Chapter 528 Husband’s Reassurance

When the elevator reached their floor, Sebastian didn’t say another word about the chubbiness she had complained about. He simply carried her into their living room and sat on the couch, bringing her down onto his lap before leaning back a little to admire her face, which was still colored a light pink against her milky-fair skin. Her long, spiky lashes lowered as though she were embarrassed, and her little nose turned an even deeper shade of pink the longer he stared at her.

“You’ve been listening to Laila’s words a lot, I see. Is she the one telling you you’re chubby?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as though, if she said yes, he would go straight to Laila and deal with her himself. He had already meant to do so when he overheard her telling his wife how rounded she looked that day.

Viola pursed her lips.

“She doesn’t have to say it. I see it in the mirror every day, and I feel like a bloated elephant every morning. I can’t even wash my legs or shave them properly. My normal clothes don’t even fit me anymore, and I have to wear boring gowns,” she muttered softly, her fingers playing with the button of his shirt.

It amazed Viola how she could shoulder the responsibilities of an entire pack and act strong before everyone, yet whenever she was in her husband’s arms, she felt like a little rabbit in its cocoon, wanting nothing more than to be held and protected. But her changing body made her embarrassed, and she hated that she couldn’t simply forget about it. Suddenly, she felt stupid for bringing it up when he had just poured his heart out on the terrace. Her insecurities were nothing compared to what he had felt and lost.

Viola felt like slapping herself and quickly decided to put everything out of her mind.

“Just forget it. Let’s not talk about my body or anything. What would you like to eat? I noticed you barely eat lately, and you cook for me almost every morning. Your face looks thinner, Seb, and—”

She began to stand up from his lap, as though planning to go to the kitchen and prepare something quick for him, but Sebastian pulled her back down against him.

A small smile lifted the corner of his lips.

“No. Let’s talk about it. I want to talk about it. You said we should live our lives normally in order to move on, and that includes having normal conversations and spending time with my wife. I believe it should be considered part of the healing process, right?” he asked, tucking strands of hair behind her pink-tipped ear and running his fingers against it as she nodded at his words.

“I guess so, but we don’t have to talk about my body. Tell me about—”

“No, I want to talk about that.”

Viola looked at him uncertainly, her fingers still resting against his shirt.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m getting fat, and—”

“Viola.”

The way he said her name made her stop, and looked away in embarrassment, something she found herself doing subconsciously.

“Look at me, sweetheart.”

She slowly lifted her eyes to his, and Sebastian cupped her face with one hand, his thumb brushing gently over her flushed cheek.

“Do you honestly believe that I could look at you and see anything other than the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on?”

Her lips parted, but no words came out of them, as she didn’t know what to reply to that.

“Because if you do, then I’ve been doing a very poor job of being your husband.”

“Seb…”

“No, let me finish.” His other hand settled against her waist, drawing her a little closer to him. “You’ve been carrying my children for months. My babies. Two little lives growing inside you, and somehow, you’ve convinced yourself that the changes happening to your body are making you less beautiful?”

He shook his head, his expression turning almost offended by the very thought. She wasn’t even as big as some of the pregnant she-wolves he had seen around the pack.

“Amor, if anything, you’ve become even more beautiful to me. Every time I look at you sleeping in our bed, I see the woman carrying my children, the woman who has given me her body and heart, the woman who somehow manages to love me even when I’m at my worst. Do you have any idea what that does to a man like me?”

Viola’s cheeks grew warmer, and she tried to look away, but he gently guided her face back toward him again.

“No, honey. Don’t hide that pretty face from me. I’m talking to you.”

She swallowed, feeling her heart flutter in her chest as she suddenly felt like a high school girl being whispered sweet words by her boyfriend. Should they even be having this kind of conversation right now?

“You are such a sweet talker…” she grumbled.

“Because I am telling the truth.” His mouth curved into a faint, possessive smile. “You could gain another fifty pounds, and I’d still want you sitting right here on my lap. You could grow so round that you couldn’t even see your own feet, and I’d still look at you like I wanted to spend the rest of my life kissing every inch of you.”

“Sebastian!” she gasped, her eyes widening.

“What?” He arched a brow innocently. “You think I’m lying?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m your husband. Exaggerating about how beautiful my wife is should be the least of my crimes.”

A reluctant smile tugged at her lips, but she still looked unconvinced, and Sebastian’s expression softened.

“Listen to me, baby. Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s doing something extraordinary. It’s making room for our children, nourishing them, protecting them, and carrying them every single day. And I won’t have you standing in front of a mirror and insulting the very body that’s bringing our babies into this world.”

Viola’s eyes began to sting, as she suddenly felt emotional at his words that tug at her heartstrings.

“And when our babies are born?” she asked quietly. “What if I don’t go back to looking the way I used to?”

Sebastian stared at her for a moment, as though the question itself had offended him, but then his expression softened. He couldn’t blame her for carrying such a thought. He had witnessed and heard of cases where husbands found their wives less appealing after they had brought their children into the world, and he understood why she needed reassurance from him.

Wanting to be reminded that she was still beautiful in his eyes didn’t make her insecure or demanding, and reassuring the woman he loved was never something he would consider a burden. If anything, he wanted her to know without a doubt that the changes her body went through to bring their children into the world could never make him love or desire her any less.

“Then you’ll look like the woman who gave birth to our children.”

“But—”

“And I’ll still be the man who wants you.”