She wanted to punch him so he would realize his childish behavior. "Are you crazy? Stop talking nonsense. We both know that you only force me during that time?" "That"s why I wanted to make it up to you. Let"s start a good relations.h.i.+p. Staying together will help you fall in love with me," He said in a low voice.
"Aaron, this is ridiculous. I"ve told you several times that I am not the woman to be your wife?" She yelled at him.
"And why not? Am I not good enough for you? I am not worthy of your love, Katrina? I"m willing to give up my social status just to be with you. Is it hard for you to understand? I don"t know how to please you. Why can"t you give me a chance to prove how deep and honest my feelings for you?" He wanted to cry in front of her, but he can"t show his weakness.
Katrina is aghast. I thought he was just visiting! There"s no way in h.e.l.l I"m letting him stay here! I only have a single bed. If I let him stay here, it"s like I"m inviting a wolf into my home!
To her horror, Aaron makes himself comfortable on the sofa with no intention of moving. "I don"t mind the small s.p.a.ce."
Katrina exaggerates her living conditions and retorts, "My shower is small, and the water heater breaks down a lot! I don"t get hot water!" Aaron is a germaphobe. He won"t accept such conditions!
Aaron shrugs it off. "It doesn"t matter, and I"m used to taking cold baths."
Katrina feels like crying in frustration. "There"s a small s.p.a.ce downstairs where the elderly exercise every morning! It gets really noisy, and it will distract you from work! Besides, this isn"t a good neighborhood, and someone will scratch your expensive car if you park it downstairs!"
Aaron refutes easily, "If it gets too noisy, I can wear earplugs. If your neighbors go too far, I"ll call the police and complain about the disturbance. My car is insured, the insurance company will be responsible for any accidents."
His determination leaves Katrina dumbfounded. Finally, she takes a deep breath and says, "Aaron, this is my house! I don"t want to live with you! Get out of my house"
Aaron looks up at her and says in a bored tone, "Oh? Are you sure it"s your house?"
Katrina flushes in anger. "Even if I"m just renting, how I use it is up to me! Are you going to call the police to complain about disturbances? I"ll call the police and accuse you of breaking into my house!"
Aaron touches his chin in contemplation. After a while, he picks up his phone and says, "I"ll call Randy and tell him to buy the building."
After a moment of shock, Katrina grabs his phone away from him in anger. "Are you crazy?" He can"t just buy a building because I won"t let him live here! If I move somewhere else, will he buy my new place too?
"I"m not crazy, and I just want to stay here."
"But I don"t want you to stay here, and I don"t want to live with you!" Katrina rejects without hesitation.
Instead of getting angry like she expects him to, Aaron points to his shoulder. "I"m hurt."
Katrina snaps back, "So what?" His injury doesn"t ent.i.tle him to live with me!
Aaron fixes his eyes on her. "I got hurt saving you. You have to take care of me."
He"s acting like I got him pregnant! Katrina feels like throwing up. But he"s right, and he got shot saving me. And he"s been kind to me recently…
She shakes her head furiously. I may be grateful for what he did, but there"s no way that gives him the right to live with me! Moving in here won"t do him any good. If anything, he"ll just suffer more!
With a glare, she says, "You"re making trouble for no reason! I"ll be responsible for your injury, and I"ll pay for the medical expenses! But living with me won"t do you any good at all! My poor living conditions will only make it worse for your health! I can"t satisfy your unreasonable demands!"
"You"re not me, how would you know?"
Aaron holds up his forefinger and says, "First, I love seeing you. If I see you every day, I"ll be happy, and my wound will heal faster."
"Second," he holds up another finger, "My wound needs to be cleaned regularly. I"m not William"s only patient, and he has his own clinic to attend to. He can"t fly to Hadley every time he has to clean my wound. Going to a hospital every time is inconvenient for me. You used to be a nurse, and this should be easy for you."
He holds up a third finger. "Finally, if I eat your cooking, my appet.i.te will improve. The more I eat, the faster my wound will heal."
Upon hearing his first reason, Katrina blushes. But when he cites his second reason, she becomes confused. Her red face turns pale in an instant. She doesn"t even pay attention to what he says afterward.
Katrina asks slowly, "Aaron, how did you know I used to be a nurse?"
No one besides Farrah, Marcellus, and the Andersons know that! I never even told my colleagues at work! How did he know? I never mentioned anything about my past to him!
She starts to panic as traumatic memories resurface in her mind. She suddenly remembers the stranger who took away her innocence and raped her for three nights in a row. Her body trembles every time she recalls what happened. She hates the experience so much that she never told anyone about it.
Katrina has always been a kind and forgiving person, but thinking about the stranger always fills her with intense hatred. She hates him so much that she wants him to suffer a painful death.
Filled with dread and confusion, she stares at Aaron grimly and waits for his response.