Hunter sighed, swallowed his saliva, and looked at Isabella, who was ignoring him, before quickly sitting next to her.
"How did you get here without a wheelchair or a cane?" Isabella asked without turning around.
"I didn't need them, Davin has left," Hunter replied anxiously. "I asked him to leave... I didn't want him to mess up our situation."
Isabella remained silent, recalling their conversation from a few minutes ago.
"You should know that he's not as good as you think... He often does things that make me angry," Hunter said again.
"But I think there's nothing wrong with what he said. The problem is that you overreacted, as if you don't want to be seen as a bad husband to me," Isabella responded, turning to look at Hunter, noticing the anxiety on his handsome and fresh face. "You... You shouldn't have said you could open a boutique for me, to make me a professional designer... That's something excessive," she continued.
Hunter shook his head. "That's not excessive. You're my wife. As you said before, between us, it's about being husband and wife, and we forget about agreements until it's time to discuss them again," he said.
Isabella remained silent, staring deeply at Hunter.
"If I didn't agree with his suggestion, he would say I'm a stingy husband... Even without his suggestion, I might have given you some things to make your life better... Including providing a place for your business... like a boutique... or anything that matches your talents," Hunter said, furrowing his brows.
"But that will get me into trouble!" Isabella retorted.
"How? How could that get you into trouble?"
"Sorry if I have to bring up your previous agreement..." Isabella turned her face away again, frowning. "You said you didn't want to do things that would make me deal with your mother, that you didn't want her to be angry with me... That's why you have to stop thinking about setting up a boutique for me as my new business... Making me a professional designer..." She turned back to look at Hunter.
"That's something excessive, and I'm sure your mother won't like it. She's even warned me several times to maintain boundaries between us," she continued.
Hunter was silent, continuing to look at Isabella as if he had many thoughts about her.
"I'm so tired of the war in my mind... Please don't stress me out further by making me deal with your mother... I can't..." Isabella pleaded, the sadness in her eyes clear as she quickly turned her face away, looking down at the wedding ring on her finger. "I just want to enjoy this moment without bringing in new things that will get me into trouble... I don't want... I just want to be a wife... as has been decided!"
Hunter was stunned, seemingly touched by Isabella's statement, recalling the intimacy they had a few hours ago, making him think that she might have an interest in him.
"Now tell me," Isabella said, turning back to Hunter. "Why are you pretending to be disabled? Don't answer with lies."
"I've already told you, I'm like this because I didn't want my mother to arrange a marriage between me and her friends' daughters," Hunter said, frowning. "I don't like how my mother keeps pushing me to get married... even though she knows I don't have a girlfriend. In the end, she planned to arrange a marriage between me and her friends' daughters, but I knew they weren't good; they just wanted my money... they weren't the kind of girls I was interested in... And... Coincidentally, I had a minor accident, but I pretended to be disabled... I paid a doctor to create a false medical report about my condition. And eventually, they rejected my mother's proposal to establish a relationship with me," he continued anxiously, his eyes drifting as if recalling the past.
"But in the end, you gave up... Your lie was in vain because, in the end, you agreed with your mother's suggestion to marry me," Isabella responded.
Hunter sighed immediately, looking at Isabella with warmth in his eyes.
"That's because you were the only girl willing to marry me, even if it was for money... I looked into your background a bit... It made me interested in trying to make a marriage work with you," he said, then smiled. "I liked your simplicity, your willingness to do anything for your family... You love other things so sincerely without putting yourself first... And I thought that I would be very fortunate if you loved me... it would mean you'd love me sincerely... You're different from other girls... You can love selflessly... without conditions..."
Isabella immediately shook her head. "No... I don't believe your reason."
"But that's the reason..."
"Only a foolish girl would believe such a ridiculous reason!" Isabella asserted clear disappointment on her naturally beautiful face without makeup. "I still don't understand the whole pretense of being disabled and agreeing to a contract marriage... But I did find something in my mind!"
"What?"
"This... It's about the company assets your grandfather gave you," Isabella whispered, looking at Hunter with fear in her eyes. "You pretended to be disabled so your grandfather would pay more attention to you... You and your mother conspired... And it was all to get those company assets," she continued, narrowing her eyes.
"Now I understand... You are dangerous... Maybe you enjoy our marriage... You don't want to keep pretending to be disabled in front of me because you don't want to waste my presence... You want to enjoy me... You don't want to spend a lot of money without getting anything from me... You could break my heart... That means I don't need to learn to love you..." She spoke with caution, shaking her head. "No... I shouldn't learn to love you... You... I don't have any hope for you to make me your wife forever... No... That won't happen because it would hurt me!"
"Isabella!" Hunter hissed before Isabella could finish her sentence. He frowned, looking at his wife with confusion. "How could you come to such a conclusion? That's not true at all!"
"But it makes sense!" Isabella insisted. "What you gained is so great that it's logical you'd make the sacrifice by agreeing to the pretense and even a contract marriage... It's all just for money!" she continued, trembling, her breath quickening, looking at her husband with anger.
Hunter shook his head.
"It's not that simple... I'm the victim... I've always been my mother's puppet, even though I made myself look weak, I never had the chance to live my way," he said with a disappointed look. "The assets from my grandfather, or even my father's wealth... I don't want any of it... Not at all!" he continued firmly, then pointed to his chest.
"This is all solely because of my mother... Just like you, who is afraid of her, I also have no strength to refuse her... to refuse all her wishes because I am the first son... I'm her support, obligated to fulfill all her desires, to make her happy!" he continued anxiously.
Isabella remained silent, looking at Hunter with her quickening breath, recalling his power to control the company, having money, and even being able to leave the house despite his mother's initial refusal. This made her even more cautious, unsure if what he said was true.
"Let me tell you," Hunter whispered anxiously.