Chapter 65 CHAPTER 64

Chapter 65 CHAPTER 64
“Ma’am Lilith, Sir Aeros is inside. You may go ahead and knock,” our former maid said, her voice laced with a hint of worry that only made the weight in my chest heavier.
I forced a smile, though my lips were trembling. “Thank you so much.”
“Youre welcome, Ma'am. I’ll tell the cook to prepare your favorite food.”
I quickly shook my head. “Oh, no! Please don't trouble yourselves. There's really no need.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Ma’am.”
“If that's the case... thank you.”
As soon as she left, I felt as if the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Slowly, I raised my hand and knocked on the door. Each rap echoed the frantic, violent pounding of my heart. Only a few seconds passed before the door swung open.
Aeros greeted me with a cold, severe expression. The eyes that once burned with warmth now looked at me as if I were a stranger. I stood frozen, caught between offering a smile or maintaining formal distance.
“I’m here. What is it you want to discuss?” I asked directly, trying my best to keep my voice steady.
He opened the door wider, his gaze never leaving mine. “Come in.”
I nodded and stepped inside. With every stride, my knees felt as though they would buckle from the sheer trembling. The room was freezing, yet I felt suffocated, breaking into a cold sweat. My heart thudded wildly.
“Have a seat,” he commanded, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
I sat across from him, desperately trying to salvage my remaining dignity. He picked up the phone and dialed the maid. “Bring some refreshments up here.”
Turning back to me, his sharp gaze pierced through me. “What do you want, coffee or tea?” he asked.
“Black coffee,” I replied curtly.
He nodded, relayed the order to the maid, and hung up. A deafening, suffocating silence settled between us.
“Aeros, what is it you want from me in exchange for this mansion? What is the price?”
He looked at me intently. His eyes seemed intent on stripping away my very soul, tracing every angle of my face as though he had been starving for the sight of me for a very long time.
“You!” he answered firmly.
I froze, my brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“Be my sexmate, and I will give you back your mansion.”
His words felt like a physical stab to the chest. The anxiety that had gripped me earlier was instantly consumed by a blazing fury and profound disappointment. It cut deeply to realize that the man I once loved now viewed me as nothing more than a commodity to be bought.
“You pig!” I gasped, my voice shaking as I fought back tears of rage.
He stared at me, unblinking, his face etched with grim determination. “I am not joking, Lilith. Sleep with me for just one month, and I will hand over the title of your mansion without you having to spend a single centavo.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Ha! You want my body as payment for our old home? Is that how low I am in your eyes now, Aeros?”
“It’s not like you have anything to lose, right?” he shot back, though a hint of bitterness bled into his own voice. “Instead of sleeping with other men, do it with me. At least this way, you get the title to your house back.”
I lost all control. I lunged forward and, with all the strength I could muster, slapped him hard across the cheek. Crack!
“I-I can’t believe I wasted my time coming here! You are disgusting!” My entire body shook with pure, unadulterated rage.
“I still want you,” he muttered, his voice cracking a sudden, desperate surrender to his own weakness.
“Damn it!” I slapped his other cheek. I turned on my heel to run away, but he was too fast. He grabbed my arm and, in an instant, pinned me roughly against the wall. Before I could fight back, he seized both of my hands and locked them above my head.
“Let me go! Aeros, let me go!” I ordered, but my voice broke, cracking under the weight of fear and hatred.
His eyes scanned my face, locking onto my lips. I watched his chest heave violently, and he swallowed hard as his gaze lingered there. The pain and longing he had tried so hard to mask earlier now laid bare in his eyes.
“Oh, shit! I miss you so much!” he whispered. Before I could utter a word, his lips crashed onto mine in a fierce, possessive kiss.
My eyes widened in shock. My heart hammered against my ribs in a chaotic mix of fury and a dangerously familiar electricity that surged through my veins. It was a traitorous emotion, one I fiercely rejected. Gathering every ounce of my remaining strength, I bit down hard on his lower lip.
“Fuck!”
His curse echoed through the room as he violently pulled away. He wiped the blood that was beginning to seep from his lip.
“Pervert! Maniac!” I screamed, finally letting the tears I had been holding back stream down my face. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?! You have a wife, Aeros! You’re about to have a child! And yet you can still cheat like this?! Have you really become this worthless?!”
He met my furious glare, his own eyes brimming with tears born of anger and desperation. “You’re the reason I’m like this, Lilith.”
“Why are you blaming me?! Was I the one who cheated?!”
“Because no matter how hard I try to forget you, you never leave my mind!” he roared, his walls finally crumbling as his true feelings erupted. “It’s still you I crave! Every time Isabel and I are together, it's you I imagine in my bed! It’s you I’m holding! What kind of spell did you cast on me, Lilith? Why can’t I forget you? Why does it still have to be you?!”
It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me. My face flushed, and my breath hitched. My heart raced, wanting so desperately to leap for joy and believe every single word he said but I couldn't.
I closed my eyes tightly and drew a deep breath. This time, logic had to rule over emotion. I needed to protect myself, and the family I had built.
“Fix your life, Aeros, and leave me out of your mess,” I said, my voice cold and final, even as my heart shattered into pieces inside. “I have a family now. Our life is good, and it is peaceful. Don't ruin it.”
I turned and walked out of the room without giving him a second glance. As I threw the door open, I almost collided with our former maid. She stood there holding a tray of food, her face pale with shock at the expression on my face.
“Ma’am Lilith... are you leaving already?” her voice carried a clear note of confusion.
