Chapter 31
Ava thought she was done for in his car today.
Given his personality, he never accommodated anyone.
If he wanted sex, he'd just do it.
When he said they'd go home, it gave her a moment of relief.
The two of them lay intimately close in their seats, silent as the pitch-black night.
The alternating sounds of heavy and light breathing filled the car, creating an intensely suggestive atmosphere.
Once they calmed down, endless awkwardness spread between them.
"Ava, actually, my car has plenty of space."
His meaning was obvious - there was more than enough room here for him to perform, and switching battlefields might even be more exciting.
Ava bit down hard on her lower lip to keep herself calm and not fall for his seduction. Of course, men would say whatever sounded good at times like this - give in and you'd fall right into the trap.
She knew perfectly well his car had plenty of space. This limited edition Bentley cost eight figures, with only ten sold worldwide. The comfort level was naturally top-tier.
The problem wasn't the car - it was that she simply couldn't do it.
"William, do you like children or not?"
Ava was suddenly curious and wanted to know the answer.
She knew clearly that William was easiest to talk to at times like this - men could lower their tolerance to rock bottom for that one thing.
She looked at him expectantly, wanting to hear the answer opposite to what was in her heart.
She even secretly decided that if he said he liked them, she'd tell him that secret, and maybe their marriage still had a chance to be saved.
"I don't like them."
He said those three words almost without hesitation, and her heart, which had just warmed up a little, plummeted to rock bottom again. Disappointment swept away all other emotions, the light in her eyes instantly dimming.
Forget it, she thought. Telling him would only add to his troubles.
Given his cold and decisive way of doing things, he might even drag her to get an abortion.
She'd heard about his iron-fisted methods in business.
"Ava, don't worry, condoms are ninety-nine percent effective when used correctly. I won't let you get pregnant."
He was comforting her, thinking she was afraid, when the one who was really afraid was himself.
Ava smiled bitterly.
How could he forget that two months ago, at a business dinner, he got completely wasted and came back to do that reckless thing? The baby in her belly was from that time.
"Have you ever thought about what if we're that one percent?"
William paused, then leaned over to kiss her ear.
"Ava, that's a hypothetical question."
The atmosphere became dangerous again. Ava had lost her earlier arousal, her mind now filled only with cold clarity.
"Let's go home."
She pushed him away. "I don't like doing it in the car."
"Okay, then let's go home."
As if he couldn't wait, he immediately took out his keys, got out, and walked around to the driver's seat.
The car smoothly merged onto the main road, the street scenery constantly retreating before their eyes.
William rested his left hand on the window, his right hand controlling the steering wheel with ease, looking like a veteran driver.
Ava looked at the flickering neon lights outside, feeling momentarily dazed, as if she were sitting in a time machine, rushing with him toward an unknown parallel universe.
If only that were true - just him and her, no Sarah.
Ava even thought, even if he thought about Sarah his whole life, at least his person would belong to her.
His person and his heart - she had to have one of them.
Not like now, with empty hands.
Once home became the destination, he unconsciously pressed harder on the gas pedal.
Their car was speeding.
Ava had thrown up everything she ate for lunch and hadn't had time to eat dinner. Now her empty stomach began protesting wildly, constantly producing acid.
"You... slow down."
William glanced back while waiting at a red light. Ava was curled up in the back seat, her face completely drained of color.
"Are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the hospital?"
Rarely, he still had a shred of kindness, concerned about whether she was uncomfortable, rather than just wanting to rush her home to do the deed.
Ava desperately held back her nausea, controlling herself from throwing up and arousing his suspicion.
"I'm carsick. Slow down."
The traffic light turned green. He started the car slowly, trying to maintain a steady speed.
"You didn't use to get carsick. Why do you get carsick so often now?"
"Your driving skills aren't good."
William curved his lips in an aggressively confident smile.
"Mrs. Ava Morgan, why don't you elaborate - what's not good? I can improve."
Ava covered her chest, feeling terrible, but not wanting him to notice anything unusual.
"You brake too hard, start too suddenly, and... you often speed up and slow down without warning."
"What else?"
Ava forced herself to stay alert and chat with him.
"Can't think of anything else right now."
"Don't you think sudden acceleration is exciting?"
"No."
"Alright. I'll try to improve later, prioritizing your feelings."
Ava's face suddenly flushed as if on fire. She was talking about driving, and he was saying such suggestive things!!!
The car finally arrived back at SilkGrove Estates.
Ava rushed to the bathroom as soon as she got out, locking the door behind her. She leaned over the toilet and dry heaved, only able to bring up stomach acid.
"Ava, open the door."
He had followed her.
Ava's heart clenched. She wondered how she would deal with him in a moment. Hiding definitely wouldn't work.
She put her hand on the door handle, her heart pounding.
The instant the lock opened, the door was pushed open from outside almost simultaneously.
William burst in, pressing her against the door.
Ava looked at his handsome features, gradually approaching her, trying hard to control herself, stay clear-headed, and not be seduced by him.
"William, aren't you going to care about Sarah anymore?"
She played her trump card.
Sure enough, he stopped, his tone somewhat impatient.
"Why bring her up?"
After speaking, his thin lips moved toward hers again, pressing against them.
In the small bathroom, the temperature was gradually rising, and the oxygen was becoming thin.
Ava trembled slightly against him.
"William."
"Be good, call me Honey."
He bit her tongue tip with a slightly punishing intent.
"Honey, I... don't feel well."
Only then did he stop, looking at her carefully.
"Really carsick?"
Ava nodded weakly. "My stomach doesn't feel good."
"Then rest for a bit, we'll continue later."
He said.
He had no intention of letting her off. That thing had become an obsession - it had to be done today.
"What do you want to eat? Tell me and I'll have Lily make it."
Ava kept her head down, her small face pale, but her lips were bright red like they'd been stained with jam - his handiwork.
"Just make some bread."
"What about dishes? What do you want to eat?"
Ava thought for a long time but still had no appetite, yet she was terribly hungry. Thinking about the smell of cooking oil made her stomach uncomfortable again.
"I don't want anything else, bread and milk are fine."
William laughed in exasperation, one hand propped above her head while the other loosened his tie.
"Are you easy or difficult to please? Incredibly picky, yet you only eat bread and milk. People who don't know might think I went bankrupt, and this is how I'm feeding my wife."
The hand that had finished loosening the tie fell to her waist, gripping it.
"William, I exercise regularly. I'm not malnourished."