The villa didn't feel the same after the woman left.
Not quieter.
Heavier.
Like something had been placed inside it that didn't belong.
Lin Yue stood near the staircase, still thinking about the way the woman touched him.
Too familiar.
Too confident.
From upstairs, a door opened.
Shen Yichen came down, black shirt now instead of a suit. Sleeves rolled up. No tie.
More real.
Less controlled.
He paused when he saw her.
"You're still awake," he said.
"I don't sleep well in unfamiliar places," Lin Yue replied.
A pause.
Then he nodded once.
"Then get used to it."
Always like that.
No comfort.
No softness.
Just instruction.
He walked toward the kitchen.
Lin Yue followed after a moment.
Not because she needed anything.
Because she wanted to see something.
He wasn't working.
Not tonight.
That alone was unusual.
Shen Yichen poured water into a glass.
Same motion as always.
Controlled.
Repetitive.
Lin Yue spoke quietly.
"That woman today…"
His hand paused for a fraction of a second.
Too small for anyone else to notice.
But she saw it.
"She has nothing to do with you," he said immediately.
Too immediate.
Lin Yue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That was fast."
He finally looked at her.
Cold again.
"Stop talking about her."
Silence.
The air tightened.
Lin Yue didn't move.
"You avoid things when they matter," she said softly.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"That's not avoidance."
A pause.
"It's control."
That word hung in the air longer than expected.
Lin Yue stepped closer to the counter.
Just one step.
Enough.
Shen Yichen's eyes tracked her immediately.
Too precise.
Too alert.
"So she really matters to you," Lin Yue said.
Silence.
That silence was the answer.
Lin Yue nodded slightly.
"Interesting."
His voice dropped.
"Go to your room."
Not a suggestion.
A command.
Lin Yue tilted her head.
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
That delay again.
Then:
"Because you're my wife."
But this time—
it didn't sound like ownership.
It sounded like restraint.
Like something he was repeating to himself.
Lin Yue stepped back slightly.
Giving space.
Watching.
And then—
the lights flickered.
Once.
The villa dipped into sudden darkness.
A second of silence.
Then—
Lin Yue felt it.
A hand caught her wrist.
Fast.
Firm.
Instinctive.
Not thought.
When the lights returned—
Shen Yichen was standing in front of her.
Closer than before.
His hand still around her wrist.
Both of them froze.
He looked down at it.
Then slowly released her.
Step back.
Control returning instantly.
"…Don't move suddenly," he said.
But his voice wasn't steady anymore.
Lin Yue didn't respond.
Because she had felt it too.
Not affection.
Not memory.
Something worse.
Instinct that didn't belong to the present.
And for the first time—
Shen Yichen looked at his own hand like he didn't fully trust it.