Although it was bitterly cold and snow was falling heavily outside, it was warm and comfortable inside the car, and her hands shouldnât have been that cold.
Weston had changed the subject so quickly that Stella could tell he didnât want to continue arguing about her driving. She shook her head and said, âMy hands have always been this cold.â
His brows furrowed even together.
He remembered that Stella did not have such a condition in the past. A thought came to his mind, and his face turned downcast.
The air in the car turned colder.
Stella used to hate such an atmosphere.
Yet now, she did not want to reduce the guilt that Weston felt for her, and she looked straight into his eyes.
She knew that Weston recalled something.
Because of that child, because she stopped at nothing to keep that child who was ruthlessly taken away from her and ended up as a pool of bloodâ¦
She was left with such a condition after that time.
Her limbs were cold throughout the year across all seasons and could never become warm no matter how much she covered them up.
Weston snapped back after a long while. He held her hands and held them against his cheeks. Stella felt a warmth in her palms as she heard Westonâs hoarse voice. âIâll never allow you to be cold, ever again.â He looked into her eyes and promised, âAs long as you wish, Iâll always be here with you. You can be warm with me.â
Stella remained silent as she looked away.
She wanted nothing more than to tell him that he was cold himself, and the chill was in his blood.
No matter how warm his palms were, however, they could never warm her up.
âWhy did you suddenly think of coming to the office to pick me up?â Weston lifted his hands and tucked her hair behind her ears.
The last time Stella came to fetch him, things ended acrimoniously between them, and they almost got into a huge fight.
The trigger was that Weston didnât trust Stellaâs driving skills and thought that her driving by herself would be dangerous for her.
He thought that was reason enough to stop Stella from driving and fetching him home, but he didnât expect her to drive her despite the snow and slippery roads. Weston wanted to interrogate her, but the sight of her safe and sound before him made him give up pursuing the matter. Stella sighed. âFor no reason whatsoever. I just wanted to leave the house. If you donât like it, I wonât come next timeâ¦â
Weston choked on her words and reached his hand out in mock frustration to pinch her nose.â Are you deliberately trying to anger me?â
He did not wish to see Stella leave the house on such a cold day, but he wasnât happy hearing her say that she wouldnât pick him up next time.
They had their whole lives stretched out before them. Stellaâs driving skills couldnât possibly be that poor, could they? Stella pushed his hand away. âAre you going to keep treating me like an amateur driver?â Weston remained silent as he looked at her with a half-smile. Although he didnât respond, his silence was sufficient.
Anger rose in Stellaâs heart. âI canât be bothered with you.â There was an observable difference in her attitude now compared to the past -she dared to get upset with Weston and did not bother hiding her true feelings when she was angry. She no longer feared that he would get angry or displeased. Weston turned her face around and kissed the tip of her nose with a smile. âItâs the truth.â âGo on. Iâll just ignore you.â
Weston lowered his head and remained silent. He grabbed her hands and gently rubbed her knuckles.
âI guess itâs good that youâre being slightly defiant.â