Chapter 9
The moment Justin finished speaking, he leaned down to kiss Elena.
A wave of revulsion hit her so hard that every fiber of her being resisted. She had to fight the urge to slap him and turned her head away instead.
He caught her chin, forcing her face back toward him. “Lena, stop fighting me. I want you…”
“I don’t feel well!” she snapped, her voice sharp.
She was already breathtakingly beautiful, but the hint of anger on her face added a different kind of allure. With the alcohol coursing through him, Justin found her presence harder and harder to resist.
He gave a low laugh. “Liar. You already took medicine just now. How could you still be sick?”
He pulled her into his arms, buried his face in her neck, and inhaled her scent greedily.
Elena’s mind buzzed, and in her ears, it was as if the shameful sounds of Justin and Nadine tangled together were echoing all over again.
Disgust roiled inside her. She would never let Justin touch her.
“Justin!” she screamed suddenly, panic sharpening her voice. “My leg hurts! Let me go!”
Thunder cracked outside, rattling the windows.
Justin’s movements froze abruptly. His body stiffened with tension. The air was thick with an unsettling
charge.
After a long moment, he finally let her go. His expression had evened out, and the drunken haze in his eyes dissipated. “Sorry, Lena. I forgot… It’s going to rain soon. Weather like this always makes your leg
hurt.”
That car accident had ruined her right leg.
Through sheer willpower and endless rehab, she had trained herself to walk almost normally again. Only she knew how much pain and humiliation it had cost her.
Dancing, however, was impossible now. And whenever storms rolled in, the pain in her leg became
unbearable.
This time, even though she had only used it as an excuse to push him away, the ache had in fact begun to creep in,
“Sit,” he urged gently. He guided her to the bed, then pulled over a chair and sat opposite her with a look of tender concern. “Let me massage your leg, alright?”
“No.” Her voice was taut. “Just leave. I want to rest.”
Chapter
“Lena.” He sighed, exasperated. “I know you’re upset. But Nadi is like our little sister. Can’t you be a bit more understanding and give her some leeway?”
She didn’t answer, but he went on as though she had. “Lena, you should rest tonight. But we’re still husband and wife. What kind of marriage is it if we keep sleeping in separate rooms? Mom even called me today, asking when we’re planning to have a baby.”
At the mention of children, her mind flashed back to that night-Justin whispering on the phone to Nadine. “Once she gives birth, I’ll find a way to register the child under our names.”
Those two shameless people really thought they could use her as a means to give them a child. What a
ridiculous dream!
“I’m not ready to have kids,” she said flatly.
He frowned, ready to argue, but she cut him off. “I’ve been on medication to strengthen my body. The doctor said if I get pregnant within a few months of taking it, the baby could be born with problems.”
She knew he wouldn’t respect her wishes, so she lied to keep him from pressing the issue.
“I…” He hesitated, then exhaled in resignation. “Fine. Focus on your health. Stop taking the medicine then.
After six months, we’ll try for a child.”
He even went so far as to keep her from taking the medicine she needed just so she would be ready to
bear their child sooner.
How blind she had been before to fall for him. It didn’t matter anymore. She had no expectations left for
him. In six months, he would be lucky to even see her face.
Outside, the rain poured harder and harder, splattering against the glass with a crisp, restless patter.
Exhausted by his presence, she suddenly said, “Two years ago, it was raining just like this when I had that
accident.”
Justin’s body went rigid again. As expected, just the mention of that car accident was enough to expose his guilt.
She gave him a cold smile. “Getting hit by a truck hurts, you know… Justin, do you have any idea what it feels like to lose the use of a leg?”
“Lena, why bring that up all of a sudden?” His voice was uneasy.
“Nothing. The sound of the rain just brought it back to me.” She looked perfectly calm, as if making idle conversation.
But guilt gnawed at him, and he couldn’t stay another second. He jumped up abruptly, almost stumbling in
his haste.
“Get some rest. I’ll head back to my room.”
With that, he left quickly. The door slammed shut behind him.
She stared at his retreating back until the sound faded, then finally exhaled a long, pent-up breath.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Naomi. “Ms. Miller, you left early tonight and missed quite the scene. I recorded it secretly. Hehe.”
Attached was a video. In it, the private dining room buzzed with laughter. Justin and Nadine sat close, looking every bit like an intimate couple.
The staff from the CEO’s office had clearly had too much to drink, and soon they started egging the two of them on, chanting for them to kiss.
Nadine’s cheeks flushed scarlet as she protested, “Come on. Stop teasing me like that.”
Yet, her rosy lips still inched toward Justin in a deliberate offer.
The crowd egged them on louder. Justin never looked away from her. His eyes were burning as he held her close.
