"Let’s get a divorce."
The man, dignified yet arrogant, gazed emotionlessly a t the small woman in front of him.
"I'll pay for the alimony," he said indifferently. "If you need money, a job, or a good doctor for your mother, I'll provide them for you."
Rose fought desperately to hold back the tears in her eyes.
When Jay Ares's fiancee ran away the day before their wedding, they were forced to find a temporary substitute bride to feed the appetites of the ravenous paparazzi and media outlets.
He believed that she had accepted the role to claim the title, to be known as Mrs. Ares. However, the woman, Rose, alone knew that the reason she agreed was to fulfill her two lifetimes' worth of love for him.
He never knew how much she loved him.
"I didn't marry you for money," she whispered. The intensity of her love for him had given birth to an inferiority complex.
The man's deep, quiet eyes flashed a hint of
skepticism.
If two complete strangers got married, what reason could it be if not for money?
"My patience runs thin. If there's nothing else, I'll arrange for my lawyer to meet you tomorrow with the divorce papers." The man took a final sip of coffee before placing the cup on the table and turning away t 0 head upstairs.
Rose's eyes fell on the coffee cup, her timid face slowly becoming stubborn and grudging.
The wind lingers, the geese leave their marks!
Twice she had loved him with all her heart. She refused to give up on him that easily.
Half an hour later.
Upstairs.
"Husband!" Rose called out meekly, standing demurely at the door.
Jay, who was fixated on a document, was taken aback at the word "husband", and he instinctively looked up. He stared intently at Rose.
In their one year of marriage, he had forbidden her to address him as her husband. She had followed that rule obediently all this while. He was certainly not expecting an increase in boldness from her as their divorce drew near.
"Yes?"
"I’ll agree to the divorce,” Rose announced. "I don't want a house or any money. But I want a child." Although she spoke softly, Jay could sense the resolution in her words.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. 'Huh, someone's getting bolder,' he thought.
"You and me? Never," he spat, disgust in his voice.
Rose calculated the time that had passed and the dosage she had used when she spiked his coffee. 'The drug should kick in before long, right?'
"After all, we are husband and wife," she said. "If this whole thing is going to blow over, I feel I deserve to get something out of it!" Rose steeled her gaze and straightened her back. Her timid demeanor melted away to reveal a gritty resolve.
Jay raised his eyebrows slightly. 'Well, well, well, the little fox's tail is finally poking out of the sheep’s skin.'
"Rose, don't play hard-to-get with me. I assure you the alimony will more than satisfy you. If you're too greedy, you will end up with nothing-"
"Sir Ares, I've told you it’s not about the money." Rose emphasized again. She looked more determined than ever, her eyes fixed on him. "But I'll have to borrow something from your body."
"What?" Jay frowned, getting a little impatient. At that moment, his body started to feel unnaturally hot. "Rose, you dare drug me?" Jay instantly understood her intentions and his handsome face contorted into countless layers, like deep snow unmelting for millennia.
Rose looked calm and kept quiet. She neither confirmed nor denied it. Then, she pursed her thin lips lightly and slowly stripped off her clothes until her body was completely bare. Unhurriedly, she walked over to him and nestled by his body...
Jay clearly wanted to resist, but he could not fight the urges of his body and he found himself forcefully embracing her in his arms.
The demons sealed in his body clamored to take him from the dark valley to the peak of the sky.
And they shared a spring night of intertwined atrophy.
...
Early in the morning, the first faint rays of dawn trickled through the translucent beige curtains and fell on the room's marble floor.
On the bed, the man opened his bleary eyes. His handsome, chiseled face exuded a dignified charm.
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