"Going too far?"
Simon Hawthorne’s thin lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. His long, elegant fingers gripped her jaw, his eyes freezing. "Don’t forget who you are right now. You are still Mrs. Hawthorne. What’s wrong with this?"
Zoe Lancaster bit her lip. She pushed against his chest with both hands, but she couldn’t move him a single inch. "Our marriage is nothing but a sham! You already have Peyton Joyce now, so why must you make things so difficult for me?!"
The accusation of making things difficult for her darkened his expression even further.
The woman’s resistance was crystal clear. She could even bring herself to prepare condoms for him! For all these reasons...
He pinched her chin, forcing her face forward and leaving her no room to refuse. He kissed her pink lips viciously, as if driven by absolute ruthlessness, sucking and biting. His large hand rested on the small of her back, feeling her body tremble faintly from the pain on her lips.
Yet, he still felt it wasn’t enough. What did this tiny bit of pain matter? Between them, there should only be mutual torment!
His chillingly cold hand effortlessly unzipped the side of her dress. As his hand brushed past her slightly rounded lower abdomen, he noticeably paused. Then, with a cold sneer, he released her lips, but his hand remained entirely improper. He cupped her softness, deliberately rubbing against her sensitive spots. His voice remained as pleasant as ever, yet the words were utterly cruel. "Zoe, tell me, if I were to take you right now—with the intensity of how I ravage people—
"Would this bastard in your belly be able to survive it?"
His tone could even be described as casual. He didn’t seem to realize just how terrifying his words were.
A chill ran down Zoe’s spine from head to toe. The sweeping coldness drained the color from her face, making her even paler. She stared at him in disbelief. "How can you treat me like this?"
Simon gripped her lower back, forcing her closer to him. There was no warmth in his eyes. "Anyway, this child of yours is already barely clinging to life. What need is there for it to live?"
"You’re a madman!"
Zoe’s eyes instantly reddened, and tears fell without warning. As she looked at him, her eyes were filled with hatred.
Simon merely twitched the corners of his lips. "When you chose to keep this thing that insults me, you should have been prepared to bear the consequences!"
He tore the hem of her skirt without a moment of hesitation.
Zoe’s face was deathly pale. Through gritted teeth, she spat out, "Don’t forget! There are only three months left until the divorce date in our agreement! We signed that agreement three years ago! When the time comes, whether you want to divorce or not, it won’t change the outcome. Our marriage never had any love to begin with!
"You have no right to demand my loyalty!"
It was a marriage built on mutual exploitation. On what grounds did he expect her unwavering fidelity? Besides, she had never done anything to cross the line. From beginning to end, it was simply him refusing to trust her!
When the situation first blew up, his mistrust and insults had left her completely heartbroken! But later on, she had to force herself to come to terms with it. She could ignore whatever he thought or suspected. Because he was so certain that the child wasn’t his, he wouldn’t try to take away the baby she had fought so hard to protect!
Even though his suspicions caused her agonizing pain, she would absolutely never deny or explain herself. She would rather he misunderstand forever than allow this toxic relationship to continue! She was even less willing to remain trapped in this torturous marriage, constantly worrying that he and the Hawthorne family would resort to any means necessary to snatch her child away once the agreement expired!
Three months—
That number pierced viciously into his chest.
Simon stared at her unblinkingly, exuding an oppressive aura that made her heart pound. He suddenly curled his lip, but his smile was profoundly sinister. "Evie, you really know how to anger me."
His well-defined fingers landed on her full, beautiful lips, rubbing against the plump center of her upper lip in a way that was both intimate and dangerous. "But what can you do? You can’t escape today. If you’re unwilling to use that place, we’ll just use another."
His actions made his intentions abundantly clear.
Zoe’s spine stiffened. Even though the privacy partition had been raised the moment they got into the car, completely blocking the front view, she still had a sense of shame!
"No..." She shook her head in resistance, her throat suddenly turning completely dry.
Simon looked at her with cold eyes. "Fine, then I’ll do it myself."
She instantly grabbed the hand he was reaching toward the hem of her skirt. She bit her lip hard, feeling an overwhelming sense of sorrow in her heart. He had always been creative with his torment in bed—he possessed boundless energy and endurance, and he would never stop until he was thoroughly satisfied. But in her current condition, the baby simply wouldn’t be able to handle it!
Trembling, she unbuckled his belt, while he coldly watched from the sidelines from beginning to end. It seemed he was intentionally trying to humiliate her.
He stared at her. The woman’s red lips looked alluring as she shakily undid his belt, keeping her eyes lowered in what appeared to be exceptional forbearance.
"Do you feel humiliated? You can choose to make all this go away, as long as you willingly give up that bastard in your belly." He gripped the back of her neck, his touch intimate yet restraining his explosive readiness.
Zoe gritted her teeth and pressed her red lips forward. "I don’t need your pity."
The woman was not docile. He even thought that as long as the child in her belly disappeared, he could pretend nothing had ever happened. But she—
A dark gloom gathered in his eyes, and the restlessness and rage in his heart surged higher. He pressed down viciously on the back of the woman’s neck, yet nothing could alleviate that raging fury.
Time ticked by, second by second. When it was finally over, Zoe’s eyes were completely unfocused. She was pulled into a sitting position, her arms and legs utterly limp. Her entire body ached uncomfortably, and a thin layer of sweat coated her forehead. Exhausted and powerless, she resembled a soulless puppet on a string.
Simon’s brows furrowed tightly. He rolled down the car window and lit a cigarette.
It took forty minutes to get from the hotel to Somerset Gardens. Too lazy to waste more time with her, he had ended it rather hastily.
Upon arriving at Somerset Gardens, Zoe finished straightening her clothes just as the car door was pulled open.
Simon was clearly still harboring suppressed anger. He bent down and carried her out of the vehicle. The weight in his arms was incredibly light. She was pregnant, yet she was so frail that it felt as though she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
This caused Simon to pause his footsteps slightly. His thin lips pressed into a faint line, his mood worsening even further.
As he strode inside, Madam Carter and the other servants immediately rushed over to welcome them. Seeing Simon, who hadn’t made an appearance in over a month, they were momentarily stunned.
Simon coldly interrogated them. "How exactly are you looking after my wife? Why has she only gotten lighter?"
The servants immediately shrank their necks back in fear. They had truly done their very best, but no matter what Mrs. Hawthorne ate, she threw it right back up.
Zoe pursed her lips. "It has nothing to do with them."
Simon lowered his gaze to look at her. He let out a faint scoff before continuing to carry her upstairs. After setting her down on the bed, he turned without a word and walked into the bathroom. He was going to take a shower.
Only then did Zoe breathe a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, she still hadn’t received permission to go to the hospital for her prenatal checkup today. By this month, she was supposed to start undergoing various examinations to check on the child’s health and development. She had also been really looking forward to seeing her baby during future 4D ultrasounds.
She would fight for the opportunity. In three months, she would finally be able to leave.
CLICK—
The bathroom door opened.
Simon had finished his shower. Without so much as looking at her, he went straight into the walk-in closet to change into a fresh set of clothes. Once he came out, he shot her an indifferent side-eye. "Go downstairs and eat dinner."
Zoe frowned instinctively. "You’re not leaving?"