Trouble in Paradise

"What?" His sudden question left me baffled, making me struggle even harder.

"I asked," he said, gently biting my earlobe, "have you ever taken our marriage seriously even though it's a marriage alliance?"

I admitted that I was weak. Although we hadn't shared much of a married life, he knew my sensitive spots all too well.

I felt like a kitten that was being held by the scruff of its neck. I was unable to do anything but whimper in his arms, completely losing all my strength.

When his tongue explored my ear, a string in my mind snapped.

"Stop it," I said, closing my eyes in discomfort, only to open them immediately.

Closing my eyes only amplified the shameful sounds of his sucking and kissing, making my body respond Involuntarily. I arched my back helplessly in his embrace.

He deliberately pulled

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away and said coldly, "Have you ever taken it seriously, Ariana?"

I couldn't detect any lust in his voice. He just wanted to humiliate and control me in this way. It must be a

man's inherent cruelty.

I gritted my teeth in hatred. Once I calmed the tumult in my heart, I felt utterly hollowed out.

"Never!" I shouted at him. "Never! Are you satisfied now?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, fighting back my sobs. I couldn't be weak in front of him! My words angered him. He controlled me with one hand while the other slipped under my clothes. He held my softness in his grasp, and his words pierced my heart like need "Of course. Who still talks about love in this world? It's better this way," he said, his voice hoarse as he tightly held me and shamelessly fondled my body.

"I was almost fooled by you with all those talks about confession and love. It seems you're just unsatisfied."

All of a sudden, I felt like I was in deep trouble. As he advanced step by step, I found myself with nowhere to retreat.

Shaking my head, I looked at him and shouted, "Not here!"

Nicholas' voice deepened. "Why not? You weren't serious, and neither was I."

He placed his hand over my short hair with a mocking expression evident in his eyes. "Since it's all a game, I think it's exhilarating to do it here. Didn't you always want to try new things with me before?"

"That was before!" I protested. "Nicholas, once you sign your last name on the divorce papers, we wo be husband and wife anymore!"

"Ariana, don't you know the law? Even with the agreement, we still need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau. And after that, there's a one-month cooling-down period," he said with a sinister smile. 143

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"Whether I sign the papers now, we're still married."

He pulled me into his arms with such force that it felt like my insides were being crushed. I couldn't help but collapse against him.

"You said you wouldn't touch me! Have you forgotten?"

The next second, his warmth spread across my body. I tensed up, not daring to make a sound, fearing that even a single moan might escape.

Struggling was futile. I stood no chance against a furious man. Domineering with intent on release-that was what he was to me at that moment.

Underneath me lay the pristine divorce agreement. In the stillness, my cries and pleas for mercy for hours. When it finally ended, he looked clean and composed. echoed

He wiped his hand with his jacket and said, "If I want to, there are a hundred ways to control you without touching you."

I looked up at him, and for the first time, I felt despair. His humiliating words tore through my spirit as if invisible torture devices were crushing my body.

He leaned in and patted my cheek before adding. "Mrs. Hawk, I like my bed partner obedient and sensible. Please keep that in mind for the future."

I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my hand, forcing me into a shameful position. His tall frame. loomed over me, making me feel even more humiliated.

Just as I was about to speak, he pressed his lips against mine.

His voice was already hoarse as he said, "Mrs. Hawk, it seems you still have the energy to argue with me He kissed me forcefully, making embarrassing sounds. "You sounded so good earlier. You have no idea how hard it was for me to hold back!"

He unabashedly expressed his interest in my body. This part of Nicholas, apart from that one time he was drugged and sought me out for relief, was something I had never seen in our four years of marriage. Now, as our relationship crumbled, I had witnessed it the second

After a moment of shock, my body, which was already sensitized by his training, quickly responded to his deliberate teasing. 'My legs trembled, and I struggled to breathe under his knees.

I glared at him angrily. Sensing my resistance, he tried to cover my eyes with one hand, giving me a brief moment of freedom. I pushed him hard, making him stagger.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a ghostly figure hovering behind him. I screamed, "Ghost!"

A seemingly harmless woman with tear-streaked eyes stared at me with an intense, twisted hatred the even thick makeup couldn't hide