Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
After a few spoonfuls, Gemma’s appetite returned. “Did you add sugar to this?” she inquired, her mood lifting. “It’s really good.”
Pierre looked down. “Thank you, Miss Hampton.”
Outside, the thunder continued. Not wanting to be alone, Gemma requested, “Could you sleep on the sofa in my room tonight?”
Pierre instinctively responded, “Mr. Hampton wouldn’t approve.”
She blinked. “You’re not a bad person. It’s no big deal.”
Pierre considered her naivety. “But you really can’t trust a bodyguard completely.”
Not wanting to debate further, Gemma turned away with a snort. “Regardless, you have to stay.”
Pierre watched her for a moment before deciding to stand guard by her bed through the night.
After their wedding, Caden took a six-month break to travel the world on their honeymoon with Alicia.
As summer waned, they approached their final stop: Caden’s hometown, Averibon.
“How long do you want to stay?” Caden queried.
Alicia hesitated. “Let’s see how it goes. No more than a month. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely! Spending time with you matters more than making money,” Caden, ever the charmer, quipped. “I’d go broke just to keep you happy.”
Alicia rolled her eyes as she rummaged through her suitcase.
“What are you looking for?” Caden peeked over. He had packed everything and knew the contents well.
“I’m looking for duct tape to seal your mouth shut,” Alicia joked. Caden was momentarily speechless.
In the end, Alicia didn’t find the duct tape but instead pulled out a peculiar outfit. Holding it up, she frowned and asked, “What on earth is this?”
As Alicia inquired, the small piece of fabric unfolded, revealing a delicate and alluring camisole adorned with black lace trim. It was unexpected.
Alicia quickly crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it back into the suitcase to hide it.
A deep chuckle resonated from beside her. “Didn’t you wear this once before? How quickly you’ve forgotten.”
Alicia’s mind raced. Since their marriage, Caden had been insatiable, even during their travels. At his most restrained, intimacy occurred every three days. Given the frequency and his endless creativity, how could she possibly remember each specific outfit?
Glancing down at the suitcase filled with similar items, Alicia felt both embarrassed and annoyed. “We’re going to Averibon for a vacation. Why did you pack so much playful lingerie?”
“For you to wear,” Caden responded earnestly.
“There are so many. Should I just wear them as regular bras?” she snapped back.
“If you’d like,” he teased.
The conversation shifted from light-hearted to charged as Caden’s eyes roamed over her. “But this piece seems a bit small to be a regular bra…” His voice lowered. “Not big enough.”
Alicia’s heart fluttered with his tease, prompting her to cover his mouth. “Don’t even think about it!”
Seizing the moment, Caden pulled her onto his lap. Cradling her, he felt a strong impulse but recalled how tired she had been this morning. He knew insisting on more would only irritate her. He curbed his desires, drew the suitcase closer, and began to tidy the disarrayed clothes.
“Just wearing it briefly,” Caden mused aloud. “I can’t wait long. A kiss, and I’ll tear it off, regardless of its size.” Alicia was left speechless.
He continued to organize the outfits, stacking them neatly aside. Despite her blush, Alicia wanted to please him, so she swung her legs playfully without further comment.
Yet, the heap of lingerie seemed overwhelming. As Caden’s long, deft fingers brushed over the delicate fabric, Alicia felt a shiver across herself, almost as if his touch was upon her skin. She leaned in closer.
“Can I really wear all these?” Alicia asked, half-joking.
“One piece a day, perfectly planned,” Caden replied.
“Thirty pieces?” Alicia’s eyes widened, her tone turning serious. “Even though you enjoy this, we’ve just gotten married. If I wear them all the time, aren’t you afraid you’ll tire of them?”
Caden smirked. “We’ve hardly done it a handful of times.”
“A handful of times?” Alicia glared at him incredulously. “Just this month, it’s been twice a day on average!”
Caden explained, “I am now 28 years old. After our first time, you had that accident two years ago. Counting all the sporadic times since, it adds up to maybe a dozen times a month, barely over a hundred a year.”
Alicia responded dryly, “Over a hundred times a year is considered a few? Some people don’t even go to the bathroom that often.”
Caden chuckled. “Well, I’ve lived 28 years, so I’ve been quite deprived.”
“Before eighteen, you weren’t even fully mature. Does that really count?”
“It counts,” Caden said. “By eighteen, I was fully mature.” Alicia was left speechless.
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “And what about you?”
Alicia shivered, her cheeks flushing as she gently pushed him away. “I didn’t keep track. I don’t know.”
