Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
“It’s your tip.”
With precision, she slipped the cash into his collar, as if tipping a male escort. “Your massage skills are rough and unrefined, but this is the going rate. You won’t be shortchanged.”
Caden was left speechless.
She was compensating him as if for a service, even for applying the oil, pushing his boundaries further. Perhaps he had been overly lenient with her.
He rejected the gesture, throwing the cash back at her. “We should put this morning’s incident behind us and look ahead. Once your foot is better, we’ll plan the next steps.”
“Who mentioned moving on?” Alicia retrieved her money, her voice sharp. “You seem to forget your harsh words from this morning. It hasn’t even been a day. Do you think we can just forget everything that happened?”
Caden countered, “Had you explained yourself, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.”
“And who felt like explaining while you were throwing a fit?”
“I did ask you. Why remain silent?”
Alicia fixed him with a stern gaze. “Then why didn’t you apologize when I asked you to? Has the cat got your tongue?”
Caden fell silent again, feeling the sting of her sharp retort.
His patience snapped. “Do you insist on a verbal apology?”
Alicia held her head high. “Yes. And don’t thank me. I’m simply being generous.”
Caden scoffed. “If that’s the case, this isn’t over by a long shot.”
Alicia found herself at a disadvantage when it came to bargaining. Now that she had severed ties with Joshua, the future seemed uncertain. In time, her defiance would catch up with her.
But Caden misjudged her resolve. Alicia had already accepted her fate. Things had reached a point where, at worst, her life might spiral downward. If that were the case, why should she care about living miserably?
“Fine with me,” Alicia said, bringing up the sofa again with a voice that was resolute. “I’ll pay for it. Take it or leave it. If you won’t, then report me to the police. Let me rot in prison.”
Caden was left speechless.
As she limped toward the bathroom, she added, “I’ll wash off the oil you just applied. Then we’ll owe each other nothing.”
Once again, Caden was struck silent. His anger boiled beneath the surface, but he had nowhere to direct it.
“What a stubborn, infuriating woman,” he thought bitterly.
Suddenly, Alicia’s phone rang.
Caden noticed that it was a WhatsApp call from someone listed as a doctor. The profile picture showed a man.
Without hesitation, Caden answered.
A calm voice asked, “Ms. Bennett, is your foot feeling better?”
Already in a foul mood, Caden’s patience wore thin. He replied in a cold tone, “She’s busy. She’s in the bathroom.”
The doctor seemed caught off guard, stammering, “I’m sorry-I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Not ready to give up, the doctor cautiously inquired, “Are you Ms. Bennett’s brother?”
Caden’s expression darkened. He responded flatly, “This is her father.”
The doctor was momentarily taken aback.
The voice on the other end sounded notably young. “Could this actually be Alicia’s father?” the doctor wondered.
His instincts warned him of a potential risk, prompting him to proceed with caution. He managed to say, “Well-Hello, Mr. Bennett. How is Ms. Bennett’s foot doing now?”
Caden responded coolly, “Were you the one who treated her foot yesterday?”
“Yes,” the doctor confirmed.
Alicia’s beauty was undeniable. While the doctor knew that winning her affection was unlikely, he still found himself inclined to try.
Caden, recognizing the doctor’s intentions, answered flatly, “She’s perfectly fine.”
Taking a chance, the doctor asked, “Mr. Bennett, may I call Ms. Bennett later? Since she’s well, I’d like to ask her out to dinner.”
Caden paused briefly. His irritation turned to amusement, and he let out a laugh. “What do you think?”
The doctor hastily added, “I know it’s late, but please rest assured, Mr. Bennett, I promise I’ll bring her home safely after dinner!”
He continued, “I intended to call earlier, but Ms. Bennett was recovering from a head injury last night at the hospital and needed to rest this morning. I didn’t want to disturb her.”
Caden’s anger subsided slightly. He recalled Alicia’s dislike for hospitals. After the previous night’s ordeal, she had gone to the emergency room alone and had been deeply affected. Then, she returned home only to face his reproach.
Caden swallowed hard and ended the call.
At that moment, Alicia appeared.
Seeing him with her phone, she demanded, “Who said you could touch my things?”
Caden met her gaze intensely. “I answered a call.”
Alicia’s expression darkened further. “How could you just answer someone else’s phone?”
He then proceeded to unlock the phone and check the call.
Caden’s guilt quickly dissipated when he noticed Alicia’s impatience.
“The ringtone was annoying,” he said coldly.
Alicia realized the call was trivial and decided to let it go. “Why didn’t you just hang up then?”
Caden scoffed. “If I had, I would have missed all the excitement.”
Alicia was confused. “What did the doctor say to you?”
Caden’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “What else would a pathetic loser trying to charm you say? His pickup lines are so trite, even a dog wouldn’t fall for them.”
Alicia was taken aback. Couldn’t he show a little kindness?
She remembered the doctor’s handsome appearance from the previous night and shot back, “How is he a pathetic loser? He’s actually more attractive than you.”
Caden shot her a pointed look. “Did you lose your eyesight along with your balance last night?”
“Am I wrong?” Alicia retorted. “You’re both unattractive and overly sensitive. You really have it all.”
This left Caden speechless.
Since she was already there, Alicia asked, “Where’s the evidence you found on Randolph? Give me a copy.”
Caden’s tone turned icy. “Why should I?”
Alicia was astounded. “Why not? Our personal issues shouldn’t interfere with business.”
Caden responded coolly, “You slammed the door and left when I asked you this morning. Wasn’t that a clear sign that our agreement was null?”
Alicia’s expression hardened, not wanting to lose this chance. “No, those are separate matters.”
Caden’s demeanor softened slightly. “Fine. If the agreement is still active, let’s review it thoroughly.”
“It’s been amended twice already. What else is there to discuss?”
“I hadn’t been concerned with losses before, but now I am. Moving forward, we need to strictly adhere to the agreement’s terms.”
With that, he retrieved the contract from the drawer and threw it in front of Alicia.
He pointed to the most contentious clause. “Sex up to ten times a month. How many times have we been together this month?”
“Just once,” Alicia replied, her cheeks reddening.
“It was five times, not ten. Have you altered the terms?”
Caden showed no sign of embarrassment. “Originally, the agreement was that you would obey me without question. But after one intense night, you couldn’t handle it, so you revised it to ten times a month.”
Alicia was speechless.
“What I mean is, it was supposed to be five times. Let’s stick to the point,” she said.
With a hint of provocation, Caden raised an eyebrow. “Fifteen times?”
Alicia raised her voice, clearly frustrated. “Five times!”
“Oh, really?” Caden gestured to the fingerprint on the document. “I could amend the text of the agreement, but could I possibly forge your fingerprint?”
Alicia’s skepticism grew. She picked up the document and inspected it more closely. Sure enough, it was her fingerprint.
She looked up at him, still unconvinced.
Caden knew the full story. She had originally changed it to five times, but after an impromptu intimate moment while she rested on the sofa, he had altered it to ten times. For him, even ten times a month was insufficient. Five times? That was unthinkable.
Caden took the agreement back and returned it to the drawer. “If you acknowledge that the agreement is still in force, I’ll hand over the evidence.”
Alicia eyed him cautiously, not ready to be ensnared by his tactics.
“Give me a moment to think,” she said.