She put on a jacket and went outside to see Dominic training in the courtyard. In his hand, he held a dumbbell, which he appeared to be lifting with ease. The man’s upper body was completely exposed, revealing a perfectly sculpted torso with bulging muscles that seemed to radiate under the bright sunlight. It was as if the god of the sun had descended from the heavens and taken human form. Calliope felt her cheeks burning as she greeted him softly. “Good morning! You’re up early.” Dominic turned over his shoulder to look at her. Calliope stood in the courtyard, taking in her surroundings with a quiet observation. The small space was cluttered with a variety of sporting equipment, such as punching bags, boxing gloves, baseball bats, and dumbbells. Her heart lurched at the sight. She couldn’t be sure if the rumors were true, but it was clear that Dominic was often involved in fights. I wonder if he is hot-tempered. From what I’ve heard, it’s quite common in this region for men to be chauvinistic and resort to physical violence against their wives when they have been drinking. Biting her lip nervously, Calliope hurried over to him and asked, “Uh, have you had breakfast yet?” “No,” came the man’s icy answer. “You can prepare breakfast.” Calliope nodded and ran into the kitchen. In no time, she prepared a pot of oatmeal, some omelet, and a plate of spiced beef. Dominic slowly lifted his gaze and noticed that her eyes were crinkled up in joy. Suddenly, he impulsively picked up a piece of beef and placed it on her plate. Caught off guard, Calliope was about to turn him down when he said, “You should eat more as you’re skinny.” “Oh…” She pursed her lips. Calliope actually had a lot of things to discuss with Dominic. Firstly, she wanted to apologize for what happened the night before. As newlyweds, it was perfectly natural for them to be intimate, but she had made it seem as though he was coercing her into something she didn’t want to do. She also wanted to ask about his future plans. They were now husband and wife, so it was important to make sure they were both on the same page. Furthermore, she had no idea what his job was or if he had the financial means to provide for them in the future. They had to develop a deeper understanding of each other. However, Dominic was focused on his meal to talk to her. When he raised his hand, she noticed it was covered with callus, a testament to the countless times he had struck the punching bag in practice. Calliope swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. Their first meal together as newlyweds was a quiet, drawn-out affair. Calliope didn’t feel aggrieved as she knew it was too late to regret her decision. “By the way, are you free today?” she asked. Dominic was taken aback by her sudden question. “Why?” “I need to head to the city to return my wedding dress,” Calliope revealed with a smile. Dominic froze. He was not involved in any of the arrangements for the wedding and was unaware that she had rented her wedding dress. Getting married is a momentous and once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Most women would excitedly buy their wedding dress for their big day, right? With that thought in mind, Dominic suddenly felt an unusual surge of emotion in his heart. “I’m not asking you to keep me company!” Calliope explained hastily as he didn’t say a word. “I can return the dress myself. If you’re busy, you don’t have to come with me.” “Mm,” came the man’s reply. They remained reserved but courteous toward each other as though they were just roommates. Calliope worked diligently to ensure the dress was spotless before carefully packing it into a bag. She then embarked on a long journey, hopping from bus to bus before finally arriving at the bridal boutique around noon. Besides the dowry, the Gingrich family didn’t prepare anything for her wedding. After a lengthy search, Calliope eventually discovered a bridal boutique that provided her with a vast range of options that were both aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced. The boutique wasn’t big, and the salespeople were, unfortunately, quite snobbish. They were especially unkind to Calliope as she had rented a wedding dress. “Miss, are you sure we can rent this wedding dress to another person?” the salesperson asked mockingly, her voice shrill and contemptuous. “It’s in such a terrible state!”