His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 73

He rose slowly, hands clasped behind his back as he stood before the desk, his back turned to her. Not a single sliver of light reached this part of the room; it was dim and shrouded in gloom.

Lumina watched his silhouette, and the smile at her lips gradually faded, sinking out of sight like a stone dropped into the sea.

She should have known—this was always how he’d react. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t brought up the topic of children before. Each time, she’d asked with hope in her heart, and each time, what kind of answer had she received?

The sad thing was, even now, she still foolishly clung to hope.

“Are you being serious?”

After a long silence, Cedric finally turned around to look at her, a shadowy glint flickering in his eyes.

They locked gazes for half a second before Lumina let out a short, brittle laugh. Her eyes sparkled with feigned lightness. “Of course I’m joking. Why are you so tense?”

He stood there, tall and unmoving as a mountain, clearly displeased that she would joke about something so serious.

She reminded him again, “Come on, we’ve always been careful. There’s no way I’d get pregnant. Besides, you’d never let that happen.”

Only then did Cedric cross the room toward her. Whether her reassurance had eased his mind was impossible to tell. His expression was unreadable as he leaned down and brushed her cheek with his hand. “Don’t joke about things like that again.”

His eyes were fathomless, the corners of his lips tight, his words edged with icy sharpness.

Lumina knew he wasn’t playing around. She mustered a small, obedient smile, just like she always did when she knew her place. “I understand.”

Cedric, knowing she’d never overstep, his expression softened just a little. He called for Nancy, who’d been waiting by the door, to bring in her dinner and the herbal soup.

“Eat while it’s still warm.”

After an evening spent tangled up with Cedric and that boy, Lumina was starving. She grumbled inwardly that she must have owed him something in a previous life.

Their relationship, from the start, had always been about physical comfort, never about love. It was never meant to last; it was never meant to lead anywhere.

He’d cut off his feelings from the very beginning, filling the void with cold reason.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her brow, then carefully withdrew his hand from beneath her cheek, rising to return to his work.

...

In the middle of the night, Lumina stirred, half-asleep, as the soft glow of a bedside lamp filled her vision.

Cedric was sitting up, slipping out of bed and getting dressed.

Blinking in confusion, she watched his back and murmured, “Are you leaving?”