Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 56: Was She Ever Sincere toward Him?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Timothy was silent on the other end.

Zachary could not help but feel apprehensive, as if a large hand was strangling his fate by the throat. He knew better than anyone else that Samantha was like an Achilles heel for Timothy. No one was allowed to casually mention what happened two years ago, and he would not have dared to bring it up if he was not anxious himself.

Things seemed to be going south and he had the feeling that Timothy was about to send someone over to kill him.

He was about to open his mouth and say something to save his own skin, but he heard Timothy’s slightly puzzled voice. “Stupid stuff?”

Zachary’s words were stuck in his throat.

He did not expect Timothy’s attention to be fixated on the words ‘silly stuff’ after Zachary had trampled on Timothy’s forbidden area.

Zachary was done for...

Jonathan, ever the wise man who usually had things planned out and within his control, casually extended his slender fingers to adjust his gold-framed spectacles on the bridge of his nose. He looked at Zachary curiously and asked the same thing, “Stupid stuff?”

Zachary was speechless.

Compared to the other two, he had long been at the bottom of the food chain below them. It was the first time he ever had such a bright moment.

Zachary felt rather smug and puffed out his chest. With his face raised at a 45-degree angle, he put on an air of elitism and spoke as if he was the beacon of enlightenment, “Alright, time for Professor Summer to give you guys a little lesson. When it comes to feelings between two people, one must never ever involve a third party. That’s a no-no. Doesn’t matter what your justification is. Not only will the consequence be unconducive to developing feelings, it’s also counterproductive! You’ll only push her farther and farther!

“Remember, when it comes to conflicts between two people, it’s always best to shut the door and talk it out with each other. That’s the way to go!”

Jonathan frowned after listening to it and roasted him mercilessly, “Your method is even stupider.”

On the other end, Timothy added salt to the wound, “It’s really stupid.”

Jonathan added, “All a single man can do is make statements that are useless in practice.”

Timothy then said, “After all, we’re both already married and he isn’t. Theories that aren’t put into practice are worthless.”

‘And yet he has the gall to act all high and mighty?’

Zachary nearly vomited blood after the other two’s song and dance.

He slammed the table and stood up, gritting his teeth while saying to Timothy and Jonathan, “The both of you may be married, but you might as well be single. One of you lives separately in the long-term, while the other has a sham marriage. Where did you get the decency to mock me?

“I might not be married, but I’m well-versed in matters that have to do with the heart. As someone who has been mingling with women for many years, I’m second to none when it comes to understanding women!”

As soon as he spoke, he saw Jonathan’s disdainful and skeptical look. Although Timothy kept quiet on the other end of the phone, his attitude made it clear that he was similarly disdainful and skeptical of Zachary!

Zachary felt that his dignity had been challenged. He took a glass of wine, drank it, and said, “I might not be as good as you guys when it comes to other stuff, but I’m the one you should listen to when it comes to women.

“Timmy, Jonny, if the both of you still have feelings for your wives, then you should be treating them well. Don’t just do things without an aim. Women need to be spoiled, to be cheered up, not to be provoked or be pissed off! If you don’t do that, I bet you’ll all become like me soon enough. As single as a dollar bill!”

…

After hanging up the phone, Timothy’s lips twitched and he put Zachary’s useless remarks to the back of his mind.

If nothing else, he finally saw some changes in Samantha’s mood, rather than being as cold or as stagnant as before. In the past, he did not know where to even start.

Samantha’s irate demeanor appeared subconsciously in his mind, as well as the way she finally admitted that she was Mrs. Barker. It was such a vivid scene, as if he had been transported into the past.

It was as though time had never passed and they were still stuck in the past.

As he thought about that, the corners of his lips curled up unknowingly.

Late into the night, the clock on the wall quietly pointed to 12. Timothy snapped out of his reminiscing and got up to leave the study.

The villa was quiet and he could hear his own footsteps clearly. He walked slowly toward the master bedroom.

Standing in front of the door of the master bedroom, Timothy stretched out his hand and opened the door. He twisted the doorknob and realized it was locked.

Timothy frowned slightly and turned around to fetch the key. Once he unlocked the door, he saw the dim light inside from the warm yellow glow of a bedside lamp.

Samantha’s petite body lay on top of the bed. Her breathing was even and she was already fast asleep.

Timothy stepped in and subconsciously slowed his movements for fear of waking her up. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the nightdress that had been thrown into the trash can. It further brightened the radiant glimmer in his eyes.

He walked to the bed, looked down, and locked his gaze on Samantha’s delicate face. The innocence she had when she was asleep could elicit feelings of pity from men.

That was the reason why he was once so deeply attracted to her. He loved her uncontrollably, and even his grandmother who raised him since young was shocked that a heartless person like him would have so much affection for someone else.

It was not just his grandmother who was shocked—he could never wrap his head around it either.

For him, ‘love’ was a luxury. He was well aware of the need to be calm and measured, but he was stupidly drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Despite being clear-headed, he watched as he sank bit-by-bit into the abyss.

He originally thought that she felt the same way for him, but in the end, all the things Samantha did to him really were merciless.

An agonizing pain started to appear in Timothy’s eyes and he closed them while clenching his hands firmly. The blue veins on the back of his hands continued to throb and his breathing became extremely suffocated.

Over the past two years, that familiar feeling of agony appeared without warning, torturing and destroying him severely.

It took him about ten minutes to forcefully suppress the pain. His breathing recovered slowly and he opened his eyes again, but it had turned bloodshot and made for a ghastly sight.

During that moment, he really wanted to take out Samantha’s heart and have a good look at it. He wanted to know if she ever had feelings for him.

Perhaps a little?

With the night getting darker, cold wind blew in from outside, causing the curtains to flutter in the breeze.

A low whisper escaped Samantha’s mouth. Her red lips opened slightly and she called out, “Timothy...”

Her voice was so soft, and since there was also the sound of the wind blowing in, Timothy could not know for sure whether he was hearing things or whether Samantha really did call out his name in her sleep.

He trembled uncontrollably and he still could not believe what he heard. He bent down and leaned his handsome face closer to Samantha’s, wanting to hear her more clearly.

Timothy’s face was very close to Samantha’s and his dark eyes stared at her lips firmly. It was then that he saw her lips moving. Her voice was heard saying once again, “Timothy....”