Chapter 4

As I heard that, the tips of my ears grew warm.

It was such a normal sentence. Coming from Elias, with that cool and pleasant voice of his, it somehow sounded teasing.

Memories rushed through my mind without warning. I remembered countless nights spent sleeping in each other’s arms.

Elias hated wearing a shirt to bed. The heat from his bare chest always seeped through my back while his chin rested lightly on the top of my head.

All of it had happened because I pushed for it.

Every night, I insisted on making Elias hold me from behind while we slept.

He probably did not like that either.

Guilt rose quietly in my chest.

Before I could answer, Elias reached out and grabbed one of my hands.

I reacted like I had been shocked and immediately pulled away.

When I met the darkened look in his eyes, I steadied myself, pressed my lips together, and softly refused.

“No need. I think sleeping alone is pretty nice. I want some personal space too.”

Elias looked at me for a while before he nodded slowly. “Fine. As long as you do not regret it.”

Since it was the weekend, both Elias and I stayed home.

For the first time, he invited me into the media room to watch a movie together.

When I realized it was a thriller, I hesitated.

If I stayed in the same room with him, then because of habit and fear, I would end up crawling into his arms again.

Elias did not like physical affection from me.

Back when we watched movies together, I always had to spend a long time acting cute and begging before he finally agreed to let me curl up against him.

Every time, Elias sat stiffly upright.

Whenever the couple in the movie started kissing, he quietly pushed me away without a word.

His low voice would sound beside me. “It is kind of hot.”

Whenever I reached up to touch his face, Elias dodged me like he had been shocked.

Before I could ask why, he claimed he needed the bathroom and disappeared.

When someone liked another person, it showed in the small details.

When they did not, that showed too.

Thinking about all of that, I shook my head and reluctantly refused. “Maybe not…”

The doorbell rang at that moment.

I took the chance to escape and hurried to answer the door.

A girl I had never seen before stood outside. Her hands were hidden behind her back, and she smiled brightly at me.

“Hi. I am looking for Elias.”

I froze.

[Ahhh, it's our female lead baby!]

[Her smile is seriously so pretty and she feels so alive. She and the male lead are obviously made for each other.]

[She came all the way here just to put the side character in her place, didn't she?]

I looked at the floating comments in the air and subconsciously took two steps back.

I called into the house in a quiet voice, “Elias, someone is here for you.”

The tall man appeared at the doorway very quickly, dressed in casual home clothes.

Yoana Shaw finally brought out what she had been hiding behind her back.

It was a soft, snow‑white pillow.

Cute dimples appeared on both sides of her cheeks as she spoke in a gentle voice.

“I heard you have not been sleeping well lately, so I picked one that is supposed to help with sleep.”

Elias accepted it with little expression. “Thanks.”

The two of them chatted casually for another minute.

I stood nearby watching them. My legs felt as heavy as concrete, and I could not move a single step.

[Does anyone understand the genius behind the female lead's gift? A pillow creates closeness without feeling too flirty, and it perfectly targets the male lead's weak spot!]

[Our female lead isn't just thoughtful, she really knows boundaries too.]

[If I remember right, the pillow the male lead's using now was bought by the side character, wasn't it? Looks like it's about to be replaced by the female lead's gift.]

[Exactly how it should be! First replace the things the side character gave him, then replace her too.]