Third person's POV
Derek slowly pulled down her pajamas. Tabitha did not stop him.
With the dim light from outside, he could see her slender back and the beautiful lines of her waist.
She was too thin. To be honest, holding such a thin Tabitha felt more prickly than before.
Probably because she had given birth to three children, her breasts had not shrunk but had actually increased by one cup size.
Her breasts were still full and not sagging.
Having had two premature births, she had no stretch marks on her stomach, and her skin was smooth and delicate, making her the ideal object in a man's eyes.
She had no idea how charming her figure was.
The room had 24-hour heating, and it was warm like spring, but without the cover of clothes, Tabitha couldn't help but shiver slightly.
"Tabitha, turn around, I want to see you," Derek said.
"No!" she replied.
Derek pulled her over directly, and Tabitha still reached out to cover her eyes as before, her tone still fierce.
"Hurry up."
He laughed, "How can something like this be rushed?"
This time, their skin touched without any barriers. Tabitha couldn't help but make a sound.
Derek kept his promise and did not cross the final line.
After a while, he lay on top of Tabitha, catching his breath.
"Tabitha, thank you," he said.
Tabitha's voice still carried a hint of petulance, "Derek, I don't owe you anything now."
He wanted to get some tissue to clean the traces on her legs, but Tabitha sat up, "I'll do it myself."
"Enough fooling around. It's time to sleep now, right?"
"I'll sleep right away," he replied.
Tabitha lay in bed, her mind unable to calm down for a long time.
Memories of the past flooded her mind—she had once loved this man with all her heart, and later, she had hated him with clenched teeth. No one could imagine that they would have had such an encounter not long ago.
It was like a love story had turned into a fantasy story. The plot development was too unexpected.
In the latter half of the night, he held Tabitha in his arms and did not do anything inappropriate. Like a loyal big dog, he rested his chin on her shoulder, holding Tabitha entirely in his embrace.
For the first three days, his back had been in severe pain, keeping him awake all night.
His self-healing ability was strong. After three days, the wound began to scab over. The pain eased tonight, and he slept soundly, holding Tabitha with his energy released.
Tabitha, who had been lost in thought at first, soon calmed down as well.
She decided to treat it as a perfect ending for her 18-year-old self. The marital life she had dreamed of was like this.
At least for these few days, she would let go of her hatred and cherish the time she had with him. After four days, the path she would take would not allow her to turn back.
Their lives had been a mess for years, filled with misunderstandings, hardships, and torment.
It was rare for them to have such a peaceful moment. Tabitha and Derek finally had a good night's sleep. They usually had very regular biological clocks, but this time, they overslept and didn't even notice when Misha came in.
Misha was stunned by the sight. Tabitha looked like a sleeping beauty when she was asleep, her face so perfect that there wasn't a single flaw.
Since Misha had known Derek, she had never seen such a peaceful expression on his face.
He held Tabitha from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder like a big dog.
They looked perfectly matched. Whether Misha wanted to admit it or not, they were a match made in heaven.
Derek sensed Misha's gaze and woke up. The moment their eyes met, Derek's focus sharpened.
Upon seeing the uninvited Misha, his eyes turned cold instantly, like a territorial beast, and he growled in anger, "Get out."
The breakfast bag in Misha's hand fell to the floor. She quickly covered her eyes and ran out in a panic.
Tabitha was fast asleep and was woken up by Derek's voice. She frowned, her eyes heavy with sleep, struggling to open them.
She did not feel well all over after sleeping in one position all night. Instinctively, she turned over and, as she had done many times before, buried her head in Derek's chest.
Derek was both surprised and delighted. Seeing that Tabitha had no intention of waking up, he closed his eyes and continued to sleep.
This was one of the few times they had slept in. Due to Derek's special status, ordinary nurses did not dare to disturb him easily, so the routine ward rounds were canceled.
Usually, Tabitha would go to the nursing station to get the medicine after waking up, so they could sleep soundly.
Tabitha had a sweet dream.
In her dream, she saw her three children. Kyrian, holding the hands of his younger twin siblings, ran towards her with a smile on his face.
Tabitha opened her arms wide and tightly embraced all three children.
Her children were finally back!
For the first time, Tabitha woke up with a smile in her sleep.
When she opened her eyes, instead of seeing the faces of her children, she saw Derek's chest.
Tabitha realized that she was clinging to Derek like an octopus, her limbs tightly wrapped around him.