seven-year itch - Chapter 13

After that day, something seemed to have changed between Jiang Wan and me.

And yet, it felt like nothing had changed at all.

She still went about her usual routines.

Doing housework, picking up the child.

In the evenings, she still prepared dinner and waited for me to come home and eat.

We would chat like we used to and help Huanhuan with her homework.

I even started coming home earlier than before.

But what exactly had changed?

After dinner, I took the initiative to help Jiang Wan clean up the dishes.

While tidying up, my fingers accidentally brushed against hers.

Almost instantly, Jiang Wan dropped the chopsticks in her hand and turned to rush into the kitchen.

I thought something had happened to her, so I put down the dishes and followed her in.

I saw her frantically squeezing hand soap, the faucet running at full blast, as she scrubbed her hands with almost manic intensity.

Her fair hands were rubbed red from the force.

In that moment, I suddenly realized what had changed between us.

Jiang Wan had grown to detest my touch.

Even such a light, accidental touch.

She loathed it to the extreme.

This realization filled me with anger.

It had been nearly a month since the incident with Zhou Qing.

During this month, I had no contact with Zhou Qing whatsoever.

Although she had reached out to me a few times, I had refused her every time.

At first, I thought Jiang Wan just needed time to get over the hurdle in her heart.

I gave her time.

After all, it was my fault.

But everything has its limits.

A month had passed, and she was still the same-aloof, unwilling to let me touch her.

Was I supposed to spend the rest of my life with a woman as cold as a block of wood?

The way Jiang Wan washed her hands completely infuriated me.

It was a blatant slap in my face-she found me disgusting.

I stormed over and turned off the faucet.

Then I locked the kitchen door.

By the time I turned back after locking the door, Jiang Wan had already turned the faucet back on.

That was the last straw for my sanity.

I lunged at her, ignoring her resistance, pinning her against the counter as I leaned down to kiss her earlobe.

Jiang Wan flailed at me like a madwoman.

She even screamed.

“Gu Ming, let me go!”

But I had no intention of letting her go.

I even slid my hand under her shirt.

“Jiang Wan, stop pretending to be so virtuous.”

“I’ve already sent Zhou Qing away. How long are you going to keep this up?”

“Tonight, you either give in to me, or we get a divorce!”