"Have I been sleeping the whole time? Daisy frowned when she saw the man standing in front of her, with deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, a furrowed face and un-groomed beard and hair. Hadn't he always been careful about his dress and appearance? Why had his habits changed so drastically?
"Not very long. But it seems like ages to me," said Edward sadly. He took her hands gently, and put them on his face, feeling her soft skin. He was so elated and relieved that he had forgotten how bad he looked right now.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry to have worried you." Daisy's mouth twitched slightly. She wanted to give Edward a broad smile and comfort him. But a fit of pain assaulted her, and nearly took her breath away.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt? I'll bring Tom in." Daisy's pain made Edward panic. He was about to turn around and rush to Tom.
"Don't bother. I'm fine. It hurts slightly when I try to smile," explained Daisy in a hurry. Meanwhile, her heart trembled. She was afraid that her face might have been marred by scars. Would Edward care if he had an ugly wife?
"Well, the wound on your face hasn't healed yet. It takes time. So you might feel pain from time to time. But believe me, you'll be fine." Edward shot a worried glance at Daisy. Although her health was much better through Tom's heroic efforts, Jessica had injured her face so badly that the wound hadn't scabbed. Due to immense guilt, Edward didn't dare to look Daisy in the eyes. However, as far as Daisy was concerned, Edward had deliberately avoided her glances because she now looked ugly, and he didn't love her any more.
"Am I that ugly? Am I disgusting?" Daisy suddenly went pale. She thought she must be disgustingly ugly, otherwise, Edward wouldn't have averted his eyes.
"Don't be silly. You're irreplaceable and beautiful no matter what you look like. I love you, darling. I love you forever. Now, get some rest." Edward bent over and kissed Daisy tenderly on her eyelids. As he said, Daisy was his one true love, and no other women could compete with her in his heart.
I'm not being silly. I just said what all of you are thinking of right now." Daisy bit her lip slightly and sadly. She knew that human beings had the right to pursue whatever they believed was good and beautiful. So, she wasn't surprised at Edward's response.
"Do you really think of me that way? Am I a shallow and ungrateful man in your mind, who abandons his wife because of a scar on her face?" Although Edward had been well prepared to be doubted and teased by his wounded and sensitive wife, he still felt wronged and aggrieved when it actually happened. Did Daisy really think of him as a base and irresponsible husband?
"Edward, don't lie to yourself. Nobody's that saintly. Come on. I was once beautiful, and you loved me for it. Now, I'm hideous. And you can't accept a hideous wife. You know this. If I haven't disgusted you yet, I will one day. When that day comes, you might regret what you have said today." Daisy didn't think she was being unreasonable. People change, and their partners must change too. It was just a fact of life. Could Edward fall out of love? Anything was possible.
"Darling, have you lost confidence in yourself or in me? I'm confused. You shouldn't worry about those things. We should trust each other and believe that we can get through this together. So, be strong and confident. Don't lose yourself."
Edward couldn't give his wife a promise as good and convincing as the one she expected. Instead of spewing empty talk, he preferred to take good care of her, and show his true self to her. So, he chose to avoid making promises which might not be kept in the coming days, months and years.
I'm not myself any more. I will become an unreasonable woman, and an annoying and disgusting element in your life." Daisy sounded disappointed, lonely, sad, downhearted and dispirited, as almost patients did in their sickbeds. They became sentimental and let their imagination run wild. Unfortunately, Daisy was a typical example. "I see. But you got me wrong. You don't disgust me. I feel bad for you. I blame myself for having let those bad guys hurt you and make you suffer. I feel guilty for being an unqualified husband. You're still beautiful in my eyes, in my heart." He stretched out his hand and moved her hair away from her eyes. His mouth twitched slightly. He felt it funny that he would ever care about a woman's sentimentality. Only Daisy could make him feel guilty for her sufferings and her lack of confidence.
"Edward, you're so good at soothing my pain. Why didn't I figure that out before now? What a fool I am." Daisy was teasing her husband deliberately. Her temporary pessimism fled already. Although she was tough and strong, she couldn't help worrying about losing whatever she cared about. It was becoming harder and harder to control her emotions as she got to know Edward more. Edward was a mystery to her. No matter how hard she tried, she could never see through him, which was why she became fascinated by him.
There's more in me than you think. Every bit of me is something you need to explore. Look at me, I'm an awesome guy, charming, modest....You'll never find someone just like me." Edward felt relieved. Finally, Daisy had conquered her doubts and stopped being pessimistic and unreasonable. She used to be smart and realistic, never making too much fuss over one foolish problem. When she understood this, she would move on and never look back.
"Don't be silly. I see no difference between you and other fools." Daisy showed the whites of her eyes, and pretended to be disgusted by his foolishness and smugness. However, actually she was touched, because he didn't make a promise which he couldn't keep, nor lie to her face. He just talked some sense into her mind.
"Haha. I had better call Tom in to examine you. How could you not see the difference? Did they injured you brain too?"
Edward was neither a saint nor a loser. So, he knew clearly how to get the best results, how to persuade people to see things his way, through logic or emotion, how to make people feel relaxed, and how to soothe away the pains of those people who were hurt and suffering. Simply put, Edward knew people.
Don't make me laugh. By the way, where are Jessica and her gangsters? What happened to them?" asked Daisy curiously and anxiously. Daisy really needed to know what that proud, hysterical and insane woman had done when her face was also ruined.
"They're none of my concern. I'm quite busy looking after you." Edward told the truth. In the past two days when Daisy was unconscious, he had refused any information or news from outside. He had focused on taking good care of his wife. Especially after he found the yellowish album in Justin's bag and reviewed it, he was actually in no mood to deal with other things.
"Edward, do me a favor and tell me the truth. As far as you're concerned, why does everyone hate me?"
She sighed and got confused whenever she recalled what Jessica had done to her and her son. She rarely made enemies, nor contracted enmity with others. How come she was hated by almost everybody?
It's not your fault. You know, you just fell in love with an outstanding man and made other women jealous. It's more my fault than yours. And their hatred of you means they're sad and inadequate." By saying this, Edward sounded extremely proud of himself and overly confident. But honestly speaking, he wasn't. After all, it was because of him that Daisy got involved and hurt badly.
"Don't make a fool of yourself. You're just embarrassing yourself." If possible, Daisy would like to get his ass kicked. How could he be so self-centered and narcissistic? However, she had to admit that Jessica hated her and treated her that way thanks to Edward. So, you should never be overly happy when the man you married was far more outstanding and excellent than others. This kind of men would also make trouble for you.
"Jasmine, I'm fascinated by you, as always," said Edward, looking his wife in the eye intently and passionately. His sudden burst of emotion surprised Daisy.
"What're you talking about? Did you just call me Jasmine?" Daisy's lips trembled. 'Was it just an illusion, or did I hear it wrong?' she wondered. Nobody had called her by that name ever since her mother died. Edward shouldn't have known that name.