Chapter 126: Nora Wants a Loving Family
She had no choice but to keep biting him. The two of them went back and forth biting each other—one punishing, one resisting. At some point, things started to feel off.
Steven found it rather exciting. Breathing heavily, his voice carried a rare hint of wickedness. "Even if you cry later, I won't let you go..."
Nora was nervous and lost.
She wanted to escape, but Steven pinned her down firmly, his strength showing both madness and fierceness.
Nora struggled until she had no energy left. She hadn't slept well last night, and now, pushed to this point by him, her hair was a mess, and she was utterly exhausted.
"Steven, if you dare force me, I'll never forgive you." She weakly tilted her neck back, like a beautiful swan on the verge of death.
Steven froze.
Her body was trembling badly.
Just one more step and he would have her completely.
But he felt that if he took that step, they would both be walking into a dead end.
In an instant, all his emotions seemed to be extinguished.
He was usually someone with such strong self-control—how did he lose it so badly today?
He had actually wanted to do this with her outside, in a shabby lounge...
All movement came to an abrupt halt.
Steven pulled away, straightened his clothes with a cold expression, and walked out.
The door closed again.
The room returned to silence.
Nora lay disheveled on the sofa, her heart frozen to its core.
After who knows how long, she slowly sat up.
She put her pants back on, straightened her clothes, combed her hair, and sat there in silence.
Even though she was already in a terrible mood, she still took out her phone and called Andrew. "Mr. Hayes, something came up today, and I need to head back. I'm sorry. Let me treat you to dinner another time to make up for it."
She was in bad shape right now and didn't want to face anyone.
Andrew sat by the river. He seemed to know what had happened, resting his chin in his hand and lazily smiling at the pond. "Alright then."
He had already sent someone to find out—Nora had just been in a room with Steven.
Steven had indeed come looking for her.
It seemed Nora held quite a bit of weight in Steven's heart.
Nora stayed in the lounge for over an hour before coming out.
She was trying to calm herself down inside.
When she had calmed down enough, she called a taxi.
On the ride home, her eyes were red, and her expression was blank.
The driver was a bit worried and asked, "Miss, are you okay?"
She looked so hopeless.
"I'm fine." Nora sniffled. The scenery outside the window kept retreating as she stared at it silently.
When she got home, she took off her clothes, turned on the shower, and took a very hot bath.
She didn't cry the whole time.
But when she walked out of the shower and saw the kiss marks on her collarbone in the full-length mirror, she couldn't help but cry.
All the emotions she'd held in all day burst out in that moment.
She crouched in the bathroom, crying her heart out.
Why had a perfectly good relationship turned into this?
Just a few days ago, their relationship had been so good. In the blink of an eye, he was suspecting her, bullying her.
She dragged her heavy body to the bed.
Steven didn't come home again that night.
Nora woke up around 3 a.m. to find it was still dark.
Her throat was burning with pain. She came out of the room into pitch darkness—the house was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After doing something so terrible, he didn't even come back to apologize to her. He was pulling a disappearing act instead.
He was just an irresponsible man!
Nora listlessly turned on the light, opened the medicine cabinet, and took out some medicine.
In this quiet house, she had lived alone for three months. At first, she found it peaceful and comfortable, but later she often felt lonely.
Whenever she was happy with no one to share it with.
Whenever she was sad with no one to confide in.
She wanted someone to depend on.
So when Steven started coming home, Nora gave him all her warmth and kindness.
She wanted to work on this marriage, wanted a warm and loving family.
Wanted a harmonious relationship with her husband.
But in the end, it still reached a point of no return.
She hugged herself and cried in pain.
That night, Steven returned to the York Manor.
He was in an equally terrible mood, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
The next day.
The old butler, Avery Baker, came to get him, saying Elizabeth wanted him to come to the main house for a meal.
Steven responded coldly, got on a golf cart, and drove to the main house. The estate was really too large, with villas dotted everywhere, like a resort.
In the main house.
Everyone was gathered around the dining table keeping Elizabeth company for breakfast.
Doyle wasn't home.
His third wife, Electra, was talking with Elizabeth, looking gentle and virtuous.
Andrew was acting cute with Electra. She patted his head and said indulgently, "You're already so grown up, and you still love acting cute?"
Andrew said with a smile, "I'm only 25, and Grandma's already nagging me about marriage every day."
Electra said, "Elizabeth is thinking of what's best for you."
"That's right, at 25 you can start thinking about marriage. First meet a girl, date for a year or two, then get married—that's just right." Elizabeth smiled.
Andrew saw Steven enter the dining room and deliberately said, "Grandma, actually, I have a girlfriend now."
Steven's lips pressed into a thin line.
"Steven's here." Electra saw Steven and smiled very kindly.
Only he knew how dark Electra's heart really was inside.
Elizabeth said, "Steven, sit down. Lally, set out utensils for Steven."
Lally set out utensils for Steven.
Steven sat down.
Elizabeth continued talking to Andrew. "Andrew, you just said you have a girlfriend? You were out all day yesterday—were you on a date with your girlfriend?"
Andrew glanced at Steven and said with a smile, "Yes, my girlfriend is very pretty and very capable. She can cook, make drinks, make sushi, and even catch chickens and pick fruit..."
Hearing this, Steven's expression darkened.
The woman Andrew was talking about—wasn't that Nora?
Elizabeth said with a smile, "She sounds quite interesting. When will you bring her over for me to meet?"
Elizabeth liked down-to-earth girls like that.
Electra also asked kindly, "Andrew, which wealthy family is she from?"
Andrew said with a smile, "We'll see. We're not that close yet. I need to wait until our relationship is stable before arranging for you to meet her. What if we're not compatible and break up?"
Andrew was a playboy to begin with and had many girlfriends.
Elizabeth smacked his arm. "You! Don't keep playing with people's feelings!"
"Grandma, this is what being careful looks like. If I don't like her after spending time together, of course, I should break up with her. Otherwise, if I marry her out of responsibility and then regret it and get divorced, wouldn't that hurt the girl even more?"
Elizabeth raised her hand to swat him, and Andrew quickly dodged away.
"Andrew." Electra followed him out to talk.
Only Elizabeth and Steven remained in the dining room.
Steven ate his breakfast methodically, not saying a word the whole time.
He was always like this, calm and collected. Elizabeth was used to it. If there hadn't been people around earlier, she would have asked Steven about Nora already.
But thinking that this was a secret matter, Elizabeth didn't ask him in front of everyone.
"Why did you come back?" Elizabeth slowly sipped her soup and asked him.
For Steven to suddenly come back to the manor to stay, something must have happened.
Steven said flatly, "Nothing much, I just missed you."
Elizabeth wasn't so easily fooled. Behind her kind face was a sharp mind. She laughed. "So stubborn."
Steven fell silent.