Chapter 27 +25 BONUS Chapter 27 Anathea felt as if her heart might burst from anxiety , ety . She was shivering , though she didn't know if it was because of the cold . The next second , Gregory wordlessly tossed the towel on her , the grabbed his clothes and headed straight for the bathroom It wasn't until the bathroom door clicked shut that Anathea snapped out of her daze . She let out a breath of relief . Wrapping the towel around herself , she stood up slowly and changed into her pajamas . The sound of running water from the bathroom prompted her to glance at the tightly shut door . Indecipherable emotions flickered in her eyes , Was Gregory planning to stay the night ? She didn't dwell on it . It didn't matter where he slept . It had nothing to do with her . Anathea used to wait for him in their bedroom and greet him at the door when he arrived home . She'd take the jacket he shrugged off and hug it close , then in him a bath . Doing all of that had given her a sense of belonging and reaffirmed her role as Gregory's wife . But since the day she'd caught a whiff of rose perfume on the jacket he'd shrugged off and flung at her , she'd stopped wanting to help him take his jacket . She felt like she was touching filth . Anathea lifted the duvet and climbed into bed . She flipped through the catalog showing the winners of the recent International Floristry Competition . The organizer made it a point to compile the best and winning works showcased during every competition into a catalog for those who wished to pick up tloristry arts . As such , each issue of the catalogs bore different works . However , the first arrangement showcased in the catalog had remained in the same spot for the last five years . It had been curated by a young floral designer five years ago , and upon their participation in the competition , they'd won several big awards for their floral arrangement and broken industrial records that had dated back at least a hundred years . The floral design had also broken the long - running curse that had plagued the competition - that no design would ever win gold . Anathea brushed her fingertips over the photo of the winning design . Most of the floral arrangements used fresh blooms that would will over time , making photos the only way to immortalize them . However , the design on the first page of the catalog was carefully stored in a glass dome pumped full of special gas . For five years , the flowers had remained as beautiful as the day thed bloomed . The floral arrangement had become an artistic masterpiece worthy of praise and admiration . More interestingly , the arrangement had once been auctioned for 200 million dollars . Now that the quality of recent floral designs had taken a hit and gone downhill , the first - place arrangement was known as the " Swansong " , and its value had only Alas , the floral designer behind the arrangement chose not to sell . They'd gone under the radar since creating the stunning work five years ago , and no one had heard from them since . The designer was like a dazzling star - burning bright and outshining the other stars in the night sky , only to fall and vanish afterward . After reading the last page of the catalog , Anathea checked the time . She made it a point to go to bed and wake up early . Setting the catalog aside , she turned off the lights . She was about to ease under the covers when the lights were switched on . She blinked in confusion . " Did you do it on purpose ? " Gregory asked sullenly as he left the bathroom Right . Anathea had forgotten he was still around . She muttered an apology and scooted under the covers , Gregory's brows furrowed . He towel - dried his hair and padded to the bedside . When he noted the way Anathea had bundled Chapter 27 herself up with the blanket like a burrito , he snorted derisively . +25 BONUS He leaned forward , and Anathea tightened her grip on the blanket she'd wrapped around her when she sensed him drawing closer . The next second , there was a thud . He'd tumed off the lamp on the nightstand . The room was immediately plunged into darkness , leaving only the moon's faint , silver rays as the only source of light as they filtered through the curtains , Gregory straightened up and rounded the bed to get to the other side . He lifted the corner of the duvet and eased under the heavy fabric , then stopped moving altogether . Anathea finally let go of the blanket and opened her eyes , only to be greeted by the darkness around her . Gregory had told her he'd settle the score with her once he got home , but from the sound of his even breathing , she reckoned he was asleep . She presumed he'd forgotten about picking a fight with her over what had happened to Natalie She heaved a furtive sigh of relief . As things were , she'd have to scrounge up three million dollars as soon as possible to pay for her mother's surgery . That way , she could leave before Gregory recalled the events from earlier and made her pay