Edwin wasn’t exactly having a good time either.
Sure, this stunt was just to make her obey, but the soft warmth under his palm?
It was low-key torturing him.
How could such a petite woman have this much effect on him…
He sucked in a breath, voice hoarse as he warned, “My grandma’s right outside.
Don’t make me say it again.
Or I swear, I won’t hold back.”
Ashley, both furious and mortified, had no choice but to open her mouth and cry out.
Outside, Eleanor heard what she came to hear and walked away, satisfied.
Edwin should’ve stopped there.
But Ashley, lying beneath him, was so flustered she didn’t even dare look him in the eye.
Still thinking Eleanor was nearby, she kept crying out, her voice laced with panic and embarrassment.
And damn, each sound felt like it was chipping away at his already thin self-control.
His gaze darkened.
Suddenly, he dropped his head and crushed her soft lips with his.
The unfamiliar heat of the kiss made Ashley’s eyes go wide.
Her already-nervous brain totally blanked out.
She squirmed, wanting to fight back, but up against Edwin’s strength—it was useless.
He pinned her slim wrists with one hand over her head, not giving her any room to move.
Still kissing her, Edwin didn’t even close his eyes.
He just stared right at her panicked eyes, watching them shift from angry and shy to vulnerable and helpless…
and it was that look that made him want to push even further.
Damn it, was this jerk seriously planning to take things all the way?
Ashley, fuming and desperate, tried to reach for her acupuncture kit, but her hands were pinned tight.
With no options left, she bit down hard on Edwin’s lip.
The iron taste of blood seeped into both their mouths.
With a grunt, he let her go and wiped the blood off with his thumb, frowning.
“Do you bite everyone like that?”
Ashley had already scrambled away, curling up at the far end of the bed.
Her wide eyes glared at him, full of embarrassed rage.
Her hair was a mess, clothes disheveled—pretty much screamed she’d just been manhandled.
Edwin hadn’t expected to lose control like this, especially in front of this mute little girl…
He’d taken aphrodisiacs before and never lost it—but this time was completely different.
Running a hand over his brow, he muttered a rough “Sorry,” got off the bed, and headed straight for the bathroom.
He cranked the cold water on full blast, letting it crash down over him.
Meanwhile, Ashley dug out her acupuncture kit and started pricking herself to counter the effects of the lovevine.
Edwin’s earlier loss of control…
must’ve been the effect of the Passion Herb.
Knowing that, Ashley didn’t feel quite as angry anymore.
But seriously, that old lady—both infuriating and ridiculous.
Ashley slipped down from the bed, ready to pick the lock with a needle and get out of the room.
Suddenly, a dull thud echoed from the bathroom.
It sounded like someone had collapsed.
Startled, Ashley ran over and knocked on the bathroom door.
No response.
She pushed it open—and froze on the spot.
Edwin had fallen just inside the doorway, his bathrobe loosely draped over him.
His face was so pale it looked like all the blood had been drained out—like he was already dead.
Ashley’s face darkened as she rushed to his side to check his pulse.
Her usually calm eyes suddenly flickered with something unreadable.
She’d thought Edwin was faking his illness—after all, he didn’t come across as someone on death’s door.
But now…
it seemed the rumors were true.
His pulse was erratic and weak, his energy all over the place.
It wasn’t just chronic sickness—it was more like long-term poisoning, the type that eats into your very bones.
Just based on this alone…
saying he wouldn’t last two more years didn’t seem like an exaggeration.
A chill ran down Ashley’s spine.
Suddenly, something clicked in her head.
Eleanor did have an old condition—random bouts of migraines—but those could be managed with medicine.
It wasn’t life-threatening.
So, maybe Dr.
Woods had been living at Kingsview Garden not just for the old lady…
But mostly for Edwin.
“What…
are you doing?” A hoarse voice rang out.
Edwin had come to, and the second he saw her, rage exploded around him like a storm.
“Who told you to touch me?
Get out!”
He shoved her away violently.
Ashley slammed into a cabinet behind her, pain shooting up her spine, tears stinging her eyes.
“Get out!
Or I’ll kill you!”
His temple pulsed with fury, eyes red like a wild animal unhinged.
In that moment, he didn’t look human at all—more beast than man.
He didn’t want anyone—especially someone like her—seeing him like this.
The searing pain in his body didn’t let up, like being sliced open over and over, every nerve on fire.
Edwin dropped to one knee and coughed up blood.
Ashley, though hurting, got up off the floor and walked to him again.
This time, she didn’t hesitate.
She knelt down in front of him and quietly, firmly, took his ice-cold hand in hers.
That unexpected warmth made Edwin’s whole body tense—but just for a second.
His eyes turned darker, more feral, and without thinking, he grabbed her shoulder with brutal strength, like he could snap her bones then and there.
“You think I need your pity?
You trying to die?”
Before he could finish, Ashley, shaking but determined, threw her arms around him.