Chapter 190: Close Your Eyes

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Half-asleep, I felt an intense gaze fixed on me, as if a wild beast from the mountains was watching, sending a chill down my spine. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. After a moment, the figure leaned closer, their breath warm against my ear as they whispered, “Chloe, when will you ever love me?” Love? Who's asking for my love!

At dawn, after breakfast, Damian led me to a room where a muscular female instructor awaited. “Mrs. Bolton, starting today, I’ll be teaching you self-defense. Beyond the moves, it’s even more important to build physical strength. If you don’t, you’ll realize just how big the gap is between a man’s and a woman’s strength when faced with real danger.”

“Yes, I’ll follow your instructions,” I replied. Knowing Anna was a martial artist only made me more cautious. If I ever fell into her hands, I needed a way to defend myself.

“Mrs. Bolton, you need to be mentally prepared. You’re not exactly young, and you lack a solid foundation. Mr. Bolton specifically instructed me not to go easy on you. So, if it hurts, I won’t hold back.”

“I understand,” I said firmly. You have to endure hardship to gain real skills.

By the end of the day, my body was covered in bruises, and I felt sore all over. Josie Cross, my stern-faced instructor, didn’t let up, pushing me through ab crunches, weightlifting, and other strength-building exercises.

After showering, I collapsed onto the bed, feeling the world spin. “How was your first day of training?” Carter asked gently.

I lay sprawled out, too exhausted to move, let alone assume a more dignified position. “Everything except my head feels like it doesn’t belong to me anymore,” I groaned.

“Can you keep it up?”

“Of course!” The aches were unbearable, but compared to the helplessness I’d felt before my death, this pain was nothing.

Carter reached for my hand, but the moment his fingers brushed my skin, I yelped, “Ouch, that hurts!” “How are you going to train tomorrow like this? I have some ointment for blood circulation and bruises,” he said.

My eyes lit up. “Carter, you’re a lifesaver!”

He chuckled softly. “I’ve been there—I know what works. Now, take off your clothes, and I’ll apply it for you.”

Hearing that, I shot up from the bed, only to tweak my lower back. “Ouch…” Clenching my teeth against the pain, I protested, “No need. I can do it myself.”

Carter set the ointment on the bedside table and left. Moving like a rusty robot, I painfully began to apply the medicine. Although I barely moved, my whole body throbbed with pain. I reached for the jar of ointment, but he snatched it away.

“Alright, stop being stubborn. Let me do it,” he said. I bit my lip and refused. “Call a maid to help instead.”

“Are you sure you want someone to see you covered in bruises? Anyone who doesn’t know better might think I did something to you last night. Next thing you know, rumors will spread about me having some peculiar fetish and tormenting you like this,” he retorted. He had a point. I couldn’t let his good name get tarnished because of me.

“But…”

“Zoey, don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not that. I didn’t mean it that way.” I waved my hand dismissively, but the movement pulled on my sore muscles, and I winced, my face contorting in pain.

After enduring such an intense workout, I was surprised I even made it through. But now, my body felt like it was falling apart.

“Zoey, we’re married. Someday we’ll be doing much more intimate things. If you can’t even let me help you apply ointment, how are we going to have kids?”

My face instantly flushed. “When did I ever agree to having kids with you?”

“It’s only a matter of time. Now, the sooner we get this done, the sooner you can rest. If the soreness doesn’t ease, how will you train tomorrow? Zoey, be good and listen to me.” His tone was as coaxing as an uncle trying to get a child to take medicine.

“Fine,” I reluctantly agreed. I was wearing a silk camisole under a matching silk robe. When I raised my hand to undo the buttons, the sharp pain stopped me in my tracks.

“Alright, let me handle it.” He sighed. “If you’re nervous, just close your eyes.”

Since he’d put it that way, refusing would seem overly dramatic. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I closed my eyes. “Fine, go ahead.” Even without looking, I could feel his intense gaze lingering on my body. The fabric of my robe trembled slightly as he carefully undid the buttons, one by one.

Though I couldn’t see it, my mind conjured an image of Carter’s long, slender fingers deftly working on the pink silk buttons, his movements deliberate and unhurried. With the last button undone, he gently pulled the robe open. Without the robe’s cover, only my silk camisole remained. Normally, I would only take off my robe in the bathroom and slip under the covers immediately. But now, I realized something mortifying—I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. I was completely bare. Oh no, Carter must have noticed.