Chapter 13: Sleep Together!

Someone that terrifying and twisted… no wonder even with betrothal gifts worth a fortune, Eva Thubron still refused to marry him. Sia Thubron swallowed hard. "Don't…" She would die of shame. "Don't want to?" "N-no… that's not it." Of course Sia didn't dare refuse. In this kind of setting, they were legally husband and wife. She had no excuse to say no. But she was scared. She wasn't a virgin. In just these few minutes of contact, she had already confirmed one thing: Young Mr. Yoxal was a full-on pervert. And if the rumors were true, if he discovered anything… she was an ant to him. He could crush her in seconds. People said his brutality rivaled that of a ruthless emperor. Even if he was disabled, what if he used tools or something… that would be even worse. The more Sia thought, the more she frightened herself. "If you don't want to, I won't force you," Liam Hawksford murmured, his voice lowered to a rough, intimate hush. He sat in his wheelchair, dark eyes shimmering with a light that was hard to read. "Beg me, and I'll let you off." Making this little lunatic bow her head was easiest at a moment like this. As he spoke, his hand slid over Sia's body with practiced casualness. It was an inspection. Sia's whole body jolted. She curled her toes tight, digging in as if she could anchor herself to the bed. Heat rushed to her face. "Please!" she forced out through clenched teeth, her voice trembling. That scrap of pride meant nothing in front of reality. "No sincerity." Liam had meant to toy with her, but the calm, indifferent part of him stirred anyway. Damn it. "Please… please…" Sia begged again, panic thinning her voice. She never should have worn the clothes he'd prepared. That had been a mistake. She had thought a man who allowed her to live her own life couldn't be that bad. She was wrong. Horribly wrong. This man was a devil. "…" Liam didn't want to stop, but he caught the faint sound of stifled sobbing. "I'll spare you tonight," he said at last. "Next time, the duties a wife should fulfill… I'll teach you myself." He withdrew his hand and rested it on his knee. "Mm… mm…" Sia nodded as she cried, trying to keep the sound small. That unfamiliar touch finally ended. As long as she made it through tonight, maybe he'd end up back in the hospital tomorrow. Her restrained sobs sounded like a wounded little animal. Sia thought he'd left. She reached out for the blanket. Her hand brushed to the side and suddenly landed on scorching, solid skin. Liam wore a robe, the collar hanging open. When that little woman groped her way over, her hand slipped straight inside. "Ah!" Sia yanked her hand back like she'd been burned. She couldn't see, but she could feel it. Someone… someone had lain down beside her. "Young Mr. Yoxal, y-you… aren't you supposed to have trouble moving? How-!" How did he get onto the bed? Sia rolled away in terror, her mind going blank. Didn't he have his own room? "I'm in a wheelchair," Liam said in the darkness, his voice cool and faintly amused. "I'm not a vegetable." His sharply sculpted face looked even more striking in the shadows. Compared to Sia's rigid panic, he seemed far too at ease. He pressed the remote. Heavy curtains fell, sealing away the moonlight. Besides, he doubted the little woman had the guts to remove the cloth over her eyes. Sia curled into herself. "A-are you… not going back to your room?" she asked carefully. The skin she'd touched had been firm, powerful. It didn't feel like a patient's body at all. It felt like someone who trained year-round. "I'm sleeping here." Hearing that flat, chilly tone, Sia felt her hair practically stand on end. Liam lifted a hand and rubbed his cheek, the spot she'd bitten that morning still aching. Then his arm shot out and he dragged the small body cowering at the edge of the bed straight toward him. He had said he'd settle accounts with her at night. Just scaring her was too merciful. Her wrist was caught. With a light tug, Sia pitched forward uncontrollably and slammed into him. "Hiss…" "Mm… what did I hit? It hurts!" Sia rubbed her head on instinct, frowning as she muttered. What kind of weapon was that? It was hard as a rock. Then she froze. She wasn't some clueless little girl. That muffled groan he'd made sounded wrong. A string in her mind snapped taut. That was… He might be disabled, but he… he… Sia's eyes widened, stunned. Hadn't they said Young Mr. Yoxal was half-crippled? But the upper body she'd touched had felt strong, like a normal man… If Liam hadn't been pretending to be disabled, he would have pinned this woman down and taken her right there. "Come here." He leaned against the headboard, clearly forcing himself to endure something. One hand caught Sia's chin and squeezed just enough to make her wince. Sia didn't move. She was pulled to him. And for reasons she couldn't understand, his mouth crashed onto hers. The kiss was domineering, then turned into a bite. Sia didn't know her new husband was doing it purely out of revenge. She had bitten his face once, so he repaid her by biting her again and again. … The next morning. When Sia woke, the space beside the bed was already empty. The soft blanket clung to her. She sat up, then lifted it to check herself. …Mm. Worse than that night. Even worse than that night. But thankfully, it hadn't gone all the way. The clothes she'd worn last night had long since been stripped off. She wrapped herself tightly in a bathrobe and headed for the bathroom. They said when you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, you follow the dog. If she'd been bitten up like this, she might as well assume she'd married a dog. After washing up, she went downstairs for breakfast. It was the weekend. The butler told her the young master had gone to the hospital and wasn't home. Sia thought it over as she ate. Good. If he wasn't home, even better. "Butler, I need to go out today. I might not be back until noon. Is that okay?" It was Saturday, and she had something important to do. "The young master said we're not to restrict the Young Mistress's personal space," the butler replied. Sia nodded. Young Mr. Yoxal was a bastard, but he wasn't excessively harsh about everything. After breakfast, she only had the butler drive her to a road on the outskirts. She got out there and took a cab into the city. "Young master, isn't that the Young Mistress?" Timothy Quiney asked. Liam, who had been about to head home, followed his gaze out the window. Just then, the butler's phone call came through. After Liam listened, he told Timothy to follow Sia's car. Sia arrived at a small, second-tier public hospital. She wore a mask and a hat, disguised well enough that she didn't stand out. "Is the Young Mistress here to see a doctor?" Timothy watched from the car as Sia kept her head down and walked into the hospital. Liam got out immediately and followed behind her. Sia registered, then headed toward the doctors' offices upstairs. Holding her registration slip, she studied it carefully. Suddenly, the paper was yanked from her hand. She startled and lunged to snatch it back. Liam had appeared behind her without a sound. He held her slip up in one hand, high in the air. Sia's heart lurched. Her cheeks flushed, half from embarrassment and half from anger. "What are you doing? Give it back!" Liam was nearly six-foot-three. Sia, at five-foot-six, was nowhere near tall enough, especially with him holding it overhead while he read. She jumped and still couldn't reach. With every second, he had more time to read everything on it. That shameless jerk.