Chapter 53

Chapter 53

I darkened my face and pushed Joshua away forcefully.

Before Joshua could speak, a fist came whistling through the air and slammed hard into his face!

My heart skipped a beat, but I didn't dare linger. I seized the opportunity to break free from his embrace.

As soon as I looked up, I met James's icy gaze.

I opened my mouth, "James, he and I..."

James cut me off with a cold laugh, "I'm not interested in what's going on between you two. Right now I just want to teach a certain blind fool a good lesson."

Before he finished speaking, James rushed forward and punched Joshua hard in the face!

Joshua fought back fiercely, throwing a punch in return.

The two men grappled and fought, trading blow after blow. Both of them were like mad dogs, only attacking with no defense whatsoever.

I took two steps back, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

In the end, James came out on top.

Joshua leaned against the car in a sorry state, his face bruised and swollen, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag.

He looked at James mockingly, "James, why bother?"

James stood there without speaking, but the increasingly cold aura around him let everyone know he was in a foul mood.

I stood to the side, unable to see clearly through the smoke.

The sky was gloomy, and the atmosphere grew more and more strange.

Unease churned in my heart. I carefully stepped forward a few paces and gently took James's hand, "James, shall we go home?"

James's eyes flickered slightly. He turned to look at me with a complicated expression.

I actually understood.

After all, coming from my mouth, even I found those words rather laughable.

But I didn't think much of it and continued, "Let's go home. You're hurt."

James's expression softened slightly, but the next moment his face darkened as he forcefully shook off my hand.

"Go home? Do you even know where your home is? Or are you planning to leave with another man?"

He shot a dark glance at Joshua.

Clearly he was bothered by Joshua holding me earlier.

Joshua had already regained his gentle demeanor.

He smiled at me, "See? I told you he's not worth it."

My face went white inch by inch.

Worth it or not?

I suddenly couldn't say.

But hearing Joshua say this still made me feel terrible inside.

At the end of the day, James had no trust in me.

He didn't believe me. He only believed what his own eyes saw.

I stood there stiffly, as if possessed, stubbornly looking at James.

"You really won't come back?"

James's expression changed for a moment, then finally darkened completely.

He sneered, his words practically squeezed through gritted teeth.

"Just a little pet. What right do you have to talk about home?"

His words were like sharp knives stabbing into my heart.

A little pet!

A little pet again!

I stared at James in a daze, my heart aching so much it was about to shatter.

In the end, I just pulled my lips into a smile, slowly lowered my eyes, and spoke in a mocking yet distant tone, "You're right. I'm just a little pet. What right do I have to meddle in your affairs? Whatever you want to do, it's not my place to comment."

With that, I lowered my eyes to avoid James's gaze, lifted my feet and walked away with large strides.

Behind me, the two men seemed to start fighting again.

But I wasn't interested and didn't want to get involved.

What right did a little pet have to get involved anyway?

Back at Moon Bay Villa, I ate a couple bites of dinner then shut myself in my room.

James's words and his cold, disgusted look kept circling in my mind, impossible to shake off.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to suppress the painful, irritated emotions.

It started raining outside, the sound of rain pattering softly.

I sat leaning against the bay window on the balcony, quietly listening to music with my earphones in.

The originally painful emotions gradually calmed down.

Actually, I should be content. The current situation was already pretty good.

At least Mom now had money for treatment, and I had married someone I liked, even though he was treating me terribly right now.

Just as I'd managed to calm my emotions, someone opened the door. The moment I turned around and saw James's face, my expression went cold again.

This bad man!

How could he treat me like this!

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Smith has graced us with his presence. I failed to welcome you properly."

I pulled at the corners of my mouth and spoke lazily, not planning to go greet him.

James's eyes gradually turned cold.

He snorted, "Since you know I've graced you with my presence, why aren't you preparing coffee?"

Coffee at this late hour?

Was he planning not to sleep tonight?

I looked at him quietly, unable to help muttering to myself.

But I still honestly asked, "Drinking coffee at night will keep you up. How about a glass of hot milk instead?"

I looked up, my gaze falling on his expressionless face, feeling especially uncomfortable.

But James's eyes warmed slightly.

He huffed softly, "Well, you still have to go heat it up before I can drink it."

These words...

I blinked, successfully catching a hint of tsundere expression on James's face.

So was he giving me a way out?

As this thought surfaced in my mind, my originally terrible mood finally felt a bit better.

"Wait a moment then."

I walked to the door, paused slightly, and looked back at James.

He still had a cold face, but the coldness in his eyes had clearly faded quite a bit.

Though I didn't know why, noticing this still made me breathe a sigh of relief.

If possible, I didn't want to be at odds with James either.

In this house, the one who always had to bow their head was me.

I gently closed the door.

I went downstairs to heat the milk, not seeing James's gradually softening expression.

After I left the hospital, he and Joshua had fought again, and he'd also taken Joshua's words to heart.

If he kept hurting me, he would be pushing me away with his own hands, pushing me into Joshua and Terry's arms.

How could he bear that?

I was the treasure he'd gone to great lengths to find and bring back. Of course he couldn't let go.

James felt mixed emotions—there was resentment toward me for leaving him back then, but more than that, there was bone-deep love.

Downstairs, I heated the milk.

As I carried it upstairs, I pondered.

James's words full of malice still rang in my ears, making my heart unbearably sour.

But thinking about it from another angle.

The reason James was so angry about Joshua holding me was because he still cared about me, right?

If that was the case, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

The corners of my mouth unconsciously lifted slightly, and my originally dim eyes brightened a bit.

I pushed open the door. The room was empty, but there was the sound of water from the bathroom.

I raised an eyebrow.

He was showering this early today?

Usually didn't he still go to the study to work for a while?

I placed the milk on the table. With nowhere to go and not wanting to sit on the bed, I sat by the bedside looking at the view.

The sound of water stopped abruptly.

My heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.

I turned around just in time to see James wearing a loose bathrobe, his chest exposed showing a large expanse of muscle.

His hair was still dripping water, droplets falling on his chest, gleaming with an ambiguous light.

I'd clearly seen this scene countless times, yet I still couldn't help swallowing.

"It's heated. Drink it quickly, it helps with sleep."

I pointed at the hot milk on the table, my voice tight.

James raised an eyebrow and actually strode toward me.