Dashiell held Thea’s wrists in a firm grip.
He wouldn’t let her fight back, wouldn’t let her get away from him.
He took his fill of his fake wife’s body, leaving no part of her untouched.
He punished her with his hands, his touch driving Thea past the point of resistance.
She begged him to stop, her voice thick and hoarse, but her pleading only fueled his pleasure.
His fake wife’s body was maddeningly enticing, and it kept him from wanting to stop at all.
Even as he punished her, drawing endless pleas from her lips, he couldn’t deny that he was losing himself in the heat between them too.
Dashiell kept moving, chasing wave after wave of pleasure he couldn’t ignore.
He poured every ounce of his frustration into their encounter, until they both finally collapsed onto the bed, spent and breathless.
Thea lay limp beside him, utterly exhausted.
She felt like she had no strength left even to lift her own body.
All she wanted was to sleep, to forget everything that had just happened between them.
She refused to let herself soften toward him; he’d only feel like he’d won.
His strong arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer.
She let herself stop thinking entirely, allowing him to hold her, to trail his hands over her body.
“Satisfied now?” he murmured, his voice low and rough.
Thea didn’t answer.
She was far too exhausted to bother, knowing full well any answer would only spiral into another exhausting argument.
He shouldn’t have even needed to ask, she thought; he could clearly see the answer for himself.
There was no point offering some empty reply that meant nothing anyway.
“Why are you so quiet?” His hand slid upward, tracing slowly across her chest.
Thea shut her eyes and bit down hard on her lip, fighting to keep herself from melting under his touch.
“Tell me. If you’re still not satisfied, I’ll make sure you are, until you can’t think of any other man at all.” Hearing that, Thea managed a faint, bitter smile.
She knew the comment was meant as another insult, another reminder that he saw her as nothing but a whore, but her heart had already gone numb to it.
Besides, it was Saphira he was insulting, not her, so there was no reason to let it hurt.
“I’m tired. Can you just let me rest?” Thea pushed his hand away.
Enough was enough. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“So this is all you’re capable of, Saphira?” Dashiell brushed her hair aside, tilted her chin up, and slipped a finger between her lips, toying with her mouth in a way that left Thea flustered and irritated.
Thea shoved his arm away and shifted back.
But Dashiell wasn’t about to let her go so easily.
He caught her waist again and pulled her back into his arms.
“Answer my question, Saphira. Were you satisfied with tonight’s performance? Just say it, don’t hold back, because I’ll give you exactly the satisfaction you’re after!”
“Stop it, Dashiell. Even if you think I’m nothing but a whore, that doesn’t give you the right to treat me this way!”
“So how exactly do you want to be treated, Saphira? Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to actually love you. Let me be clear, that’s ridiculous, and it’s never going to happen!”
“Then why did you even agree to this marriage in the first place?”
“All because of your grandmother’s demands!” He gripped Thea’s chin firmly.
“If it weren’t for your grandmother, this marriage would have never happened at all!” His grip didn’t ease at all, making Thea wince quietly at the pain.
This man was truly out of his mind, she thought.
She had no idea how far he’d keep pushing this cruelty, but one thing was certain: she was exhausted from dealing with him.
“Stop it, Dashiell. I’m tired. You can start again later, after I’ve rested.”
“I wouldn’t have expected a woman with your kind of experience to need rest after sex, Saphira.”
“Fine, suit yourself. If you really want to do it now, go ahead. I won’t fight you, just give me the satisfaction you promised!”
“Tch, do you actually think I’d enjoy this fake obedience of yours?” Dashiell shoved away from her and rose from the bed.
He walked off toward the bathroom, leaving Thea alone to stew in her own regret.
She clutched the blanket tightly to her chest, fighting back tears.
No, she told herself, crying was pointless.
She knew it would accomplish nothing, and he’d only find another way to humiliate her further for it.
Once he was gone, she decided, she’d leave the room before he had the chance to throw her out again like the night before.
At the very least, she still had her dignity, and she needed to hold onto whatever scraps of it remained.
Thea closed her eyes, telling herself she’d only rest for a moment.
But exhaustion claimed her before she realized it, and she drifted off to sleep.
Dashiell returned after finishing up in the bathroom, ready to send her out of the room, but the sight of her already asleep made him curse quietly under his breath. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
He pulled the blanket up to cover her bare body.
Just for tonight, he decided, he’d let her sleep in his room, but tomorrow, he wouldn’t allow it again.
Dashiell got dressed and lay down beside her, though sleep wouldn’t come.
He found himself studying his sleeping wife’s face.
He had to admit she was beautiful, but what did that even matter?
If it weren’t for all the ugly rumors he’d heard about Saphira, he told himself, he never would have treated her this way.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away, still studying her features, and the longer he looked, the more something began to feel off.
Honestly, he didn’t know Saphira all that well, but he’d seen her photographs enough times through his grandfather to have some sense of her face.
As he recalled, Saphira’s cheeks were sharper, more angular.
He also remembered she’d had rhinoplasty at some point, giving her nose a more refined bridge.
So why did her face look subtly different from what he remembered in those photographs?
Something felt wrong, and it made him study his wife’s features even more intently.
He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, or if Saphira had gotten more work done since those photos were taken, but one thing was certain: the woman sleeping beside him right now looked genuinely different.
Dashiell reached out to touch Thea’s face, but she rolled over in her sleep, turning her back to him.
He cursed silently to himself.
What exactly was he doing?
He couldn’t risk her waking up and misreading this as some sign of affection from him.
Dashiell dragged a hand roughly down his face.
He decided to leave, letting Thea sleep alone.
He went to sleep in a different room, unwilling to share a bed with her any longer.
He thought sleep would come easily, but instead, Saphira’s face kept surfacing in his mind.
Something deep inside told him something was wrong, but what exactly was it?
Her strange behavior, and now her face looking subtly different from what he remembered, was she hiding something from him?