Noah walked over and touched Cynthia''s damp hair. "Why haven''t you dried your hair?"


    "I couldn''t find the hairdryer," Cynthia said.


    "It should be in the bottom cab." Noah went into the bathroom, pulled the hairdryer from the lowest drawer of the vanity, and handed it to her.


    Cynthia took the hairdryer, thanking him softly. Her expression was still gentle, but there was a clear distance between them.


    Noah was silent for a moment before speaking. "I''m sorry about what happened today."


    "It''s alright, it wasn''t your fault," Cynthia replied with a soft smile. "I never thought my ex-fiancé would turn out to be such a scumbag. When you run into someone like that, you just have to chalk it up to bad luck."


    Noah hadn''t expected Cynthia tofort him. He nodded and reached for her hand. "You must be tired. Get some rest."


    However, Cynthia subtly avoided his touch. Grabbing the hairdryer and a pillow from the bed, she turned to Noah and said, "I think I''m just exhausted from today, and I''m not in the best mood. I''ll sleep in the guest room tonight so I don''t disturb you."


    Cynthia''s tone remained soft and gentle, but her meaning was crystal clear: she wanted to sleep in a separate room.


    Noah froze for a second before it registered. Even though Cynthia said she forgave him, she wasn''tpletely unaffected. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have suggested sleeping separately on their wedding night.


    Although the White family didn''t cause a full-blown scene at the wedding today, it was enough to upset Cynthia.


    "Cynthia, I...” Noah started to exin, but Cynthia cut him off.


    "Noah, I''m not ming you, and I''m not mad at you. I''m just tired and need some time alone." Cynthia looked at him, her beautiful eyes clearly filled with sorrow.


    Noah didn''t say anything more. Instead, he took the pillow from her. "You sleep in the master bedroom. I''ll take the guest room tonight."


    Noah deliberately emphasized the word ''tonight,'' making it clear he intended to move back in tomorrow.


    With that, Noah left with the pillow in his arms.


    The moment the door clicked shut behind him, the wounded sorrow in Cynthia''s eyes evaporated, leaving behind a mask of cold calction.


    She had anticipated the White family might cause trouble, but that didn''t matter The more of a scene they made, the more the Thompson family and Noah would feel indebted to her.


    But Cynthia hadn''t expected Noah to be so deeply attached to the daughter he had with his ex-wife. It left her feeling inexplicably irritated.


    Subconsciously, her thoughts drifted to the child she had lost. If their child were still alive, would Noah have loved him as much as he loved Nic?


    Cynthia dried her hair with the hairdryer and then went to bed.


    Her phone, resting on the nightstand, lit up repeatedly.


    Cynthia picked up her phone and saw it was a message from Noah.


    Noah: Goodnight.


    Followed by a kissing emoji.


    After reading it, Cynthia didn''t reply. She tossed the phone back onto the nightstand, turned off the light, and went to sleep.


    Cynthia had always projected an image of being gentle and virtuous, which gave people the mistaken impression that she was never angry.


    Men were simple creatures. Give them too much grace, and they''d take it for granted. Keeping Noah wrapped around her finger meant knowing exactly when to puway and when to reel tum back in


    She decided to give Noah the cold shoulder for a while, let him stew a bit. That way, the next time issues with the White family or Nic came up, he wouldn''t just think of his daughter but would also consider Cynthia''s feelings.