Chapter 0608 Nina My hand trembled as I pulled away from Enzo, watching as a whole host of emotions played across his face. I was still in shock; he had flinched from my touch.
But why? I had never-I would never have laid a finger on him. And yet here he was, the man who was strong enough to fight battles against rogues, flinching away from his wife's touch.
*Enzo," I murmured, "what really happened with your wrist?" Enzo let out a long sigh, but said nothing for a while. I kept waiting, thinking to myself that he would tellthe truth any moment, but he never did. It was as if he was battling with himself, trying to decide if he wanted to tellthe truth or not.
And then, finally, he said it.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Nothing." The word cout too quickly, and his voice was just a little too harsh. He kept untying his shoes, but I took a staggering step backwards, knowing that he was just blatantly lying at this point.
"Enzo," I said firmly, my voice hoarse with exasperation, "you can't keep brushing this off. Your wrist was injured, you're acting weird about it, and I'm your wife. Don't I deserve to know what really happened?" He turned to face me, his expression guarded. "Nina, I've already told you-it was just a hockey accident. Look, already healed, see?" As he spoke, he tugged his sleeve up to reveal his wrist. The bruise was completely gone by now with not so much as a faint line to indicate where it had been before.
I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. The sold story, the sold evasion.
"Enzo, you expectto believe that you hurt your wrist in srandom accident, but you won't even tellthe details?" I retorted, my frustration evident in my tone. "You know I care about you, and I worry when you keep things from me." He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Nina, you're just being nosy," he accused, his voice carrying a trace of irritation. "It's my wrist, and you're acting like I've had my head chopped off. And besides, I've told you a million times that it's fine now. There's seriously nothing to worry about." I took a step closer to him, my eyes narrowing. "I'm not being nosy, Enzo. I'm concerned. And I have every right to be concerned when someone I love gets hurt and won't tellthe truth about it. You just flinched when I tried to touch you!" Enzo's features softened, and he fell silent for a few moments as though considering my words. Then he stood and crossed over to me, and reached out to gently cup my face in his hands. "Nina, it's sweet that you care so much, but you have to trust me," he said gently. "I've already told you everything you need to know." His touch was soothing, and for a moment, I considered dropping the issue. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that he was still hiding something from me. Even my wolf bristled with annoyance inside of me, warningthat there was something he wasn't saying.
"I do trust you," I replied, my voice softer now. "But trust goes both ways, Enzo. You can't expectto trust you fully if you won't be honest with me." He sighed again, his shoulders slumping. "Nina, please, let's not argue about this now. It's in the past, and I promise you, it's nothing worth worrying about." I wanted to believe him, to let go of my nagging suspicions, but my wolf wasn't finished.
"He is hiding something," she said, her tone laced with annoyance. "I'm sure of it." I sighed softly as I watched Enzo turn away to finish getting undressed. "But why?" I asked my wolf. "Why would he feel the need to hide something from me?" "Whatever it is, he seems almost embarrassed," my wolf said. "Maybe it's something that paints him in a bad light. A bar brawl, maybe?" I almost laughed at the idea of Enzo getting into a bar brawl. It was so unlike him, and I highly doubted that was what had happened. But either way, my wolf was right; I couldn't just let this go.
"Are you sure you're not keeping something from me?" I asked.
Enzo froze, his back turned to me. I could see his broad shoulders tremble for a split second before he seemed to regain his composure, and he turned to look atover his shoulder.
"Yes, Nina," he said. "I'm sure. Can we please drop this now?" I took a step back, feeling a new wave of hurt wash over me. Whatever he was refusing to tellhad becmonstrous inside of my head by now: a bar brawl, a fight for his life, a horrific car crash.
I knew it was silly and illogical, but I couldn't deny the fact that I was just worried for him more than anything else. I kept seeing the way he had flinched replay over and over again in my mind, and it pained me.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSighing, I decided not to say another word. I made my way over to the closet and kicked my shoes off, then began to slip my dress off over my head.
Reluctantly, I changed the subject, trying to shift the atmosphere in the room. "So," I began, my voice softer now," what about the early employment offer you had? Have you made a decision yet?" He hesitated for a moment, his gaze distant. "Oh, that?" he asked. "Why do you ask?" I furrowed my brow and turned to face him. "Because my parents need to know when I'm moving in," I said. "And if I could have more tin Mountainview, I'd like to know."
Enzo was silent for stime. I kept staring at him, my confusion about O about his wrist shifting to my confusion about his sudden hesitance to talk about a topic that we had agreed to talk about to begin with. "Look," I said with a sigh, "if you're still too upset withto talk about it right now, then-
But he cutoff with a shake of his head. "I'm not upset with you, Nina," he said softly, then pauseḍagain, biting the inside of his cheek. "It's just... If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to take this job after all."
I was taken aback by his response, and shot him a confused look. "What do you mean, you're not sure if you're going to take this job?" I asked, my voice filled with surprise. "I thought you were excited." Enzo's shoulders slumped a little bit further, and he avoided my gaze as he spoke. "I was," he said, "it's just... there are other things I need to consider," he muttered, his words trailing off.
His words made my breath hitch. Something about his mannerisms, something about the way he spoke, madewonder if this was all connected. His wrist, the flinching, the uncertainty...
"Enzo," I said gently, taking a step forward, "what's going on with you?"