The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 178: The heart of a wife

"And I didn’t really have any intention to kiss my wife, who was about to pass out any time soon."

Joanna’s mind, which was filled with advice about what she was supposed to do with her current feelings that came from her husband, had to come to a halt when the next words intruded on her senses.

To her overwhelm, it was said by her husband, the same man who just shared his advice with her.

Hearing a low chuckle coming from her husband, whose thumbs were gently stroking her wrists, Joanna felt so mortified to the point where she wished to be swallowed by the ground below her.

However, since it was impossible, she could only hide her face by lowering her head, as she felt that avoiding his gaze was not enough to brush away the moment when she thought he was about to kiss her.

Yet, despite her apprehensive readiness, she was still surprised to receive a kiss from him, and it was the same feelings and reaction she exhibited when he suddenly kissed her temple that night, on their first time sharing a bed in the Powel Orphanage.

That kiss as well, along with the memory that surfaced in her mind, although it did not land in the spot that she thought it would, made her heart thump in her chest after it took away a beat of her heart and her breath.

But hiding her face could only last for a fleeting moment, as now her chin was gently pinched and lifted by her husband to make her eyes meet his eyes after he pulled his forehead away from her as if he wanted to get a better look at her blushing face.

"Do what a wife should do when you are really ready and willing." Canillas smiled at the blushing Joanna as he continued to say, "Until that time comes to us, let’s learn to respect and trust each other." Because they still had trust issues to resolve, although respect was already there, and he felt that.

"And if I may ask for more..." Canillas stared straight at the beautiful lady before him, who focused her attention on him despite the tinge of shyness that adorned her face. "Let’s build communication between us. Let’s share our thoughts on any simple or complex thing. Because we need that to fill our days."

He asked her for that matter again—to build communication between them, where in there they could share their problems either, despite the answer she had given him.

Canillas remembered that it was not the first time for him to bring up this subject, as he had mentioned this suggestion when they were reconciling in Alenna Garden a few days ago. Although there was some discussion built between them after that, Canillas thought that it was not enough, as he could sense that she was reluctant to go deeper, like she was when they were standing together on the balcony a while ago.

And he asked for that again because, for him, building communication was necessary. He wanted them to learn to share emotions and get to know each other better because, from his perspective, that was what a husband and wife should do in a marriage. That way, they could strengthen their bond as husband and wife, as they would live together for the rest of their lives.

The trust would also grow if they got closer to each other. Misunderstanding could also be diminished.

Gently stroking Joanna’s chin with his thumb, whose eyes glistened as she stared into his, he then said, "I believe that my beautiful wife is with me during my speech." And he chuckled at finding Joanna blinking her eyes before averting them away as if awakened from the spell cast on her through the words he delivered, indicating that she was indeed with him, listening to him speak.

Another thing that Canillas learned from the lady before him aside from the trust issue she still had about him and her reluctance to strengthen their bond. She was a good listener.

Although she might look cold and ignorant, as it was her way to camouflage her true nature, she was a person whom he could talk with, as she never ignored him.

She might be hard-headed with all the reasons she had to make her reluctant to remove the boundary between them, but it did not make her fail to use logic and senses in her every action after he talked or shared his thoughts with her about something that he viewed as important for her to know.

If she ignored him, really holding tight on her determination to get rid of him, she would not have been willing to share a bed with him even when she knew that she was in danger because of the Tres that targeted her.

Because she listened to him when he talked to her too, he found no fear in her eyes after he talked to her that night in the inn when they were in Fairns, telling her not to be afraid of him and their marriage.

It had become the reason why he kept talking to her, building a conversation, and expressing his thoughts and feelings despite all the answers she had given him, because she was responsive in her own way.

She would think, putting what he had shared with her in mind. If she thought it made sense to her, she would definitely consider doing it, although it was suggested by her husband, who was not completely welcomed by her yet.

It was what he had learned about her, his hard-headed and warm-hearted wife.

Nonetheless, he did not want to be the only one who proactively approached her and talked to her. He really wanted her to do the same. He wanted to listen to her too.

For once, he wanted to know about what she experienced through her voice, not because he was attentive to her, which made him able to capture that she had problems that put her in her current distressed state.

But of course, requesting separation would never be included in the conversation for him, as during their time together, it was the topic she had discussed with him deeply and repeatedly, full of eagerness and determination.

He was still not sure why it was still hard for her to remove the boundary between them. Because of that, there was a barrier that made her unable to open up to him, talking to him about the problems she had and anything that she could actually share with him, although he had suggested it. And because of that, the trust issue was there.

But again, he would not stop talking to her about that matter, telling her what he wanted her to know, because he believed she would consider what he had said to her. One day, she would be more open, talking to him about anything she wanted to share without any burden. She would also trust him.

She would also understand what he said just now as she listened to him: that he did not want her to submit to him in the name of guilt and compassion, as what he wanted was the heart of a wife.

"Let’s go." Canillas grabbed and pulled Joanna’s hand after he conveyed that all in his mind, deciding not to prolong their private moment as she decided to attend the banquet, which would begin soon so that they would not be late.

However, before he completely turned his body around, his hand was pulled back by Joanna as she refused to leave her spot, making him turn back to see her with his brows furrowed.

"Can you please wait for a minute, Sir Canillas? I need to do something," Joanna hurriedly said, answering Canillas’ questioning look.

"What is it?" Canillas asked, slightly tilting his head in wonderment.

"Can you please let go of my hand first?" Joanna demanded in a slightly nervous tone.

Still tilting his head as his question was not answered yet, Canillas reluctantly released the hand that was in his.

Once Joanna was freed, she quickly made her way toward the glass door.

Through the grace of the moonlight that seeped into the hallway where she dwelled with her husband, Joanna saw her reflection in the glass door. Although it did not reflect her look clearly, she could quite grasp her appearance through it.

She was glad to go with Bianca’s idea to set her wavy hair into a sleek low bun with a side braid where there was no fringe or part of her hair that was set loose. Hence, although she was outside to get a breather, the cold breeze did not ruin the adornment of her hair, as with a simple stroke with her palms, her hair was back to being tidy.

After she felt satisfied with the look of her hair, Joanna moved to check her attire.

Finding the neckline that was a bit shifted to the right, Joanna fixed it to make the position back to center. As she found that there was nothing that needed to be fixed again on the front part of the dress, Joanna turned around to see the look of the back part of her dress in the glass door.

However, it was not easy. Aside from the limited amount of light that needed more effort to get a thorough look at what she wanted to mend, the tight corset made her unable to turn her body easily. Even when she was able to see and find that there was some part that needed to be mended, Joanna was doubtful if she could do that herself.

Turning her head to see the front of her with her back facing the glass door, she found Canillas standing still in the same spot where she had asked him to let go of her hand. His hands were in the pockets of his trousers.

She was sure that his eyes had followed her, as now she was staring at him, who was staring at her.