Leah stirred in her sleep. The comfort of the bed brought a sense of laziness to her, making her want to stay under the covers.
"Wake up, Dear." Leah heard a voice call her.
The next second, a hand patted on her hair, and the duvet was pulled off her. She squinted her eyes, adjusting to the bright light, and a yawn left her mouth as she sat up on the bed.
"Good morning," greeted Leo.
Leah raised her head to look at her newlywed husband and softly muttered, "Good morning."
For a moment, she could only stare, dazed by her husband's appearance. Freshly shaven, his face carried a clean sharpness that made his chiseled features stand out even more— the strong line of his jaw, the elegant bridge of his nose, the faint curve of his lips. The neatness gave him a refined air, as though he had stepped out of a regal painting.
The gentle affection in his eyes warmed his entire presence, bringing heat to her cheeks.
"Did you have a good night's sleep?" asked Leo gently.
Leah gave a small nod. "It was nice."
After a long period of time, she could relish such a peaceful and comfortable sleep. The Xu Family, eager to punish her and bury the shame, selected the basement as her resting area.
The basement was cold and damp with barely any ventilation. The cramped space reeked of mildew, and she could only rest on a makeshift bed made from the scraps she collected.
At dawn, as the servants bustled above to do their job, the wooden boards above the basement rattled and creaked, creating noises and jolting Leah awake from her sleep.
After that, Leah made her way over to the washroom to clean up.
From the outside, Leo informed, "I have placed a new set of clothes for you outside."
"Uh, thank you!" she called out, louder than intended, making sure he heard.
Following that, Leo went back to working on his laptop. When Leah stepped out, hair damp and clinging to her shoulders, he closed the device and crossed the room. Before she could react, he smoothly took the towel from her hands.
Leah's eyes widened. "What- What are you doing?"
He didn't answer, only began to dry her hair with slow, steady motions. She shifted under his touch, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar closeness, but his hand pressed lightly to her shoulder.
"Stay still."
Then came the warmth of the hair dryer. The heat fanned across her scalp, and instinctively, Leah scrunched her nose, closing her eyes against the breeze after that.
Leo's lips curved faintly, amusement softening his sharp features; she looked unbearably adorable to him.
Done with blow-drying her hair, Leo was about to brush her hair when Leah stood up and held her hair. She stared at him with conviction in her eyes and said, "I can do this on my own."
Leo's hand froze mid-air. A sigh escaped Leo's mouth.
"I mustn't have done a good job at being your husband," expressed Leo quietly with a hint of grief.
His words took her aback and left her without anything to reply for a second.
"No, no, why would you think that?" she uttered.
"Otherwise, why wouldn't you let me brush your hair? I must have done something wrong," Leo voiced out, convinced of his conjecture.
Leah faltered. Her lips parted, but no words came. She turned her eyes away, struggling to form a response.
Leah wasn't used to people being close to her and caring for her. Therefore, the way her husband treated her made her unable to react. It was all different from the pace she was used to.
The haze in his hazel eyes told Leo all he needed to know—his wife was confused. Leah's childhood had shaped her into someone cautious, someone who needed time to adjust, especially to a man who still felt like a stranger.
Leah preferred to stand at one corner, carefully assess the environment, before taking a step further. Otherwise, she reduced her sense of presence, acting as if she didn't exist there.
However, Leo's impatience made him crave his wife's attention all the time. If possible, he would always have her in his arms and keep her in his line of sight.
Nevertheless, with his greed, this was the slowest he could go, trying to keep up with her pace.
"Now, sit down, and let me do your hair, alright?" Leo's voice was coaxing.
Obediently, almost like a doll without will, Leah lowered herself into the chair. She sat still, watching Leo move his finger through the strands of hair.
Only Leo knew the delight it brought to his chest when he braided through her hair. For an entire year, he was desperate to do it, but the Heavens didn't provide him with the chance to.
During the time he was crippled in his previous life, Leo drowned in deep despair, staying in an extremely depressive state, and had no will to live. It was Leah who pulled him out of that mental state.
However, even when he felt better, the number of things he could do was limited, and most of the time, Leah handled everything for him.
All the helplessness made him spiral into a rollercoaster of self-loathing, making him feel useless and bitter.
That's when Leah smiled at him and said, "I find it annoying to do my hair early in the morning. Why don't you take over the task for me?"
Although Leo understood this was his wife's silly way of giving him a purpose, he took over the job seriously and went through intricate tutorials every day to set up her hair.
In the beginning, the novice Leo never brushed a woman's hair and could hardly pull her hair into a decent ponytail.
Yet Leah, with her unfailing warmth, would beam at him and lift a thumb. "This is one of a kind—artistic, I'd say. Good job!"
Later, with practice, he began to get better and better.
Once the hair was entangled into a braid, Leo was brought out of his thoughts. He secured her hair with the ribbon and put on a plaid headband on her head.
Then, he complimented, "Lovely."
Leah turned back to the mirror to look at the braid. Seeing how neat and symmetrical it was, she realized not even she could style her hair so prettily.
Was her husband used to braid other women's hair?
Everyone said he had a lot of girlfriends before.
Could he have braided all of their hair?
The solemn frown that settled deep between her brows prompted the man to ask, "What are you thinking so deeply about? Do you not like it?"
Leah shook her head.
Then, lowering her head, she contemplated for a while. Leo patiently waited for her to speak up.
After a couple of seconds, she brought up, "I want to go back home today. Just for a day."
Her hazel eyes stared at him pleadingly, hoping he would allow it.
"Alright, we can set out after breakfast," he replied.
Leah blinked in surprise. "I didn't mean to bother you. I can go home on my own."
"On my wife's first day returning home, how can I let her go on her own?" Leo smiled faintly.