The Cherished Wife

Although Noelle had encountered Arnold before and had gradually gotten used to him, Arnold's sudden dash toward her still startled her.

She quickly got up and tried to move away, but Arnold, thinking she was playing, continued to chase her around.

Noelle's face turned pale with fright while Arnold seemed to be having the time of his life.

"Arnold!" Charles' stern voice cut through the room as he swiftly moved to pull Noelle into his arms, casting a fierce glare at the overly enthusiastic dog. Sensing Charles' displeasure, Arnold immediately calmed down, looking up at Charles and Noelle with a pitiful expression as if he were pleading for forgiveness. Arnold whimpered softly, as if he were protesting Charles' harshness and lamenting that Noelle seemed to have forgotten him.

"It's okay, don't be scared. He won't hurt you," Charles reassured Noelle, gently patting her back to soothe her.

Noelle swallowed hard, taking a moment to regain her composure.

Feeling embarrassed, she glanced at Charles, then at Arnold. She hesitated before speaking, "Did I overreact? It's just... It felt like he was about to jump on me, so I panicked..."

still rubbing her back. "Arnold can be aggressive outside, but he's good with people he knows. You've spent time with him before, remember?" "Yes, I remember," Noelle replied, giving Charles

knelt down,

then gently nudged her palm with his nose. Arnold's adorable demeanor quickly melted Noelle's fear, and she found herself petting his back with a smile. "It's been a while, Arnold. I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't

response, wagging his tail and circling around Noelle in excitement,

"See? I'm not

hair as he said,

had been leaning against the wall and observing the sweet scene between the couple and the dog, finally cleared his throat to break the

feeling

Sean, suddenly feeling

raised an eyebrow slightly. "Of course," he replied. After all, if he had not come, how could Arnold have found his way here on his

pang of disappointment-was his charm really less than that of a dog? It hurt a bit that Noelle only