Chapter 80

Magnus leaned in closer, his nose brushing the soft skin at the crook of Vivienne’s shoulder. He inhaled deeply, letting her natural scent wash over him.

“You smell wonderful, my love,” he murmured, his voice low and warm.

Vivienne huffed, shaking her head lightly. “I literally haven’t taken a shower since I got back from work. I smell like antiseptic and maybe even blood.”

Magnus smiled, tightening his arm around her waist as they rocked together on the double swing chair out on their balcony. The evening breeze was cool, the quiet of the house settling around them.

“Nah,” he said softly, “your scent is perfect.”

Vivienne rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in amusement. “So you love the smell of antiseptics? I didn’t realize you had a new fetish. Do you have a hospital kink now?”

Magnus chuckled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Weirdo,” she teased.

“Only for you, my heart,” he replied.

For a while, they just swayed gently in the chair, the house unusually quiet. The twins — Jayden and Jayla — were spending the weekend at Grandma’s place. Even the staff had their day off, leaving the mansion with a stillness that was rare but welcome.

Then Vivienne broke the silence, her tone thoughtful. “By the way, the strangest thing happened at work today.”

Magnus’s fingers brushed through her hair. “What was that?”

She exhaled slowly. “I had an eleven-year-old patient with a skull fracture. At first, her mother told me the girl slipped on a banana peel and fell. But that didn’t make sense. If she’d slipped, she could have sprained her limbs, but not fractured her skull like that.”

Magnus frowned. “Right.”

Vivienne’s voice tightened, her eyes clouding. “Later, when her mother left, the little girl told me the truth. Her mum hit her head with a wooden pestle. All because she didn’t come first in her class.”

Magnus stiffened. “What?”

Vivienne nodded, her expression trembling with anger and hurt. “Yes. Can you believe that? Her own mother did that to her child. I was so shocked. And angry. How can anyone be that cruel?”

Her voice cracked slightly, and Magnus felt her body quiver against him. He knew she was holding back tears. His chest tightened as he pulled her closer, resting his chin against her hair.

“That’s the height of it all,” he said firmly. “I’ll never understand parents who force kids to compete for grades like that. What’s the point of having perfect grades if the child grows up broken inside? That’s why we end up with so many damaged geniuses, even brilliant criminals.”

Vivienne sniffled, nodding. “Exactly. I would never do that to Jayden and Jayla. Sure, I want them to excel in school. But I’ll never pressurize them. I don’t want them growing up into adults carrying scars from my expectations.”

Magnus squeezed her hand. “Yes. We’d never do that to our kids. Times have changed. We’re not living in the 1900s anymore.” He paused, his voice darkening. “So what happened to her mother?”

Vivienne straightened, a fierce determination flashing in her eyes. “I called the cops on her immediately. The girl will stay with her father for now. Apparently, the parents are separated. From what the child said, her father is kind and much less intimidating.”

Magnus’s heart swelled with pride. He kissed her temple softly. “Good. I’m proud of you, baby. You did the right thing.”

She sighed, leaning against him. “I just hope she’ll be safe now.”

“She will,” Magnus said, his voice steady.

For a moment, silence wrapped around them again, but this time it wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy, filled with thoughts neither of them spoke aloud.

Then Vivienne broke it with a small smile. “So, what about you? Did anything interesting happen at work today?”

Magnus’s eyes flicked to her lips — soft, rosy, inviting. A different kind of heat stirred in him. Without answering, he leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss. He deepened it, ready to lose himself in her.

But Vivienne bit his lower lip lightly and pulled back with a smirk.

“You’re always so horny,” she teased.

Magnus shrugged, pretending to be casual. “Being married to the sexiest woman in the world will do that to a man.”

“Nympho,” she shot back playfully.

He laughed and hugged her closer, his heartbeat easing with her warmth.

“Work was okay,” he finally said. “Nothing interesting happened.”

“Is that so?” she asked, her eyes narrowing with mock suspicion.

“Yeah,” he said. “Just a meeting with shareholders and reviewing some proposals.”

Vivienne suddenly sat up straighter, her expression shifting. “Right. I almost forgot — Xavier asked me to help him pick out some furniture.”

Magnus froze. “He’s no longer using the interior designer?” His voice was calm, but inside, something twisted sharply in his chest.

Vivienne shook her head. “He is. He just said he wants my advice.”

Magnus forced a smile. “Alright then.”

“But…” she hesitated, looking at him carefully. “That means I’ll be missing our weekly dinner. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Magnus’s chest ached. She was still considering his feelings, even now. Even after everything he had done wrong in their first marriage, she still cared.

He swallowed hard and forced his voice steady. “Of course. A dinner date is no big deal. We can do it some other time.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes, baby,” he said. “It’s been ten years since you last saw him. You should make up for lost time.”

“You’re the best,” Vivienne beamed, leaning in to kiss him quickly. “And I love you.”

Magnus kissed her back gently. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Do you want to take a bath together?” she asked suddenly, slipping out of his arms. “I feel kinda sticky.”

Magnus smirked. “Sure.” His hand trailed teasingly down her bare thighs, which were resting across his lap. She was wearing a sundress that barely reached her knees.

Vivienne gasped and swatted at him, lips twitching. “You are so naughty. Don’t think we’re doing whatever is on your dirty mind.”

Magnus grinned. “And what exactly is on my dirty mind?”

She rolled her eyes. “Forget it. Just… shut up.”

“With pleasure, baby,” he whispered.

Standing, Magnus scooped her into his arms bridal-style. Vivienne laughed in surprise as he pressed a kiss to her nose tip. Together, they left the swing chair and headed inside.

Magnus carried Vivienne toward the bathroom, but deep inside, the thought of Xavier gnawed at him. He had agreed to let her go — but something told him that this “old friend” might bring more trouble than either of them expected…