Chapter 91
I shook my head hard, words failing me, my lips trembling uncontrollably.
Jonathan stroked my skin gently, trying to soothe me.
I lost track of time. When he saw I was still shaking, he picked me up and slowly pressed down my spine, inch by inch.
His voice was rough. “I was only gone a few days for work, and you’re already getting rusty?”
He still thought it was just those few days away that made me feel distant from him. He didn’t realize that the way I looked at him changed forever from the moment I woke up after my suicide attempt.
What stood between us wasn’t just the brief time he was gone, nor was it Alicia. It was the nearly blank five years of my memory.
He was the first familiar face I saw when I woke, the once untouchable, high and distant moon in my memories.
I’d secretly adored him, even dreamed about him. Never in a million years did I think I’d end up as his wife.
Then I saw his deeper side and realized I couldn’t accept it. All the affection I had for him was worn away.
I hated his coldness, resented his betrayal.
At the same time, I couldn’t accept his closeness, nor could I accept that these five years had passed as if nothing had happened, as if we could still do the most intimate things a couple shares.
My eyes were red and swollen, and filled with tears.
“Let me go.” My voice was barely a whisper.
Jonathan’s hand touched my cheek, brushing away the tears. He suddenly stopped.
His dark eyes narrowed, locked onto me without blinking. His Adam’s apple moved as something unreadable flickered in his gaze.
“You’re afraid of me.”
After a long silence, he finally spoke those words. It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
He pushed my hair aside, revealing my entire face, forcing me to look straight into his eyes.
“Why are you afraid of me?” His voice was pressing.
I instinctively turned my head away, but he grabbed my chin and turned it back, making me
Chapter 91
meet his gaze directly.
“Elise, answer me. Why are you afraid of me?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my trembling body. “Because I think you’re dirty.”
“His eyes darkened instantly, like they’d been frozen solid.
After my wound was bandaged, my previous clothes were ruined and couldn’t be worn
anymore.
Jonathan tossed a dress at my face. “Put it on.”
His tone was cold and distant, looking down on me like the earlier scene had never happened.
But I knew the moment I said those words, everything between us shattered beyond repair. There was no pretending anymore.
I didn’t know how to face him, so silently I picked up the dress and put it on.
Jonathan glanced at me one last time and turned to leave.
Once I changed, I immediately called Frederick, but no one answered.
I felt the worry digging in.
I braced myself and went next door to find Jonathan, and as expected, he was with Alicia.
Jim was still focused on treating her wound when he suddenly said, “What are you doing here?
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I thought the question was for me and instinctively stopped.
Just as I was about to come up with an excuse, Jonathan’s deep, rich voice broke through. “I’m checking on Alicia.”
Jim smirked, his laugh cold and casual. “Your wife’s right next door. Aren’t you going to spend some time with her?”
Jonathan’s expression instantly hardened. “Don’t mention her to me,”