I quickly wiped my cheek and nodded. “I have to go... I have something important to attend to,” I lied, making excuses.
“Won’t you eat first?”
I shook my head, forcing my voice not to tremble. “No, thank you. I might get stuck  in the night traffic.”
“Alright, Ma’am. Please take care.”
I forced a tight smile. “Thank you.”
I immediately hailed a taxi back to the hotel. I couldn’t even bring myself to stop by Elsie’s place to pick up my daughter. My chest felt suffocatingly tight; I needed to be alone. I needed to breathe.
I knew it. He only wants my body; he never loved me, I whispered to myself, staring out the window. I fought back the stinging tears in my eyes as the car sped through the streets.
“I knew it! My intuition was spot on! That pervert Aeros really just wants to turn you into his sex slave! That man makes my blood boil!” Elsie nearly exploded with rage on the other end of our video call.
I was slouched on the bed, my body and mind utterly exhausted. Staring at the ceiling, I let out a heavy sigh. “If I had known that was all he was going to say, we shouldn't have traveled to Manila in the first place. We just wasted money on the fare... and I wasted my hope.”
“I don’t even know why you believed him in the first place! But thank goodness you kept your guard up and didn't give in to that idiot’s sweet talk.”
Forcing a cheerful note into my voice, I laughed out loud. “You lunatic! Keeping my guard up is an understatement. I’ve learned my lesson, Elsie. I will never tolerate his disrespect.”
“Good! Don’t you dare give in to him, even if he begs on his knees. If you want, we can set you up on a blind date just to get your mind off things.”
“No thanks, it’s too exhausting,” I sighed. “We’re heading back to the province tomorrow.”
“Don’t leave tomorrow yet! Allen and I promised Amethyst we’d take her out to an amusement park with our kid. The poor girl is so excited.”
A small smile finally broke across my face. “Okay, fine.”
“Do you want to come with us? It’ll help you relax.”
“No, you guys go ahead. Enjoy your time with Amethyst. I honestly just want to rest.”
“Alright, if you say so.”
“Okay, I’m going to sleep,” I said, feeling the heavy weight settling behind my eyelids.
“Don’t you have any bookings tonight?” Elsie teased, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
“I’m on vacation leave right now, so I’m going to sleep in.”
“Alright, go to sleep. Bye!” her tone turned serious but warm with concern before she cut the call.
I was left smiling blankly at the empty room. “Elsie and her nonsense,” I muttered. I turned off the light. As darkness swallowed the room, the tears I had been holding back all day finally spilled over, right before sleep claimed me.
The next morning, I woke up at eleven o’clock. For the first time in a long time, I had slept for sixteen hours straight, a complete escape from reality.
My stomach growled fiercely since I had skipped dinner the night before. I immediately grabbed my phone to call Elsie, eager to hear my daughter’s voice.
“We’re at the amusement park right now. She’s having so much fun! Do you want to catch up with us?” Elsie asked from the other end line.
I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me. “No, I just woke up.”
“Look at you, sleeping like a log. Who’s in the room with you?” she asked mischievously.
I let out a soft chuckle. “I’m alone. What did you think, that Aeros was here?”
“Just make sure you don't go weak in the knees and let him in.”
“He’s not here. Never again.”
“Good. Let’s talk later, Amethyst wants me to take her to the ice cream stand.” Elsie ended the call.
A brief wave of sadness washed over me because I wasn't by my daughter's side, so I quickly showered and headed out to grab some food. But the moment I stepped into the hotel lobby, my heart seemingly stopped when a voice called out my name.
“Lilith!”
As I turned around, a sudden surge of anger rushed to my chest. Aeros was standing there, looking sleep-deprived, holding a massive bouquet of fresh flowers.
I marched toward him, my steps heavy with resentment. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice sharp and laced with irritation.
“I’ve been here since six this morning, Lilith. Waiting for you to come down,” he said gently, his voice carrying a desperate note of pleading. “I thought you weren't going to come out at all... These are for you.” He extended the flowers toward me.
I just stared coldly at the bouquet. “Aeros, I cannot accept those flowers.”
His gaze softened, his eyes projecting profound regret. “This is just a peace offering for what I said last night. You’re right... I shouldn't have let my vulgarity get the best of me. I’m so sorry, Lilith.”
I glanced around, sensing the curious stares from the people in the lobby. The last thing I wanted was to make a scene. “Fine.” I snatched the bouquet quickly just to get it over with. “You can leave now.”
His face brightened slightly, a hopeful smile tugging at his lips. “Can we talk about the mansion now?”
It felt like a dagger plunged into my heart all over again. There it was his true motive surfacing once more. “I don't have that kind of money to buy back our old mansion, Aeros. So there’s no point in us talking.”
“Please, Lilith, let’s talk just for a moment,” he urged, taking a step closer to me. “I will fulfill my promise to you. There is a way for you to get your family's old mansion back.”
An eyebrow arched slightly as a bitter, sarcastic smile formed on my lips. “What? Is my body the payment again?”
He shook his head frantically, looking visibly hurt by my accusation. “Let’s just talk properly. Let’s discuss my offer.”
I locked eyes with him, making sure he saw that he could no longer fool me easily. “Fine. Tomorrow... because I have a date today,” I lied, forcing a sweet, radiant smile.
He froze, shock and blatant jealousy washing over his features. “You’re going on a date?”
I nodded with absolute conviction. “There’s nothing wrong with me going on a date, right? After all, I’m single. And my date? He’s a decent, single man. No wife, no kids... and most importantly, no chaotic family that I have to deal with.”
Turning my back on him, I walked away.