Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire
Chapter 325: Not Alone In The Morning Light

Chapter 325: Not Alone In The Morning Light

To Lariette’s relief, she managed to get Ruediger to drink some water before lying on the bed again. She cradled him gently against her chest, hoping to lull him back to sleep.

Ruediger’s body was tense at first, his breath ragged and shoulders trembling, when Lariette persuaded him to return to sleep. She was worried about him not being able to rest well.

But as Lariette held Ruediger with her arms wrapped securely around his back, she sensed his stiffness slowly begin to melt away, like winter ice softening under morning light.

Ruediger’s head rested just below Lariette’s collarbone, face buried against her skin. Each shaky breath warmed the fabric of her pajamas, still damp from his tears.

From a glance, Lariette saw the clock needles pointing to half-past four. The time was still too early.

The early morning breeze rustled the leaves outside. The entire village was still blanketed in silence as most were still asleep.

Tilting her head down, Lariette brushed a kiss into Ruediger’s crimson locks, damp from his sweat. Her whisper echoed softly in the bedroom.

"I’m here. Eddy, you’re safe."

Whatever nightmare that haunted him, he was now safe.

"Lettie... Lettie..." Ruediger called, still in despair.

"Yes, I’m here. Sleep, Eddy."

Lariette stroked slow, gentle circles along Ruediger’s back. He tightened his arms around her. She slid her palm over the soaked fabric of his sweater, drenched in cold sweat earlier.

’What... actually happened?’

Drawing her brows in quiet worry, Lariette recalled the moment she was stirred awake by Ruediger screaming in his sleep. She struggled to wake him up, he was too lost in whatever terror he had to claw his way out of.

The way how fragile Ruediger looked inadvertently reminded Lariette of their encounter with Chairman Alvord before. A thought of his mother crossed her mind for she heard him screaming for his mother.

’That accident. The one... he lost his mother in. Did he dream of it?’

Lariette hadn’t known the details of the incident, only the gist of it. But there was a high chance of Ruediger dreaming of that particular day.

’He’s still restless.’

Lariette could still feel how hard Ruediger’s heart was pounding. She adjusted her hold, her hand drifting to the nape of his neck. She weaved her fingers through the soft strands of his hair.

"Eddy, go to sleep. I’m here."

Lariette repeated her words, gentler and lower. Ruediger didn’t answer but his arms, which embraced her figure so tightly before, relaxed slightly.

A soft smile bloomed on Lariette’s lips as Ruediger’s breathing began to even out, each exhale just a little slower than the last. Lowering her chin, once again she kissed his head.

Lariette remained still, letting her warmth and presence surround Ruediger. She tried not to move even an inch, afraid of disturbing him who was slowly lured back to sleep.

Ruediger’s breath eventually softened to a quiet rhythm. The shivering in his shoulders also receded, and his body grew heavier in Lariette’s arms as he relaxed further.

He had finally drifted back to sleep.

Lariette continued stroking Ruediger’s back, her chin resting lightly on his head. As her eyelids gradually drooped, she whispered her wish to the night, hoping the morning would be gentler for him.

The clock continued ticking, signaling the continuous flow of passage of time. The sun peeked over the horizon before it slowly rose, streaking the sky with amber, ruby and violet hues.

Morning light streamed in gently through the lacey curtains, brushing soft, dappled gold rays across the bedroom walls. The gentle hum of the countryside was broken by the cries of the roosters.

Ruediger was the first to stir awake. His eyes fluttered open, lids heavy while lashes still damp. For a moment, he was blank, disoriented from drowsiness.

Somehow, he felt as if he had just survived the wreckage of a long, haunting dream. Then, clarity gradually returned, allowing him to feel it.

Of someone’s warmth and the steady heartbeat beneath his face.

Blinking, Ruediger finally realized where he was, still in Lariette’s arms. His head rested against her chest and tucked beneath her chin, in the same exact position he was in hours ago.

’Lettie, she...’

Ruediger pursed his lips, contemplating the situation. Lariette’s arms were still wrapped firmly around him as if she hadn’t moved at all. One of her palms still lay on his back, unmoving but her touch was reassuring.

She stayed with him. She stayed despite how embarrassingly weak he showed himself to her last night.

Feeling the soft rise and fall of her chest, his throat tightened. He couldn’t say how relieved and grateful he was for her presence.

The weight of the nightmare still hung in his mind, flashing the unpleasant images of the past. The crash, his mother’s bloodied face, those wretched masked men and his own scream hollering through the forest.

But because of her warm and constant presence, he was pulled back from that dark place.

Ruediger was aware of the reason for his nightmare. Lariette’s story about the boy, him, would inadvertently remind him of that day no matter how many years had passed.

’She’s worried, but... she didn’t ask me.’

Recalling last night, Ruediger could tell the anxious Lariette wondered what had befallen him. But she was understanding enough not to push him to explain anything to her.

Exhaling a sigh, Ruediger shifted slightly, careful not to wake Lariette. Then, he closed his eyes again, only for just a moment.

He took in her scent, faintly floral and familiar. He also sensed the warmth of her skin through the fabric of her pajamas. And the firmness of her embrace grounded him.

Ruediger’s heart ached as it swelled with sadness that clawed its way up from old wounds. He knew they wouldn’t ever leave, lurking at the depth of his heart and reappearing time and again.

’I need to tell her someday... about my mother. I have to.’

Ruediger was reluctant to burden Lariette with his trouble, but not telling her anything would be the same. Keeping her in the dark made him feel as if he took her kindness for granted.

Ruediger exhaled slowly, his breath shaky against Lariette’s chest. Without thinking, he tilted his head and pressed a soft kiss just over her heart.

Her beautiful, kind heart.

"Thank you, Lettie," he whispered, so quietly it was barely sound, "Thank you."

She didn’t stir, but her arms around him seemed to tighten just a little.

And for the first time after being haunted by the same nightmare, he wasn’t alone in the morning light.