Sweet Subterfuge novel by Trina Duo
Chapter 498

Larissa's movements of getting up halted abruptly. Bracing herself against the edge of the bed, she sat down again. "Do you ... need me to help you massage the spot?" Kevan pressed a hand on his pounding heart and said with restraint, "No need."

Larissa suddenly remembered his weird quirk of not letting others touch him. "Forgive me, I was too forward." She apologized to him before adding, "Wait a moment—"

She retrieved the aromatherapy machine she had bought but never used-it was still in its original packaging—from the closet she used to put her sundries in. After filling it with water, she added a few drops of lavender oil into the machine.

"This will help you relax and sleep." She introduced the product to Kevan. "Just close your eyes, and you'll be able to sleep soon."

The faint smell of lavender filled the air via the mist from the machine.

Kevan obediently closed his eyes, though his headache did not lessen likely due to his tense nerves. After some time, he opened his eyes and found Larissa surprisingly asleep against the headboard of the bed. Her eyes were firmly shut, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically while her nose twitched every now and then.

Kevan held his breath for fear of waking her. He stared at her for a long time, not even blinking with the help of the night light nearby. He no longer remembered when the last time he was able to stare indiscriminately at her was, and he did not know when he could do so again. The only thing he could do was to look at her a little bit more tonight.

Kevan did not sleep for the whole night. It was only when Larissa jerked awake that he frantically shut his eyes. Straightening up, Larissa's fatigue vanished in an instant. The aromatherapy machine was still working, white mist continuing to spray from the top of it.

Wendy was the one who insisted she buy the machine. She was worried that Larissa's sleep quality was bad due to her staying up late frequently for work. After Larissa bought it, she snapped a picture of it and sent it to Wendy as a show of proof, but she never used it at all, so much so that she did not expect the effects of the machine would be so good.

It was almost as if the moment her head leaned against the headboard, her eyes shut themselves naturally at once.

Slowly recollecting herself, Larissa turned to see Kevan, who was lying next to her. The rectangular cooling pad was still firmly stuck to his forehead, and it looked somewhat comical. Larissa reached out to touch it, and the pad was still cold, which meant that it had not absorbed much heat. She carefully peeled it off and felt his forehead with the back of her hand-his temperature was already back to normal. Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. She went to fill up the aromatherapy machine with water again before returning to the room next door.

Aster was still asleep.

He was lying on his belly, an arm and a leg stuck out from underneath the sheets. Larissa sighed and tucked him in again, but she did not expect such a small movement to wake him up.

Opening his eyes blearily, Aster mumbled, "Mommy ..." as he wriggled around, rolling over so he could hug her.

"Where did you go?" he asked curiously as he looked up at her.

Ruffling his hair affectionately, Larissa answered, "I went to check on Uncle Kevan next door. He's sick, so he slept at our place last night."

Aster's energy surged up at once, his eyes sparkling brightly. "Mommy, do you care about Uncle Kevan?" His little hand fisted into the hem of her pajamas as he swallowed excitedly yet nervously at the same time.

Larissa was not unaware of his little scheme. She poked his forehead lightly with her index finger and scolded him. "Do not think silly thoughts!"

Aster held his forehead and asked her with a clueless expression on his face, "What silly thoughts am I thinking?"

This annoyed Larissa.

"It's still early. Go back to sleep." She lifted the sheets before lying down again and pulling Aster into her arms.