Chelsea stored the medication given by Daniel Jiang in a hidden place. The servants in the villa were Li family employees, and she didn't want anyone to report about her mental illness to them, including her husband.
She went to the dressing room, standing in front of a long horizontal mirror that covered her entire body. Chelsea loosened her dress, letting it fall to the floor, revealing her half-naked body. There were no scars or defects; she was perfectly flawless like a mannequin.
As she walked towards the bathroom, the door suddenly opened without a knock. The atmosphere changed instantly, both of them frozen in place, staring at each other. Chelsea's expression was flat despite wearing only a bra and underwear; she didn't feel embarrassed or blush, a normal reaction for showing her naked body to her husband.
Jonas looked away, then cleared his throat. "I'm going to sleep in this room; the servant told Mommy that I sleep separately from you."
"Oh, that's fine. Do whatever you want in your house." She acted nonchalant, then disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Jonas sighed, feeling the hot air despite the air conditioner being on. The sound of water splashing in the bathroom made him shiver.
"I'm going crazy." He muttered and walked out, trying to deny his body's reaction to seeing Chelsea in her underwear and bra, as if Jonas had never seen a woman's body before.
He went to the side yard, where the pool was located, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt before sitting on the chaise longue.
He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and tried to relax, lying down there. If it were evening, this spot would be beautiful for watching the sunset.
The villa area where Jonas lived was a fertile mountainous region with tea gardens and peach orchards stretching out, very natural and soothing for workers returning home in a state of exhaustion and stress due to work pressure.
He thought that Shirley would love this place if they got married, or maybe buy a more luxurious manor for her. However, not everything goes smoothly; now the woman was out of his reach.
"The number you are trying to reach is not available."
Jonas sighed; he had tried hard to find information about Shirley's whereabouts since leaving China. It was quite difficult to track her down, or maybe his adoptive father had done something to make it hard for him to move.
"It's not impossible if daddy did it; he even threatened me."
He tried sending some emails and asked Shirley's close friends, but they knew nothing. The man who couldn't forget her was stuck in the hole she left, and Jonas hadn't been able to crawl out because he was too lazy to move.
Later, Chelsea appeared in the dining room after a servant informed her about dinner.
"Where's Jonas? Did he leave, Aunt Wen?" she asked.
Wen Ruoxi, the villa's cook, replied, "I think Mr. Jonas is still around the pool."
Chelsea was wearing loose pajamas with short pants and her hair rolled up, showing her flawless white neck.
"The pool? Is he swimming?" she asked casually, shoving food into her mouth.
Wen Ruoxi replied, "It seems not. I'll call him, Young Lady."
"No need, Aunt Wen. He can come back when he wants." She slowly got used to sitting at the dinner table without Jonas' presence; her husband had a thousand reasons to refuse eating together.
"Alright, Young Lady."
Someone walked towards the dining room, their footsteps muffled by the pair of fur slippers they wore. They had almost dozed off on the chaise longue due to the gentle night breeze, but the ringing of their phone disrupted the peace, and now the man's stomach was growling.
"Aunt Wen, have you delivered dinner to Uncle Jiang? Make sure he doesn't eat late."
Chelsea's voice made Jonas stop one step before reaching the entrance.
Maybe it wasn't because of Chelsea's voice, but her question.
"I've already delivered it, Young Lady."
"Thank you, and don't forget to eat dinner."
"Of course, I'll do it later." Wen Ruoxi moved away, surprised to see Jonas standing near the door. The man just nodded slightly, indicating for the cook to continue.
He sighed, feeling a surge of annoyance every time he knew his wife was showing concern for a driver, even though Jonas understood that Chelsea's behavior could be seen in other employers, the frustration still lingered in his heart. He took another step, entering the room as Chelsea enjoyed her dinner.
"Ah, I didn't know you were coming here, so I started without you." She still showed courtesy to her husband. "If I knew, I would have waited for you."
"Just continue." Jonas sat in his chair, right across from Chelsea, the arrangement was set from the beginning—according to their wishes.
His wife was quite comfortable even with Jonas being with her, and vice versa—someone was too focused on paying attention to their partner that they hadn't touched anything.
The flat gaze with a slight furrow between his eyebrows signaled annoyance and suspicion. After blinking, Chelsea noticed it, Jonas' expression and gaze remained unchanged.
"What's wrong?" She moved to Jonas' bowl of rice, the chopsticks still lying in place. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have done it for you." Chelsea picked up some food from the plate and placed it on Jonas' rice. "You should try the soup, it's delicious."
Her husband remained still, but Chelsea's actions effectively diverted Jonas from his annoyance, and he picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
"I can peel the shrimp for you. Mother said you rarely eat shrimp because you're reluctant to peel it."
She picked up one, letting her fingers get stained with the thin shrimp shell. Who would have thought that Chelsea would feed Jonas shrimp without chopsticks, her nails glistening with the remaining melted butter from the cooking process.
"This is for you."
Her hand hovered in front of her husband's face, her expression flat with a natural bare face, everyone would agree that Chelsea was very beautiful.
Jonas was momentarily frozen, dealing with the situation, he couldn't continue to be awkward when Chelsea was so relaxed around him.
He grasped Chelsea's wrist, directing the shrimp right in front of his mouth before devouring the food.
"Tomorrow." Jonas' voice was heard again.
"Yes."
"No need to deliver lunch to the office. Tomorrow I'll be out for some agendas, and maybe return to the office in the evening."
"Alright, I'll go to the boutique as Mother recommended."
Their conversation at the dinner table ended there, and they continued eating until their bowls were empty. This peaceful situation might not greet them every day; Jonas successfully restrained something that could have turned into a small debate if he had expressed it.
It was almost midnight when Jonas left his study, having taken care of some matters. He returned to the master bedroom, the room he shared with Chelsea. He didn't know which servant had told Elena that Jonas had chosen to sleep in another room, as if he was unaware that the presence of servants in the villa was Elena's request.
His wife was already fast asleep in their large bed, a bed that could accommodate five people at once. Since Jonas had moved back to this room, his wife had shared the pillow and maintained a distance. Chelsea looked peaceful, with half her body wrapped in a thin blanket.
This calmness seemed uncharacteristic of her; to others, she appeared disheveled, stirring up a man's life until it was no longer recognizable.
Jonas was on the right side of the bed, pulling back the edge of the blanket as he lay down facing the ceiling. There was a one-meter distance between them, like a couple who had quarreled. He didn't want to think about anything else as he closed his eyes; they had become two opposing magnetic poles.
***