White Moonlight’s Unbeatable Charm

I finally understood why Justin Rauch had brought Linda, his research assistant with a heart condition, to live with us. When Cole Stone, soaked to the bone, with one eye shadowed, stood at our doorstep, I truly felt the powerful pull of a "first love." I didn’t hesitate to let him stay in the mansion, my heart filled with pity. Years apart, he had become sickly and melancholic. The slightest touch would send shivers through him. I poured all my energy into him, gently coaxing and caring for him. I even lost the strength to argue with Linda or yell hysterically at Justin. Justin, however, completely broke down. His eyes red, he demanded, "Luna, I'm your husband. Why are you always siding with him?" 1 The next time I saw Cole Stone, it was raining heavily outside. I leaned under the eaves of the villa, gazing at the dark sky, my heart filled with despair. Linda had mentioned she’d never seen the ocean, and Justin had forgotten our wedding anniversary, dropped all his work, and flown her to the Maldives. This wasn’t the first time. Ever since Linda returned from abroad, everything about her took precedence over me. At dinner, it had to be her favorite dishes. When going out, it had to be places she wanted to visit. I kept telling myself that Linda had a heart condition, that she was pitiful, and I should be accommodating. Until Justin’s birthday. I put on his favorite seductive red dress and straddled his lap. Justin's breath hitched instantly, and he fiercely pushed me down. Just then, a unique phone ringtone chimed. I knew it was the exclusive ringtone Justin had set for Linda. I desperately wanted him to ignore it, to be lost in passion for me. But it wasn't to be. The ringtone only rang for three seconds before the desire in his eyes completely vanished. He answered the call, spoke a few words, then grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door. He left me, disheveled, lying alone on the sofa. Even then, I was still reassuring myself: What if something really had happened to Linda? After all, her health truly wasn't good. I talked myself into feeling better for a long time. But the moment I opened my phone, I saw Linda's latest social media post. The photo showed a rather unappetizing cake, with crooked English letters and a very poorly drawn design. My gaze was instantly drawn to a finger accidentally visible in the corner of the photo. On that finger, was my identical wedding ring. It was Justin. I instinctively tried to find an excuse for them, but Linda's caption left my mind blank. She wrote: [My knight hasn't broken his vows and will always protect his princess, but this time the princess isn't hurt. Instead, she's prepared a little surprise for her knight—a cake made by the princess herself! Happy Birthday, my most loyal knight~] So, nothing had happened to her. My heart felt like it had been brutally torn open, the pain making my eyes red, curling into a ball, trembling uncontrollably. By noon the next day, Justin returned from Linda's, and we had a massive argument. The outcome of this argument was not good; Justin moved Linda into our house. Of course, I disagreed, hysterically telling her to get out of our home. Linda immediately had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. After that, my life seemed to fall into a cycle. It began with an argument with Justin and ended with Linda in the hospital. Over and over again. Now, all that was left was exhaustion. Even with all the lights on in the house, I felt no warmth, only loneliness. Just then, I looked up, as if sensing something, and met a pair of familiar yet unfamiliar eyes. 2 It was Cole Stone. He stood under a distant streetlamp, looking much changed. He was thinner, devoid of his former carefree swagger. His slightly long hair obscured one eye. He wasn't holding an umbrella. The rain had soaked his white shirt, making him look disheveled and pathetic. Suddenly, his body trembled. As if realizing I was watching him, he immediately turned to leave. But something seemed wrong with his body. After just two steps, he lost his balance and fell to the ground. I instantly forgot my self-pity, rushed into the rain, and helped him up. "Cole, are you okay?" Under the faint glow of the streetlamp, I finally saw Cole's face clearly. "What happened to your eye?" I asked, surprised. One of Cole's eyes had completely turned gray, hazy and devoid of any light. He turned his head away, like a timid puppy, hiding his entire face in the shadows, his voice trembling as he said, "This eye... can't see..." My heart ached for him. He was the moonlight I had once chased in my youth, and I never imagined he would become like this. I helped him inside, grabbed a clean bath towel, and handed it to him. "Hurry, take a hot shower. Don't catch a cold!" Cole nodded silently, lowering his eyes as he unbuttoned his shirt. I quickly turned my back. "You go ahead and wash. I'll get you some clean clothes." I rushed to the walk-in closet, grabbed a pair of Justin's pajamas, but found Cole still standing by the bathroom door, his fingers clumsily wrestling with the buttons. Seeing my confused gaze, Cole lowered his head in embarrassment. "I... after losing my eye, my limbs feel a bit out of control. The doctor said it's sensory integration disorder..." As he spoke, he shivered, and his lips lost color, turning pale. I immediately lost all reason, dropping the clothes and rushing over. "It's okay, I'll help you!" Cole was very compliant, standing still as I unbuttoned his shirt, one by one. My fingers accidentally brushed his cold skin. He shivered lightly, then his ear tips turned bright red. He suddenly grabbed my hand, whispering, "I... I can do it myself..." I also became