"Hey," Selah protested in a low voice. "Don't stare at me like that!"
"Are you not afraid of me anymore?"
"I was never afraid of you." Selah stood up and declared, "I'm going to see Ray. Enjoy your meal."
Barry ignored her sassy remark and instead just shrugged his shoulders while smiling like a fool.
Meanwhile, Selah had already reached half of the staircase when she turned to look back at Barry at the dining table. Suddenly, a surge of happiness flowed into her heart. It felt so surreal and overwhelming that Selah was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control it.
After dinner, Barry headed to the study to read some documents. It was only later that night that he decided to finally go to his bedroom.
With her back to the door, Selah watered the flowers on the balcony. When she heard the door open, she immediately turned around.
"Ahem! Are you watering the flowers?" Barry asked as he walked to the balcony.
"Yeah," Selah answered in a soft tone and nodded. And as she stared back deep into his eyes and studied his face, she couldn't imagine that the man before her was Ray's father.
"You seem to be absent-minded tonight. What on earth happened?" Barry stood in front of Selah, facing her fully. The thin gap between them was more than enough to feel each other's breath.
"I'm not..."
"Don't tell me it's nothing," Barry inte
esn't matter whether we have another child or not. I really don't care. Besides, you don't have to worry about me leaving you because I won't. If there's one woman that I would fall in love with and eventually marry, it would be you, Selah. Only you," he uttered earnestly. His eyes lovingly stared at her, sending volts of electrifying heat in her body.
"Woo...Woo..." Curling up in his arms, Selah burst into tears.
She had never thought that Barry would be so gentle to her.
"Don't cry. Shush..." As if coaxing a child, Barry patted her back for comfort while a smile was etched on his lips.
They stayed in that position for a few moments until Selah had finally calmed down. She then gazed up at Barry and sniffed. "But I also want another child."
"Hmm, okay. Then, we'll go and see a doctor tomorrow. As you’ve said, it won’t be easy for you to get pregnant again. But that doesn’t mean you definitely can't get pregnant again, right?" Barry wanted to be certain. After all, he couldn’t risk Selah’s life just for them to have another child.
"Okay." Selah pursed her lips and nodded. "How could you be so kind?"
"Do you like me better this way?"
"Yes, of course." She nodded vigorously, smiling from ear to ear.
The next morning, a thick fog had covered the surroundings outside, making the villa's glass windows moist with the cold.