Chapter 2

2

It was past midnight.

The sound of the key turning in the lock jolted me from my dazed slumber.

I quickly tucked the medical report into the sofa cushions and stepped into the foyer, holding out a small gift.

“Kaelen, happy anniversary.”

“How boring.”

Kaelen’s striking eyes were filled with nothing but icy indifference.

“Selena Ashford, this performative gentleness you put on is truly nauseating.”

He tossed his keys onto the cabinet without giving me a single glance.

If this had been any other day, I would have deliberately ignored the poison in his words.

I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t make a scene.

I would pretend nothing had happened.

But perhaps the weight of the sudden tragedy had frayed my sanity until there was nothing left.

The suppressed emotions of three years finally erupted.

“Kaelen, do you hate me that much? You can’t even bear to look at me? You were the one who agreed to this marriage in the first place!”

“Does the Mrs. Blackwood not have even an ounce of self-awareness?”

Kaelen chuckled, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

“I find you absolutely revolting. Is that clear enough for you? Do you understand now?”

His voice wasn’t loud, his tone chillingly calm.

Yet, it felt like a jagged needle piercing straight into my heart.

“Kaelen, you will regret this...”

Before I could finish, the world suddenly spun.

When I regained my focus, I was pinned against the wall by my wrists.

The scent of sandalwood mixed with white tea flooded my senses.

He squeezed my chin, his handsome face twisted in unconcealed disgust.

“Heartbroken? You better not forget, Selena, that you brought all of this upon yourself. You deserve every bit of it.”

I lowered my gaze.

My heart was bleeding, aching with a hollow, rhythmic throb.

But it didn’t matter.

From the moment I voluntarily shackled myself to him, I lost the right to have regrets.

After a long moment, I forced a whisper out:

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Kaelen scoffed, the irony dripping from his lips.

Then, I saw a flicker of raw, predatory hunger rising in his eyes.

“Don’t...”

Before I could refuse, he bit down on my shoulder in punishment.

“Cooperate. It is your duty as my wife, after all.”

His movements were brutal, utterly devoid of affection.

I tried my hardest to endure, refusing to look weak in front of him.

But the tears spilled over anyway.

“Kaelen, in this entire life, no one will ever love you the way I do.”

A mocking smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Someone like you has no right to speak of love.”