Leo's mind was filled with thoughts he deemed appropriate for his current state. Alana had managed to evoke a sense of fear in him, a fear greater than he ever expected. Leo stared at Alana's back as she slept with her back to him. He was uncertain about his feelings towards her. When Alana first entered his life, Leo saw her as a threat. But now, as his wife, the feeling of threat slowly faded, and he feared Alana might enter his heart.

Like the incident in the garden, Leo wasn't sure what was happening to him. For a moment, Leo felt a moment of peace, gazing at Alana's sleeping face and her hand that gently caressed her cheek. Leo's anger and pain seemed to fade away in that simple moment.

His thoughts were interrupted when Alana shifted her sleeping position to face him. Like in the garden, Alana slept peacefully, and Leo felt the urge to stroke her cheek again. His hand was already reaching out but stopped when his gaze fell lower. Leo frowned in annoyance at the sight of Alana's slightly exposed chest. Did she not have any sleepwear other than this thin fabric? Leo wondered.

Despite his paralysis being confined to his legs, Leo could feel normal sensations beyond his knees. He didn't want to keep dwelling on dirty thoughts and covered Alana with the blanket. However, this interrupted Alana's sleep. She blinked her eyes to focus her gaze.

"What are you doing?" Alana asked when she saw Leo holding the blanket.

"I just want to help. I noticed you might be feeling cold," Leo replied, making an excuse, which earned him a smile from Alana.

"So, you're starting to pay attention to me," Alana teased.

"Forget it. I just don't want to be bothered by you if you catch a cold and get sick," Leo retorted, causing Alana to sit up and prop herself on her elbows, which made the blanket slip and expose her chest again. Leo quickly averted his gaze.

"Is that really the only reason?" Alana asked, but Leo didn't answer and kept looking away.

"It's okay, whatever your reason is, I'll consider it your way of caring for me," Alana continued, maintaining the same position.

However, the next moment, Leo pushed Alana's head down using his index finger, urging her to lie back down.

"You'd better go back to sleep. You've already disturbed me during the day, and I don't want to be disturbed by you at night," Leo snapped, attempting to lie down. Seeing this, Alana quickly got up and helped Leo arrange a pillow to support his back.

"But I won't be able to sleep if I'm awake now," Alana whined, making Leo look visibly irritated.

"It's your problem,"

"But you woke me up."

"No, I just covered you."

"Yes, and that's why I woke up. So you should take responsibility for helping me go back to sleep," Alana whined with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Up to you, whether you want to sleep or not," Leo replied, closing his eyes.

"Fine, I'll bother you if you don't want to help me sleep," Alana threatened, but Leo pretended not to hear and acted nonchalant. However, Alana's threat only brought a smile to her face. Slowly, Alana leaned her face closer to Leo's, and the next moment, she surprised Leo by using her tongue to sweep across his lips. Leo immediately pushed her away and gave her a sharp look.

"What do you want?" Leo asked in annoyance.

"I just want to go back to sleep," Alana replied, blinking her eyes innocently.

"And then?"

"I want to sleep in your embrace. Isn't that easy?" Alana added, exaggerating a bit.

"But if you refuse, that's fine too. I'd be happy to do something like before," Alana responded, making Leo rub his face roughly.

"Come here," he finally said. The next moment, Alana smiled when Leo opened his arms, inviting her to come closer.

Without wasting time, Alana quickly nestled herself into Leo's embrace. She rested her head on his arm and hugged his waist tightly.

"Comfortable and warm," Alana murmured as she snuggled deeper into Leo's embrace.

"Stop moving, or I'll push you away," Leo warned.

"Fine, fine. But can you stroke my hair?" Alana asked, tilting her face up towards him. She received a sharp look from Leo.

"I'm just—" Alana's words were cut off as Leo gently stroked the top of her head.

"It seems like I'll have a sweet dream," Alana murmured as she tilted her head. Leo could see Alana's face in this proximity, and his heart beat faster. He was confident that Alana could hear his heartbeat this time.

"Go to sleep already," Leo said, shifting his gaze away and looking at the ceiling instead. However, Alana seemed determined to keep teasing him.

Kiss.

Alana planted a soft kiss on Leo's strong jawline.

"Sleep well, my husband," Alana whispered before tightening her embrace around Leo.

oOo

"It looks like you're in a good mood?" Rose asked as she noticed Alana looking at her phone with a continuous smile.

"Well, of course. Today, my online shopping app offers big discounts," Alana replied while fiddling with her phone.

Rose sat near Alana, placing two juice glasses on the table.

"How's Leo doing?" Rose inquired.

"He's still stuck in his wheelchair and still being mean to me," Alana answered nonchalantly, causing Rose to feel slightly frustrated.

"That's because you're being stubborn. Aunt told you to get closer to him."

"I've been sticking around him all the time, but he keeps pushing me away."

"That's because you're not serious enough about getting close to him."

"I've been practically glued to him, yet he keeps pushing me away," Alana retorted, hinting at exasperation.

"It's because you're not truly committed to it," Rose replied, taking her glass of juice and sipping it while Alana shifted her attention from her phone to Rose.

"Does he behave this way with everyone?"

"No," Rose answered.

"Really? So, who can make him smile?" Alana asked eagerly.

"Yora," Rose replied, gazing into the distance.

"Yora? Who's that?"

"Leo's childhood friend," Rose answered, making Alana nod in understanding.

"Where is he now? Doesn't his childhood friend usually appear when Leo's like this?" Alana asked curiously, making Rose look back at her.

"You might be right. I think it won't be long before he comes to meet Leo, and you should be cautious around him when that happens," Rose warned, causing Alana to furrow her brows.

"Is he dangerous to me?"

"Yes, given your position," Rose said.