Chapter 11

After Andrew and Melina were done with their meal, he didn't leave the house. Instead, he reclined on the couch with his eyes closed, seeming out of sorts. Melina was still covered in dirt, and her fever had left her drenched in sweat. She felt uncomfortably grimy but was wary of taking another cold shower. It wasn't the fear of getting sick that held her back. She was more worried about being a hassle to others if she got sick. Hesitantly, she approached Andrew and asked in a small voice. "Andrew... Could you show me how to run hot water?" Andrew, though not asleep, kept his eyes closed, giving off an air of not wanting to be bothered. Melina's words trailed off. Usually lively and cheerful, she found herself uneasy in this unfamiliar situation of living alone with a man. Met with Andrew's silence, she quietly went back to her room. In the bathroom, Melina called Dorothy for help while attempting to run the water. She ended up with a tub full of cold water, her face flushing with embarrassment at her ineptitude. Even with phone guidance, she couldn't figure it out and would have to trouble Dorothy to come over. As Melina waited for Dorothy, Andrew suddenly entered her room. Seeing her in the bathroom, he strode in without hesitation. Andrew was brimming with the irritable ferocity of a sleepless person. He had come to investigate why watching Melina plant orchids the night before had calmed his emotions. But, upon seeing the tub filled with cold water, his gaze turned icy. Andrew's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh, so you took cold showers to make yourself sick, huh? Are you trying to play the victim in front of me? You're quite the actress." Melina could take a beating, but she wouldn't stand for false accusations. Her cheeks puffed up as she defended herself. "I did not! I just don't know how to run hot water." Before she could finish, Andrew turned on the cold shower, drenching Melina from head to toe with icy water. Caught off guard, Melina raised her hand to shield her eyes, anger rising in her voice. "Andrew, what are you doing?" With a cold, venomous sneer, Andrew resembled nothing more than a serpent at this moment. "Isn't this what you like? Cold showers? Let me give you your fill." The frigid water soaked through her clothes, clinging uncomfortably to her skin. Andrew loomed like a malevolent villain. But Melina wasn't one to take it without a fight. She lunged at Andrew, trying to wrestle the shower head from his grip. But, Andrew was too tall; she couldn't reach it. In frustration, Melina rammed into him with all her might, knocking Andrew off balance. With the half-filled bathtub behind him, Andrew grabbed Melina as he fell, pulling her down with him. They both tumbled into the tub with a loud splash. Melina was furious but refrained from hitting him. It wasn't that she couldn't but she remembered how Andrew had cared for her when she was sick yesterday. She valued that kindness. Pinned under Andrew in the cold water, facing his mocking gaze, her anger boiled over. She grabbed him and bit his shoulder hard. This man was truly infuriating. Just then, Dorothy knocked and entered the room. Dorothy stood shocked at the scene before her. In her memory, Andrew hadn't been in such a disheveled state since he was a teenager. When Andrew dealt with someone, his methods were ruthless. They were often so cruel that the other person had no chance to retaliate. Yet here he was, personally involved, pinning someone down in a bathtub, looking utterly unkempt. As both turned to look at her, Dorothy hesitated before speaking, "Mr. Wentworth, I'm here to teach Ms. Crawford how to run the hot water." Melina, still recovering from her illness, was now trapped under Andrew in the cold water. The hot and cold sensations overwhelmed her. Her voice quivered with a mix of frustration and hurt. "Andrew, this is my first time living with someone else too. I want to take care of you and treat you well. If I'm doing something wrong, you can tell me. Can't you just... not be like this?"