Arwen pressed her lips together before smiling warmly, looking at Aiden. He was on his knees, holding her hand with utmost care while applying ice to her palm. Her hand wasn’t hurting anymore, but she was liking the way he was taking care of her. So, she let herself enjoy it a little longer. "Is it better now?" Aiden asked, gazing up at her. His brows were still knitted, underlaced with restrained fury and concern. She didn’t hear him at first. But when she felt his gaze linger, she blinked and asked, "Huh? Did you ask me something?" Aiden’s eyes narrowed subtly before he repeated, "I asked if you are feeling better now." He then gestured towards the hand that was still in his. Arwen glanced down and thought for a moment before saying, with slight hesitation, "Rubbing one for ice would make it even better." When Aiden arched a brow at her, she smiled sheepishly and tried to pull her hand back. "Hehe ... It’s fine if you have gotten tired. I am feeling better already. You don’t have to —" But his fingers curled tighter, refusing to let go. Turning to Mr. Jones, he gave him a curt nod. The butler understood at once and stepped forward with the bowl of ice he had brought earlier. Aiden took another ice cube, dismissing Mr. Jones with a small gesture before turning back to Arwen’s hand. He glided the ice cube gently and cautiously, soothing the pain that he knew had long subsided. "That’s feeling better now. How did you know the ice would work? I used to put ointment instead," Arwen murmured, half enjoying the coolness of the ice, half savoring the warmth of his touch. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ noⅴelfire.net However, Aiden didn’t respond immediately. Instead, his voice dropped low and deliberate. "The next time, if you want to punish anyone, you don’t have to do it yourself." He looked up at her, his gaze steady, and his eyes as serious as they could be. "We have men who are trained to follow your orders. You can leave it to them. They know how to handle it." Arwen blinked, furrowing her brows. "But I did it the right way. She must still be feeling the burning sting. Furthermore, I can’t ask men to slap a woman —their force could be brutal. And Ms. Martin is a spoiled princess from a rich family. What if —" "No matter what would have happened to her," Aiden cut in, his tone laced with quiet intensity, "it would have been better than seeing you hurt." Arwen’s breath caught at the fierceness in his words. The warmth in his gaze and the certainty in his voice —they disarmed her. For a moment, her heart throbbed louder than reason. She tried to lighten the mood, whispering with a small chuckle, "Husband, you sound like you are ready to start a war for me." His gaze didn’t waver. He looked into her eyes and admitted, "You can try it anytime." Arwen’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly composed herself. "Really? Then how come until the morning you were hiding from me? You have the guts to start a war against the world, but you were scared to appear in front of me." "That’s because it was you, Moon." His voice was low and soft, carrying a weight. "If it’s for you, I could burn the world without an ounce of regret. But not bear to lose you even for a single second. Just the thought of such a possibility is enough to scare me to death. And yesterday, I was too scared. Too scared that if I appear in front of you, I might lose you." Only Aiden knew how he survived the night. Every second was making him lose every bit of calm he was proud of. And he wasn’t surprised at all. Because he had always known that she had been key to keeping him sane. Arwen’s lips parted, but no words came. She had perceived it when she found his jacket draped over herself in the morning, but she never thought him to be struggling so much. If she had known, she would have gone and eased all his fears. Her hand moved on instinct, reaching to cup his cheek. "I am sorry," she apologized, shaking her head at him. "I never meant to scare you like that. I would have cleared it all last night itself. It’s just that I received the call from my father’s secretary just then, and hearing him, I couldn’t hold myself back. I needed to rush. But believe me, I never doubted you —not even for a second." Aiden stared at her. He didn’t say anything, but his heart felt an ease when she said that he hadn’t doubted her even for a second. Meanwhile, at the same time, at Quinn Villa — Catrin was sitting on her bed, looking on the verge of losing her calm for the worst. Nothing went the way she planned. Instead, all of it just turned against her. Not just Arwen, but even Idris. She still couldn’t believe he mentioned divorce so openly, in front of so many people. Did he not see that all she was trying to do was to bring back Arwen, their daughter, into their lives like before? How could he punish her for something that he wanted as badly as her? Just when she was contemplating everything that had happened recently, a knock at the door interrupted her. She ignored it the first time, but it came again ... more persistently. And this time, annoyed, she asked the person to enter. "Who is it? Come in!" The door was pushed open, and outside stood Mr. Cole, the butler of the Quinn Villa. "Madam," he greeted with hesitation laced in his voice. "Didn’t I tell you that I am going to rest, Mr. Cole? What made you still come to disturb me?" "Madam, that ... that, Lawyer Blackwood is here, waiting downstairs. He wants to meet you."