“What a pity. I should have checked back then,” Caden remarked casually, reflecting on missed opportunities. “At that time, I was too busy being a nuisance to seize the chance.”
Alicia’s mind flashed back to their high school days. Caden, driven by jealousy over the attention she received, often found ways to irritate her, even going so far as to trip her in the halls. Her expression chilled as she fixed him with a glare.
Oblivious to the shift in her mood, Caden continued to caress her hand and waist, lost in the softness of her skin. He lightly traced her wrist, which was smooth and nearly poreless. “Tsk.” Caden looked up, smiling. “Your skin is so delicate. When you were eighteen…”
But before he could finish, noticing the change in her expression, he asked seriously, “What’s wrong?”
Alicia grabbed his hair, forcing his eyes to meet hers. “The night after high school graduation, was it you?”
Caden, not deterred by the slight pain from her grip, grew curious about her sudden intensity. “The night after graduation? What happened?”
Alicia’s memories were vivid. “That night, our class had a party. It went late, and I was heading home with a close friend when some thugs blocked our way.”
Caden’s expression darkened. “And what happened next?”
“You saw it, didn’t you?” Alicia described the scene. “We were cornered in a narrow alley, and they started harassing us. The buttons on my uniform were torn off.”
The image of her torn collar flashed through Caden’s mind, bringing the memory into sharp focus.
That night, all the classes came together for a dinner celebrating both graduation and coming of age. The atmosphere was festive, and alcohol flowed freely.
At that time, Caden, the top student in his school, was both admired and envied. He was deliberately plied with drinks, and when he left, he was visibly irritated. Encountering Alicia emerging from an alley only darkened his mood further.
It was a dimly lit night, and the scant streetlights cast an eerie glow on Alicia’s disheveled appearance. Her hair was unkempt, her expression one of anger, and she gave Caden, her well-known adversary, a cold look.
For some reason, this provoked Caden. He casually leaned against the wall, obstructing her path with his leg. “Your clothes are a mess. Were you messing around with your boyfriend?” he taunted.
Alicia turned paler and kicked at him impulsively.
Caden was quick to react, catching her foot. The action caused her collar to reveal even more, and he noticed a red mark on her skin, which only irritated him further.
Alicia struggled violently, cursing for the first time, “Caden, let the hell go of me!”
Caden’s face was emotionless and cold, intent on humiliating her further. “Weren’t you just honored as valedictorian? A valedictorian out here at night like this?”
Alicia’s eyes filled with tears of anger at his cruel words. She clutched his hand and bit down hard.
Caden remained unmoved, allowing her to bite, his expression filled with contempt.
A nearby girl, nearly in tears and scared by Caden’s hostility, intervened. “It’s not like that, Caden. We don’t have boyfriends. We were just harassed by some thugs, and Alicia was protecting me, which is why her clothes are torn.” Alicia held on firmly.
Caden, feeling the pain in his hand, finally pulled away. Even after hearing the truth, his attitude didn’t soften, nor did he express any regret for his harsh words and actions. He sneered, “You deserve it.”
Alicia gritted her teeth and pulled the girl away before her tears could start.
Snapping back to the present, Caden felt a sharp pain at the roots of his hair as Alicia pressed her fingers harder. “Did you set those thugs on me and my friend?” Alicia demanded.
Caden’s brows furrowed deeply. “Even if I disliked you back then, I wouldn’t stoop to that.” He remembered distinctly how those thugs had irritated him as well. After Alicia’s departure, he had even gone back to confront them.
Alicia was skeptical. “Then why were you there?”
“Coincidence,” Caden responded.
“Was all your bullying of me also just a coincidence?”.
Caden paused to think. “That night was a coincidence. The rest wasn’t.” His other actions had been deliberate attempts to make her life difficult.
The old grievances piled up, fueling Alicia’s growing anger. Caden froze at her darkened face, realizing he had spoken without thinking.
Sure enough, Alicia was preparing to leave, visibly upset.
Caden quickly grasped her waist. “I was thoughtless back then. We can’t leave things like this.”
Seeing his desperation, a dark gleam flashed in Alicia’s eyes. “Thoughtless? It was malicious.”
Caden pressed his lips tightly together. “Didn’t you hate me too?”
“I did, but did I ever hurt you?”
“You wanted to, but you didn’t have the means.”
Alicia’s anger flared even more, and she cupped his face and bit him.
Constrained by Caden’s hold, she didn’t plan to flee, but she was determined not to let him off easily. “If you want me to calm down, you have to agree to one condition.”
Without hesitation, Caden responded, “I won’t agree to abstinence.”