?"
Eva blinked, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "yes."
He smiled faintly. "That you looked absolutely beautiful in that red dress."
Eva's lips parted, warmth spreading across her face. "How swee—"
"—And I wanted to take it off." his next words slipping out before he could stop them.
Eva froze, her blush deepening into crimson as her eyes widened.
Eyan's face turned red instantly. He buried it in the crook of her shoulder, groaning softly. "This is so embarrassing…"
"Now do you have answers for all of your questions?" he muttered, still hiding his face.
Eva couldn't help it—she burst into laughter.
"Yes," she giggled between breaths.
"Stop laughing," he mumbled, voice muffled against her skin.
"Okay, okay," she said, trying to stifle her laughter but failing.
Eyan sighed, finally lifting his head. "I tried to stay in control, but today…" His eyes met hers, raw and honest. "Because of you, I lost it."
Eva raised a brow, feigning offense. "I made you lose control? What did I even do?"
Eyan's lips curved into a helpless smile. "You pushed me away."
Eva crossed her arms, "Then you should've been hurt, not… hard, if I pushed you away."
Eyan's face flushed crimson. "I was both."
Eva blinked, startled, then stammered, "H–how—?"
He sighed, flustered. "That's how it works."
"Really?" she asked, half–amused, half–embarrassed.
"Yes," he admitted, his voice low.
Eva smiled softly, her laughter melting into quiet affection.
With a sigh, Eyan finally moved, slipping to her side and pulling her into his chest. His arm wrapped securely around her waist as his thumb began to trace slow, soothing circles along her back.
"Now," he murmured, his voice deep and tender, "I finally feel relaxed."
Eva smiled faintly, her head resting against his heartbeat. "Me too."
For a while, they lay there in silence, the steady rhythm of his heart filling the quiet.
Then, in a voice so soft it nearly broke, Eva whispered, "You know… I thought you stopped looking at me because my body changed after giving birth. I thought I didn't attractyou anymore."
Eyan let out a soft chuckle. "Attract?" He tilted her chin up so she met his gaze. "Oh, darling, you still drive me crazy."
Eva's lips curved, shy and warm.
"And about how your body changed…" He trailed off, moving his hand down and resting it gently on the soft curve of her belly. "Are you talking about this?"
Her breath caught. "Yes."
A tender smile touched his lips before he leaned down and pressed a kiss there. "This," he whispered against her skin, "is what I love the most now."
Eva looked at him, eyes wide, a faint blush painting her cheeks. "Why do you like it so much?"
"Because," he said simply, his gaze full of quiet adoration, "this is where you kept our child."
Her eyes shimmered, emotion rising in her throat.
He brushed his thumb over her side again. "And if you're worried about your breasts… they only changed because you fed our child. That's something to be proud of, not ashamed."
He lifted his head, his expression soft but firm. "Eva, it's completely normal for your body to change. You don't need to feel insecure, okay?"
Her heart swelled at his words. "Hmm," she murmured, eyes glistening.
Eyan tapped her belly lightly, his tone turning playfully gentle. "And don't wear corset again."
Eva blinked. "Why?"
"Because," he said, smiling, "you don't have to hide what I love."
Her smile deepened. "Okay."