Kevin heaved a deep sigh as he stood still, trying to compose himself. He then gently knocked on the door and said, "Leena, please open the door. I'm sorry for what I said; but believe me that I didn't mean it. I can explain. Would you please open the door for me?"
Kevin didn't mean to blame Leena or anything. He only raised his voice because he was worried about her, a beautiful young girl wandering around alone in the night. He made a mistake by blurting out those harsh words without thinking too much about it, and he didn't expect that it would hurt Leena's feelings.
Inside the bedroom, Leena remained silent the whole time. She didn't know what was wrong with her either. Why would she get upset and sad like this simply because of something he said? She knew that he wasn't really mad at her, nor did he try to give her an earful. Leena had always been a generous girl, who never held grudges against anyone who didn't mean to hurt her. But why would she act like this? Was it because the person was Kevin?
Leena, if you don't open the door for me, I'm afraid I'll have to break the door. You should know that I'm a soldier, and this door won't stop me if I want to go inside."
Leaning against the door, Kevin tried to be as patient as he could with Leena. In fact, he hadn't had slept properly for two whole days. Almost on the verge of breakdown, he was too exhausted to have a fight with Leena. He only hoped she could open the door and listen to him, and then maybe he could get some sleep.
I... I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I just want some time alone. Please don't mind me." Trying to suppress the urge to burst into tears, Leena said between silent sobs. She had to make some random excuse in case Kevin did break in like he said. She didn't know how to face him at this point. Her mind was in a mess; neither accusation nor suspicion was the way she wanted to use to settle what had been going on between her and Kevin.
You're crying!" Kevin said, as he heard Leena's slightly trembling voice. He went blank for a second. He then got even more anxious. He thought Leena locked the door simply because she was annoyed and didn't want to talk to him, because of what he had said downstairs. He had never expected that Leena would cry over that. He did put on a stern face, but everything didn't come out right and he didn't mean to scold her in the first place. But crying? Why?
"No, I'm not. I'm just a little tired, because of the walk." Leena composed herself as she wiped the tears from her face. She pretended to be tough because she didn't want Kevin to see her as a weak and fragile little girl, easily hurt by his words. Although they were legally husband and wife, they were more like two strangers in reality. They hadn't had enough time to get to know each other ever since they got married. Maybe it was because neither of them had such a thought in the first place, since Kevin had someone else special in mind and Leena only agreed to marry him so she wouldn't be sent back to France by her brother.
But as time went by, Leena's heart would skip a beat whenever she saw or thought about Kevin. She wasn't sure what the mysterious feeling she had for Kevin was. However, she wasn't a naive teenage girl anymore. She knew Kevin had someone else on his mind, and she didn't think she would fall in love with him. She told herself that she wasn't crying because she was upset or anything; it was just tears rolling down her cheeks and she somehow couldn't help it.
Leena, I want to apologize to you, for what I said downstairs, and also for the fact that I've been neglecting you for such a long time. It's all my fault. But can you give me a second chance? I promise you I will take my responsibility as your husband seriously and take better care of you. I'll treat our relationship better this time, and let's both work on it and try to live together as a couple, shall we?"
Kevin forced a bitter smile since he was left with no choice now. Daisy was happily together with Edward and their precious son, and he had also married Leena. He could no longer avoid facing the situation as well as his true feelings anymore, because it was unfair to all of them. He wasn't sure whether he would fall in love with Leena, but at least he needed to try. Even if he couldn't give up on Daisy in the end, he could face himself honestly and say that he had tried every means and failed to forget her.
I'm not angry with anyone, nor do I have anything to complain about. I'm really just tired. Can you leave me alone for a while? Just a little while, please." Leena sniffed as she stood up from the floor, staggering toward the bed. She hadn't eaten anything for the day; and because of the walk, the sudden emotional upheaval, and all kinds of thoughts simmering in her head, Leena felt exhausted and dizzy, as if the whole world was melting away in front of her. She was too tired to hold on to the matter with Kevin. All she wanted for the moment was to throw herself into the soft and warm bed to have a really nice sleep.
And she did. When she felt the softness of the quilt, Leena took a deep sigh with relief. Lying in the bed idly, she was like a little kitten. Eyes closed, Leena could feel the faint smell of mint lingering in the bedding and flirting with her nose. It was Kevin's unique scent. Although they seldom had chances to sleep in the same bed because he was always too busy with his work, somehow with the scent, Leena felt as if they had been together for a long time in this house as a loving couple.
Leena wondered when she became such a sentimental person. But she missed everything before her marriage. She missed her mentor in Paris and the fashion shows in Milan. She was a little princess to Duke and her other brothers; they pampered her and gave her all the best things in the world so that she wouldn't have anything to worry about except how to make more fun. She was also a talented designer; she would fly around the world to watch fashion shows and chase her inspirations to design her own collection of clothes and accessories. How happy she was before she got married! However, she hadn't felt that happy ever since she married Kevin. Looking back at her days of indulgence, Leena felt as if it had been ages, and all the happiness was floating in the air, in the distance and covered with mist.
Maybe she was really exhausted, or maybe she was telling herself that she needed to fall asleep to help her forget things she didn't want to think about anymore. Either way, Leena was worn out, both mentally and physically. She soon fell into slumber. Only in her dreams could she forget about the disturbing thoughts, the sharp pain in her heart and the deep sorrow that couldn't find a outlet. What's more, only in her dreams could Leena avoid facing Kevin or thinking about what exactly she felt about him.
After hearing Leena's words, instead of waiting outside and trying to talk Leena into opening the door for him again, Kevin decided to respect Leena and give her some space as she wished. There were too many problems going on between them two, and what they really needed was a sit-down and face-to-face talk rather than guessing one another's minds through a closed door. Keeping things to themselves would do them no good in the long run as a couple. Kevin knew they needed to talk, but now wasn't a good time. Leena got a little emotional and upset, so he'd better wait for her to calm down first. Having made up his mind, Kevin turned around abruptly and went downstairs. He went directly into the kitchen to make some noodles for both him and Leena. He could sense that Leena didn't have any dinner just like him. Although he wasn't sure whether Leena would forgive him and eat the noodles cooked by him, he had to try his luck, because he couldn't sit around and let her starve, at least not in his house.