self-conscious belatedly. Just as I was about to let go, I heard an angry shout from outside the door. "Luna, what are you doing?!" I turned around to see Justin standing in the doorway, his shoulder half-soaked. I couldn't help but frown. "Why are you back?" "Why am I back? So I can wait for you to cheat on me?!" Justin's face was furious, but I only found him utterly unreasonable. "Justin, watch your mouth. Cole is an old friend of mine. There's nothing going on between us!" "Nothing going on? I saw you taking off his clothes with my own eyes. How is that 'nothing going on'?" "Are you done or not? I told you..." Just as I was about to argue with Justin, Cole grabbed my hand. "Luna, it's all my fault. Don't argue with your husband over me." Then he bowed to Justin. "Brother, please don't misunderstand Luna. My health isn't good. She was just helping me. I just wanted to see Luna today. I've seen her, so I'll leave now and won't bother you." His voice was trembling as he spoke. I immediately felt compassion and grabbed his hand. "Cole, ignore him. You're staying here for a few days. I'll take good care of you." "Luna, are you insane?! Who invites someone of the opposite sex to live in their home and take care of them?!" No sooner had Justin's words fallen than a weak voice sounded from behind him. "Justin, are you arguing with my sister again because of me?" 3 Justin's expression froze. He was speechless for a long moment. When he didn't respond, Linda stepped forward. Seeing Cole, she also faltered. But the next second, her eyes turned red, and she pleaded with me, almost tearfully, "It's all my fault, Sister Luna. I shouldn't have said I'd never seen the ocean. That way, Justin wouldn't have left you to take me to the Maldives." "Luckily, it rained heavily today, and the plane couldn't take off. Justin can spend tonight with you. I'll leave now." Justin's face immediately filled with distress. "Linda, you don't need to leave. This is your home. You can stay as long as you like!" Normally, I would have argued with Justin, demanding to know how he could make decisions about a house that was half mine. But now, I immediately nodded in agreement. "That's right, Cole, the same goes for you. This is your home. Stay as long as you want, don't mind what anyone else says." Justin looked at me in disbelief. "Luna, are you calling me 'anyone else'? Have you forgotten? I'm your husband!" Hearing that, before I could react, Linda clutched her chest and softly whimpered, "Justin, I'm hurting." Justin instantly forgot everything else, scooping Linda into his arms and carrying her back to the room. I also breathed a sigh of relief, quickly nudging Cole towards the shower. Then I found Justin's most expensive silk bedsheets and spread them out in the guest room. After getting everything ready, I went back to wait by the bathroom door. Cole had sensory integration disorder; I was worried he might have difficulty. While waiting, I ran into Justin coming downstairs to get medicine for Linda. He looked at me and sneered, "Luna, you don't need to debase yourself for another man just to spite me." I was about to curse him out, but then I heard the bathroom door open. Justin's eyes instantly widened. He raised his voice in disbelief. "Luna, you actually put my pajamas on this... this stranger!" Cole, fresh out of the shower, became instantly flustered. He pressed his lips together and said, "Luna, I didn't know these were Brother Justin's clothes. I'll go change right now." I quickly pulled him back. "Change what? Your clothes are soaked. Just wear these." Then I turned to scold Justin. "Can't you be less petty? Are you really so stingy about a single pair of pajamas?" Justin's chest heaved with anger. "Is this about the clothes?! Luna, do you even remember who the man of this house is?!" Just then, Linda suddenly emerged from the room. "Justin, what's happening? Why did it take you so long to get the medicine?" She was wearing Justin's and my matching couple's pajamas, a bracelet Justin had given me for my birthday was on her wrist, and a Miu Miu hair clip I'd bought last week was in her hair. Justin was uncharacteristically silent. He placed the medicine in Linda's hand, then, as she began to try and keep him there, he said, "You rest. I have something else to do." He then grabbed my arm and dragged me into our bedroom. He clearly had something to say, but I didn't want to hear it. I kicked him away and walked out. Only after making sure Cole was completely settled did I return to my room. Justin had been waiting for me for a long time. He sat by the window, surrounded by smoke, the ashtray in front of him overflowing with cigarette butts. I frowned, walked over, and pushed open the window. "All you do is smoke, smoke, smoke! Can't you learn from Cole? He never smokes!" Justin nearly choked, coughing for half a minute before recovering, then gritted his teeth and said, "Luna, do you have nothing else to talk about besides Cole?" "No, just like you have nothing to talk about with me besides Linda." Hearing me mention Linda's name, Justin's expression grew impatient again. He was about to accuse me of being petty, but then he turned and saw the wedding anniversary cake on the table. It sat there, lonely and untouched. It was then that he suddenly remembered: today was our fifth wedding anniversary. Justin's tone softened abruptly. "Luna, I'm sorry. I forgot today was our wedding anniversary. I'll make it up to you." "I've already scheduled heart surgery for Linda. After her recovery, I'll send her away, okay?" When Justin was gentle, his deep, pool-like eyes could almost drown a person. I almost agreed to his terms. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, and Cole's voice came through.