?Chapter 44:


    Quickly checking under the nket, she exhaled in relief.


    Her clothes were untouched.


    And she felt no difort.


    Kaiden, observing her actions, suppressed a scornful chuckle. He sat expressionless on the bed, seemingly awaiting her confession.


    Ellie’s eyes darted from the nket to the vacant sofa, confused. “Didn’t I fall asleep on the sofa? Did you… move me?” But Kaiden hardly seemed the type to do so.


    Dark circles under his eyes, Kaiden sat with crossed arms, his sneer biting. “Do I look like I wanted to sleep beside you?”


    Well, it sounded as though he hadn’t moved her to the bed.


    Ellie racked her brain, eventually piecing together her actions. She remembered getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and, upon returning, instinctively climbing into the bed.


    Ellie wasn’t ustomed to sleeping on a sofa, and the bed’s size,bined with her drowsiness and the dim light, had caused her to overlook Kaiden’s presence. It wasn’t really her fault, right?


    “I knew you couldn’t be that considerate,” Ellie murmured quietly. Before she could finish, Kaiden leaned in, pinching her chin to lift her face.


    “Ellie, do you think I’m patient?”


    Kaiden’s eyes, fringed with thickshes, were captivating but not soft. His face drew closer, his warm breath brushing against Ellie’s skin, allowing her to see her own reflection in his eyes.


    “Of course not,” she replied.


    If he was patient, then no one could be considered impatient!


    Kaiden’s gaze was intense. “What was that?”


    “I mean, Mr. Thorpe, you’ve never been impatient,” Ellie said, bending the truth.


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    “Ellie, I had a rough night. You should find a way to make it up to me.”


    Kaiden’s hand brushed her cheek, finding the contact surprisingly pleasant.


    Ellie’s skin was soft and smooth, an inviting sensation.


    She wanted to argue that his rough night wasn’t her concern. But considering she had moved to the bed herself, she acknowledged her fault. Not being ousted was leniency enough.


    She was in the wrong.


    After Ellie finished her morning routine, a maid ryed a message: They were to attend a memorial service at the Thorpe family’s small church, a scenic location in the mansion’s north.


    Demi, not yet officially part of the family, wasn’t invited to participate.


    Inside the church, while everyone else showed respect, Kaiden sat impassively in his wheelchair, his leg injury excusing him from standing.


    Kaiden’s attention was fixed on the urns of his deceased rtives, his expression devoid of even feigned respect, his eyes betraying a trace of coldness.


    Sensing something amiss, Ellie followed his gaze and noticed an empty spot among the urns.


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