A wicked idea flashed through my mind.
"It's okay, wife. It's just a mouse. Nothing to be scared of. I'm not afraid at all. Look, there's one right behind you. Its little black eyes are staring at you..." Liam said, patting her shoulder with a serious expression.
What? Behind her?
"No, no, no! I don't want to see it. Make it go away! Get it away from me!" Emma was almost in tears.
She had been terrified of mice since she was a child, and now her weakness was completely exposed in front of Liam. She tightened her grip, and Liam, who was enjoying the joke, could barely breathe.
Luckily, Emma was as light as a feather. Otherwise, who could withstand her weight pressing down on him for so long?
For a moment, Liam even wondered if Emma was doing this on purpose to get back at him.
He lowered his head, catching the faint scent of her perfume. Her body was soft and delicate. Just as he was about to continue scaring her, he felt a strange trembling against his chest.
Was she shaking with fear?
Liam suddenly felt that his joke might have gone too far. He cleared his throat and said, "Hey, scaredy-cat. Okay, I'll stop teasing you. It's fine. The mouse is long gone."
"Really? You're not lying to me, are you, Liam?" Emma cautiously poked her head out, her face still etched with panic.
"Of course not. How could there be so many mice? Besides, even if there were, they'd be scared off by your screaming." Liam ruffled her hair, not knowing what to do with her.
"What? You lied to me..." Emma paused, looking up to see Liam's grinning face.
...
How could he do this?
How could he trick her with something like that?
Emma was furious. She quickly jumped up. "Liam, you've gone too far! I really don't know what's going on in your head. Are you a psychopath? Or do you have some kind of split personality? Is this how you like to bully me?"
From what she could remember, Emma felt like the whole world was against her.
"What did I ever do to you? It's not easy to meet an old friend, but you somehow show up and cause trouble, embarrassing me in front of the driver. What's wrong with listening to a song? I don't have any freedom in my life..."
And now he even lied to her about a mouse!
When Emma thought about it, her emotions exploded. All her grievances and fears came rushing back.
Her nose stung, and she couldn't speak anymore. She just sat there, sobbing quietly.
God must have intended for her to meet such a hateful Liam. Everything was against her.
The servants didn't listen to her. They only followed Liam's orders. Even the wildflowers and weeds at her feet seemed to bully her.
And that damn mouse.
Thinking about it, Emma's spirit completely broke down. She covered her eyes with her hands, and tears streamed down her face.
If she had yelled, Liam would have known how to handle her. But she was crying.
Liam, who was always calm and composed in a crisis, immediately froze.
This was bad.
To be honest, he hadn't meant to scare her like this. But she had been so naughty earlier, insisting on listening to music and jumping around in the car.
Who would have thought that the tough woman from a moment ago would turn into a little girl?
Scared by a mouse and crying, of all things.
Liam looked at her helplessly, a hint of pain flickering in his cold eyes. He swallowed and stood up coolly, extending his hand to Emma. "Come on, scaredy-cat wife."
Emma was still angry with him. She completely ignored him.
"Then stay here by yourself. I'm going back first. If something comes out later, don't blame me for not warning you." Although Liam said this, he didn't move. His injured right hand was still extended toward Emma.
Emma wanted to get angry again, but after hearing his words, she immediately looked up, grabbed Liam's hand as fast as she could, and stood up.
At that moment, Liam winced in pain. He seriously wondered if he had been infected by Emma's stupidity. Why had he extended his injured right hand?!
Bearing the pain, Liam looked at the woman behind him with a blank expression. She was holding his hand, while her other hand was still wiping away tears.
Liam looked at his hand and swallowed the words he was about to say.
Did she really not notice anything wrong?
Had she already forgotten what Dr. Jones had told her at noon?
Liam rubbed his forehead. It was true—finding a woman with low IQ and EQ was a real challenge.
They walked slowly back to the villa. The dim light stretched their shadows long. In the silent night, only the occasional chirping of cicadas could be heard from the grass, along with the crisp, rhythmic sound of Emma's high heels on the ground.
Emma followed behind, unaware that Liam's eyes were deep in thought. He was brewing and guessing a secret known only to the two of them.
Ever since Elijah had appeared, although they still argued as before, and Liam was still as domineering as ever, and Emma was still the little wife easily swayed by him, there was something different.
In the moments she couldn't see, Liam's bloodthirsty and dark eyes were unpredictable.
Always flashing by in casual moments.
Or maybe he was hiding it on purpose.
In this battle called marriage, once there was an attempt and a plot, there would be innocent casualties.
Maybe it was Liam, who was very deep in the city, or maybe it was Emma, who was full of innocence.
...
Fortunately, the distance wasn't far. After about six or seven minutes, they arrived at the villa gate.
Emma glanced at the line of servants standing at the door. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she gently released Liam's hand and walked ahead with her head down.
After a few steps, a very exaggerated car horn sounded behind her. Emma instinctively moved to the side.
After staying in the Williams' house for so long, she could guess without thinking. Besides Benjamin, who would honk the horn so openly?
Liam's hand was finally free, and the pain had eased a lot. But as he watched Emma walking ahead of him, he thoughtfully put his hand into his pocket and strode forward.