Chapter 4

Bella shivered slightly from the cold after staying in the bathroom for too long and instinctively hugged Edward tighter.

She then heard Edward's muffled chuckle, as if he was amused by her words that seemed to reject him, yet her body welcomed him.

"Get out; I need to get up," she said angrily.

Before she could move, Edward scooped her up.

Their skin pressed together, and Bella struggled with embarrassment. "Put me down; I can walk by myself."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

Following his gaze downward, Bella suddenly remembered she hadn't brought her clothes into the bathroom.

If she walked out, she would have to do it naked.

For her, that was a huge challenge. Bella was quite shy and definitely couldn't do it.

Edward had clearly taken advantage of this.

Bella then felt a bit grieved.

He always seemed to have control over her, while she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked as he put on a shirt, leaving the top buttons undone, his expression indifferent.

Just moments ago, she had been so passionate, but now there was no trace of warmth.

Bella shook her head, staring at the box in his hand. "What's that?"

"A gift for you. Open it."

Bella opened it indifferently, expecting it to be just another piece of jewelry like before. Though Edward didn't want to get married, he was always generous with her.

But what good was generosity?

Not wanting to get married meant it was just a game, right? Due to Edward's capricious nature, Bella felt like he was a breeze she couldn't grasp.

How could Bella feel secure?

But the next moment, her expression froze as she stared at the diamond ring inside.

The design was very familiar. She had just seen it on a website a couple of days ago.

"How did you..." Bella stammered, looking at Edward, her eyes filled with hope.

Her heart started to race.

What did it mean when a man gave a woman a diamond ring?

Edward held her, smelling of shower gel, and kissed the corner of her lips. "Didn't you like it?"

"Even though it's a diamond ring, it's still just jewelry. It's not like I can't give it to you."

In an instant, Bella's heart sank.

She quickly closed the box. "Take it back."

"Why? Don't you like it?" Edward frowned, clearly not understanding.

Bella took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. She didn't know if he truly didn't understand what giving a woman a diamond ring meant or if he was pretending.

Bella said, "If I wanted it, couldn't I buy it myself? Edward, you know what I want is a commitment, not just a diamond ring or jewelry."

Edward looked at her and laughed, "These days, what good is a commitment? It's not as real as a diamond. Bella, you're not a kid anymore. Why are you still saying such childish things?"

The atmosphere turned cold.

Even though they had just taken a hot shower, Bella shivered, suddenly feeling pathetic.

Soon, Edward's expression softened, and he kissed the corner of her eye to comfort her, "I was wrong, okay?"

She felt a slight warmth where he had kissed.

She knew Edward wouldn't truly feel he was wrong. This was the only way he apologized.

Normally, she would accept his apology at this point.

But she didn't want to. She even pushed him away. "It's late. I want to go home."

"You're still mad at me? You..." Edward's words were interrupted by the ringing phone.

Bella saw his displeased frown.

Bella felt a bit relieved and answered the phone, realizing it was her mother calling.

"What's going on? We have relatives over, but you haven't come back. What are you doing out there?" Bella's mother, Fallon Garcia, urged her to come home.

Bella, feeling exhausted after the argument with Edward, didn't want to face the situation at home. "Mom, I'm not coming back for dinner. Please proceed with entertaining our relatives without my presence."

"You are not coming back? It wouldn't take long for you to come back for dinner, would it?"

"Well, I really can't. I'm busy," Bella made an excuse.

Fallon, standing in the living room, glanced at the table full of food and the relatives they had invited, lowering her voice, "What are you busy with? We barely talk for half a month, and I never mind it. "

"But do you know what today is? Are you doing this on purpose? Your aunt is here today. Are you trying to embarrass your dad and me?"

Hearing this, Bella, already full of grievances from the evening, couldn't hold back anymore.

"Mom! I've already explained that my professional responsibilities are quite demanding. Furthermore, I had no initial interest in attending blind dates; it was at your insistence that I acquiesced. Very well, I participated, but the other party was dissatisfied. What more could I possibly have done in such circumstances?"

"One failed blind date is fine, but now you've brought Aunt into this. Do you think I don't know what she does? Who doesn't know that she revels in arranging these matchmaking endeavors, consistently introducing individuals of questionable character? Can't you think about me for once?" Bella quickly said.

"Bella, you..."

Before Fallon could say more, Bella hung up the phone.

Then, her mood quickly plummeted."Why get so worked up? If you don't want to go on a blind date, then don't. What's there to be mad about?" Edward chuckled, holding her, his amusement evident even from a distance.

Bella pushed him away and got up, "It's none of your business. I'm tired. I want to go home and rest."

Edward offered to drive her home, grabbing his car keys. Bella didn't refuse.

The night was deep.

Bella stared out the car window, lost in thought.

Suddenly, she saw someone standing outside her apartment building, looking somewhat familiar.

"Is that Dallas?" Edward unbuckled his seatbelt and noticed that man too.

He recognized Dallas.

Bella quickly got out of the car. No matter what, he was someone her mom had set her up with, and he seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Bella? You weren't upstairs? I thought you were home," Dallas said, surprised to see her coming from behind, but not as surprised as Bella.

She noticed the dampness on Dallas's shoulders, likely from dew. How long had he been waiting?

"You've been here the whole time?" Bella felt it was odd.

Why would Dallas wait outside her apartment?

Their last outing hadn't been particularly pleasant. She thought the blind date had failed.

"Yeah, I brought you something," Dallas said, handing her some flowers without asking.

He seemed certain Bella would accept them.

But before the flowers reached Bella, Edward took them.

"What lousy flowers. I could pick better ones just by walking around my garden," Edward said, criticizing the flowers and then Bella.

"This is the kind of guy you go on blind dates with? He's so stingy. How could you have a good life with a man like this?"

Dallas was stunned for a moment before getting angry. "What's your problem? Who are you? I bought these flowers, and you're just trashing them?"

"Me?" Edward smirked, "I'm someone who knows her better than you."