She takes a step out of the apartment and locks the door. Eli watches her quietly. It was so close. If she had taken Evie's hand, she would have been spirited away.
Nell doesn't notice him walking toward her. When she turns around, she sees him standing in front of her. Startled, she steps back and loses her balance. Eli coils his arm around her waist.
"Wife, where are you going?" He asks her with concern in his eyes.
"I was…" She blinks and then, she frowns at him. "Why are you coming home late?"
"I walked to my friend's place." Eli smiles. "Were you worried about me?"
"I was also going on a walk." She glares at him. "I was planning to walk to my friend's place."
It's cold outside the apartment. She didn't even wear a jacket. He could see the outline of her nipples on the thin white fabric of her shirt. She was going to walk on naked feet while looking like this? He should wear a jacket all the time. Though he doesn't need it, there's no telling when his wife might need it. He cups her face and pecks her forehead. "Don't go out at night."
"Then, why did you go out at night?" She stomps his foot. Eli lets out a cry. Well, he has to pretend that it hurts. But his cry doesn't invoke any pity in her. She grabs his ear and twists it hard. "Going to a friend's place with a boner, huh? You are quite something, Doctor Sanguine."
"Wife, it hurts." Eli isn't pretending anymore. His eyes well up. "Don't twist it too hard. It would come off."
She snorts at him. "It should come off."
"But you were the one who kicked me out." Eli can't understand why is she mad at him again. "I was thirsty. So, I went to his place to get some tea."
The deep creases on her forehead become smooth. She loosens her hold on his ear. "His place?"
"I went to see Benny," He tells her with a meek voice and lowers his head. "I didn't make any calls because I thought that you were asleep."
"You didn't even take your phone with you." She lets go of him. Still annoyed, she unlocks the door. "Don't go out at night. Even if you are a man, it's not safe for anyone at night. You look slender and all. You also have a habit of dressing like a woman. I am afraid that some pervert might do something to you."
He walks into the apartment, right behind her. "So, you were worried about me."
"If you start living with a dog, you would even worry about a dog." Nell exhales. "Mental asylum was better than marrying this thoughtless guy."
She's so cute when she's angry and worried. Eli embraces her from behind. "Nell, it was really cold outside."
"Then, why is your body warm?" She scowls.
"My body is always warm, but I feel cold without you." He puts his forehead on her shoulder and releases his breath. She could have disappeared right before his eyes if she had taken that hand.
"There's still some time." Nell takes his hand and drags him to the bedroom. She turns around and looks up at him. Then, she brushes her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to sleep?"
"Little Marshmallow is not a human for sure." Behind him, the Devil mutters under his breath. "But what is he? Is he a Fae? A demon? An angel?"
As usual, Eli ignores the cat. He beams at his nervous wife. "You don't look sleepy."
"I can't sleep now." She sits on the bed and wrinkles her forehead. "I think that my disease is getting worse."
Eli regrets using his abilities right in front of her. She has seen Evie being swallowed. He could guess that she blamed her mind for that. However, she is blaming her diseases for something that happened for real. He should tell her. It's not the right thing to make use of her weakness.
"Since we are married and both of us want to do our best in this relationship, I want to start this with honesty." She is touching her left wrist again. "I hallucinated my mother for seven years after her death. She disappeared when I realized that she wasn't real. Now, I am hallucinating strange things. I think that it's getting worse. I don't know what would happen. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist. I don't want to become dangerous for you."
"That was not a hallucination, you dimwit," The Devil roars at her. "Evie was here."
But she might not believe him. She might think that he's a hallucination too. If she believes him, it could become worse. She might leave him because he's a ghoul. "Leave it to me. I will find someone. It's time that you also start your physical therapy."
"Little Marshmallow, how could you do this to her?" The Devil looks at him with loathing. "What she is seeing is real. Don't take advantage of it. She's going to remember. When she remembers, she will find out what you are."
Nell gives him a stiff nod. "There's one more thing that you need to know. If you still want to be with me after that, I won't hesitate anymore."
"What is it?" He asks her quietly.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. It's tremendously difficult for her to say it. She stands up and faces him. She watches him anxiously. She's afraid, but she is determined to take this step. "Nine years ago, something happened in my life. It changed everything for me. Everything was fine one day. I had someone who loved me a lot. His name was Baek Joon-Woo. I had close friends too -- Maise, Nick, Samantha and others. I still remember that we left school that day with smiles on our face. When I woke up one day, I found out that two of my friends were dead. Four of them were missing. Baek Joon-Woo killed himself."
Eli already knows all of it. Actually, he knows more than she knows right now. Baek Joon-Woo was looking for her biological father and he even made a deal with a Fae in the black market. Who Baek Joon-Woo made the deal with and whether he received the information or not, it is still a mystery. He wonders how Baek Joon-Woo found out about the hidden world.
"I was…along with my friends…" Nell swallows. His face is expressionless. Should she continue saying it or not? But she knows that a relationship should be built upon honesty and trust. Baek Joon-Woo never hid anything from her. He came clean about her and Evie, his family, and everything about his past. She also told him everything about herself. With Eli, she wants to start with her secrets. If he is not fine with it, they can still part on good terms. She spits out the next words in one breath, "I don't remember it. I don't know how we ended up in that place either. I was told that some men forced themselves on us."
Her heart feels light after saying the words. Before Eli could speak, she puts her finger on his lips. "I don't know who my biological father is. My mother was not married to him. She never told me about his identity. He disappeared before my mother found out that she was pregnant with me. I don't think that he knows about my existence either. "
She takes a pause. "I didn't finish high school. I took a GED. I chose to become a writer because that was Baek Joon-Woo's dream. I know that I don't have a talent for it. I know that it would be hard for me if I chose to become a writer. I will do my best for his sake. I can't unlove him. He's going to remain a part of my heart forever, even if I hate him for doing what he did. I am coming to you with a lot of burdens. It's fine if you want to back out. I won't blame you. We can get a mutual divorce anytime."