Hugging the pillow, Valentine Teller was still sleepless, her throat felt uncomfortable, and she occasionally coughed twice.
Mark Reed was also not asleep. Her coughing sounded like silk tearing, making his heart race, fearing she'd damage her voice.
"When you feel like coughing, try to hold back."
Valentine thought Mark was already asleep, as she hadn't heard his voice for a long time. Suddenly, she heard him speak again, her nerves tightened abruptly, staring in the direction of the sound, her heart inexplicably pounding wildly.
"I do want to hold back, but I can't."
Valentine said quietly, always feeling like he was a pretending-to-sleep wolf, ready to pounce and devour her at any moment.
Fear towards him had already taken root in her heart, impossible to dispel.
"If you can't hold back, just cough lightly."
"Oh!" Valentine responded briefly, no longer speaking. She restrained herself as much as possible. If she couldn't hold back, there was nothing she could do.
