Thea woke to an overwhelming ache in her body.
She could not remember everything, but she knew what had happened.
She had thought the man would stop.
But Dashiell, unable to fall back asleep, had returned to the room.
Instead of sending Thea away, Dashiell had pulled her back into lovemaking.
He continued until he was satisfied, indifferent entirely to her state.
For him, it was a kind of satisfaction, knowing he could render her powerless beneath his control.
When Thea begged him to stop, he felt only more pleased, especially since he had no intention of granting that wish.
The more she pleaded, the less restrained he became.
He was thoroughly satisfied, savoring her body.
As long as she had not yet been touched by another man, he would enjoy her, but if Saphira ever dared to sleep with someone else, he would cast her aside without hesitation.
Thea pulled the blanket up to cover herself.
Dashiell was no longer in the room; he had already left.
She felt exhausted, utterly drained, and she decided she did not want to go to campus today.
She would rest for a while, gather her strength, and then head back to her rented room.
***
“Good morning, ma’am,” a maid said, entering the room with a tray in her hands.
“Where is Dashiell? Has he already left?”
“The master has gone, and he asked me to bring you breakfast. He said you may rest at home today if you have nothing planned.”
“Why has he suddenly become so kind?” The question made the maid smile.
“Forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn, ma’am. I think it would be best if you remained obedient. Perhaps that way, the master will continue treating you well.”
“I’m not a doll he can control,” Thea said, her gaze drifting toward the open window.
A gentle breeze stirred the curtains, and sunlight spilled into the room.
She glanced at the clock; it was already ten.
“Rest, then. Call me if you need anything. And please don’t forget to eat your breakfast, the master will ask me about it later.”
“I’ll finish it, thank you.” Her eyes settled on the breakfast tray beside her.
She had no appetite, but she knew she had to get through the generous spread.
The maid left the room.
Thea sighed and turned her gaze back to the window, drifting into an unsettled stream of thought.
Six months.
Her bag sat on the table, and without a second thought, she reached for it.
She wanted to know what Saphira was doing right now.
“Wh… Why are you calling me, Thea?” Saphira’s voice sounded strange, her breathing heavy.
“What are you doing right now, Saphira?”
“A… Ah, nothing!” Saphira was in the middle of an intimate moment with her boyfriend, who had followed her.
“Why does your breathing sound so obscene?” Thea frowned.
*Don’t tell me Saphira is having sex right now.*
“I’m exercising, Thea. Just tell me, what did you want to talk about?”
“Exercising?” Thea wasn’t convinced that was true.
She knew Saphira’s boyfriend had gone after her, and she didn’t want to believe the two of them were together right now, tangled in each other.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of disgust toward her so-called best friend.
No wonder Dashiell thought so little of her; look at what Saphira was doing.
She already had a husband, yet here she was, sleeping with another man.
How could she justify something like that?
Thea had fought so hard to protect Saphira’s reputation, desperate to keep Dashiell from thinking badly of her, all so their marriage would survive, and this was what Saphira was doing?
Suddenly she felt like a complete fool.
“Come on, I’m just exercising, so don’t go jumping to conclusions.” Saphira had asked her boyfriend to pause for a moment so Thea wouldn’t figure out what they were really doing.
“Fine, I don’t care what you’re doing, but you should remember you have a husband. You should be protecting your honor for his sake, Saphira!”
“Don’t act so high and mighty, okay? Our marriage only exists because of our families, because our grandfather and grandmother arranged it. Dashiell doesn’t care about any of this, he has plenty of women of his own out there. Don’t be so naive, Thea. Just play your part properly until I get back!”
Thea clenched her hands tightly.
Why did she suddenly feel sorry for Dashiell?
The man clearly hadn’t wanted this marriage either, but at least he wasn’t doing what Saphira was doing right now.
Once her role here was finished, wouldn’t Dashiell end up sleeping with Saphira, the same woman who was doing this with her boyfriend?
Would Saphira keep carrying on with her boyfriend even after she was back with Dashiell?
Right now, Thea felt certain that Saphira didn’t deserve him at all.
It wasn’t her business, not really, so why did she feel sorry for him?
“Enough, stop overthinking it. Once your role is done, whatever happens between the two of us is our business, and you won’t need to get involved anymore. A man like him? I can win his heart easily!” Saphira sounded utterly confident.
She had a beautiful face and a polished, professional figure.
No one had ever managed to resist her, and Dashiell would be no exception.
He would fall for her just like every other man had.
“Fine, do whatever you want!” There was clearly no point worrying over Saphira’s relationship with Dashiell, and no point sacrificing herself to protect Saphira’s reputation any longer, because everything Dashiell had said about his so-called wife had apparently been true all along.
She had been foolish, truly foolish.
From now on, she would enjoy her role and enjoy her time with Dashiell instead.
She wasn’t going to waste this opportunity anymore.
Thea ended the call.
She went to freshen herself up, and afterward stood in front of the closet to choose something to wear.
All this time, she had believed everything here belonged to Saphira, that she had no right to touch any of it, but she wasn’t going to think that way anymore, because Dashiell had prepared all of it for her.
She pulled out a floral dress that looked stunning.
Thea put it on, and it fit her beautifully.
She didn’t stop at the dress either; she didn’t hesitate to put on the jewelry available to her.
The luxury handbag and the shoes waiting in the closet, she took all of it without a second thought.
Her worn-out old bag stayed tucked away.
She deserved all of this, she told herself, because she had given her body for it.
Saphira was out there enjoying her life, so why should Thea suffer?
Enough with feeling pathetic.
For the next six months, she would enjoy her life as the wife of a wealthy man.
Starting today, she would be Mrs. Marlowe.
Thea finished her breakfast and stepped out of the room.
Every eye turned toward her as she descended the staircase.
She smiled sweetly; for now, the poor version of Thea would be set aside.
“Oh my goodness, ma’am. You look absolutely stunning,” the maid complimented her.
It was the first time they had seen the lady of the house look this beautiful, this captivating.
“Really?” Thea turned in a slow circle.
“Does this dress suit me?” She turned again.
“Of course it does, ma’am. You wear it perfectly.”
“Thank you, I’m so glad to hear that.” Her expression brightened.
“I’m heading out now. Please, tidy up the dirty dishes in the room.”
“Yes, ma’am.” All the staff bowed their heads to her, and Thea smiled broadly.
This was exactly how it should be, but where should she go now?
Perhaps she could go find her fake husband; she wanted to invite Dashiell to do something enjoyable together.
This time, she didn’t call a taxi.
She left in the car Dashiell had provided for her.
Now she realized just how foolish she had been, having missed out on so many things she could have simply enjoyed, free of charge, all along.