Chapter 41
James changed into his pajamas and stood a few steps away. "Sophia, time to rest."
He didn't say anything else besides that.
"Amelia, you should get some rest too."
After closing the door, James didn't question me at all. He pointed at the bed and said, "You take the bed."
I didn't argue with him and nodded in agreement.
We didn't speak anymore. Silence filled the room.
James and I rarely spent time together quietly. The night was deep and still—we could only hear each other's breathing.
For the first time, there was no arguing between us, no glaring at each other.
This quietness felt uncomfortable instead.
"I'm going to take a shower." I broke the silence and got up to walk into the bathroom.
After my shower, as I was about to put on the bathrobe, I felt it was too light when I picked it up. A bad feeling washed over me. When I opened it and saw the lace and straps, my worst fears were confirmed.
No need to guess—Indigo must have prepared this.
I'd rather spend the whole night in the bathroom than go out wearing this.
"James." After thinking it over, I finally decided to ask him for help.
"What's wrong?" James's voice sounded a bit hoarse.
My mind was completely focused on how to get out, so I didn't notice. "Could you bring me some pajamas?"
James's footsteps faded away, then returned a few minutes later. "There are no pajamas."
"No other clothes either," he added.
Indigo had really made thorough preparations.
"I can't wear what Grandma prepared."
"Why not?"
I passed the bathrobe through the door crack.
Silence outside for a moment.
"Wear my shirt first!" Soon, James handed his shirt in.
This was already a pretty good solution.
James was tall and big, so his shirt was large too. On me, the hem reached my thighs. Except for the sleeves being too long, everything else fit reasonably well.
Better than nothing.
I walked out of the bathroom, feeling quite awkward.
I could feel James's gaze on me, making me even more uncomfortable.
My nose was filled with the scent from his shirt.
An unfamiliar atmosphere spread between us.
James's hand suddenly reached over.
I instinctively stepped back half a step, bumping right into the edge of the bed, and fell backward.
James tried to catch me, but was pulled forward by my momentum.
We both tumbled onto the soft bed.
Our noses touched, our breaths mingling.
James's breathing became noticeably heavier, and unfamiliar emotions surged in his deep eyes.
His face showed an abnormal flush.
"You smell so good." His magnetic, husky voice was enchanting, falling on my ear like a feather drifting into my heart—soft and slightly ticklish.
The air around us heated up rapidly, and my body warmed up too.
Below him, something hard pressed against me.
Watching his handsome face getting closer, I put my hand between us. "James, something's wrong with you."
James wasn't someone who was obsessed with desire.
He chuckled softly. His large hand grabbed my small one, fingers threading through the gaps, interlocking.
My hand was pinned above my head, unable to block him.
James propped up his upper body with one hand and gripped my chin with the other, looking down at me with cold, mocking eyes. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
He didn't give me time to speak. He leaned down and kissed my lips, fierce and aggressive, like a beast tearing at prey.
I was forced to endure his kiss.
He applied slight pressure with his hand, my teeth parted, and his tongue entered, tangling with mine.
The sound of saliva filled the air.
It was humiliating.
Even more humiliating was that I had a physical reaction, unconsciously sinking with him.
By the time I came to my senses, James's hand had already slipped under the hem of my shirt, wreaking havoc on my body, leaving waves of tingling sensations.
I trembled under his touch, gasping, begging for mercy.
"I thought you really wanted to divorce me. Turns out it was all just playing hard to get." James's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.
My desire vanished instantly, leaving only endless coldness. "What did you say?"
James took off his shirt, revealing his muscular torso. His pale muscles moved under the light, but I had no mind to appreciate it.
"You went through all this trouble just to sleep with me, didn't you?" James leaned down again.
"Do I need to spell it out more clearly? You knew Grandma liked you, so you deliberately delayed, stayed overnight at the Smith Mansion, had Juliet bring soup, said the bathrobe was unwearable, and deliberately wore my shirt to seduce me."
"Sophia, you succeeded. Satisfied?"
"You bastard!" I slapped James across the face. The romantic atmosphere from moments ago vanished without a trace.
I pushed James away forcefully and straightened my clothes.
"Why pretend?" James said hoarsely. "You've achieved your goal. Why keep pretending?"
He simply lay on the bed, arms spread. "You can take the initiative too."
James tilted his head to look at me mockingly. "Better yet, get yourself pregnant. Then you won't have to divorce me."
Bringing up that child again, I felt all the blood in my body rush to my brain.
What right did James have to mention that child?
I rushed into the bathroom, filled a basin with cold water, and splashed it on James. "Wake up!"
Meeting his shocked eyes, I didn't back down.
"James, I will never have your child again in this lifetime, because you don't deserve it!"
"It's always been like this. You only judge me by what you think is right."
"None of what you said has anything to do with me. I just want to divorce you quickly and leave you forever!"
Many words were stuck in my chest, but I didn't know how to say them. I spoke without thinking, yet my words had no impact.
I hated James's unpredictability, and I hated myself even more for that moment of surrender.
James didn't speak for a long time, just closed his eyes, breathing heavily.
After a while, he opened his eyes, looked at me, then quickly looked away. "Sophia, put your clothes on first."
I looked down at the wrinkled shirt I was wearing.
The buttons on my chest had come undone somehow, exposing a large area of skin with faint marks from our earlier encounter.
I quickly buttoned up.
"Someone drugged me." James frowned deeply. From his expression, he was trying to restrain himself.
Thinking of his abnormal reaction earlier, I understood immediately.
I turned to look at the nightstand. An empty bowl sat there.
"Who brought the soup?" I asked.
"Amelia." James looked at me. "Before anything else, could you please make a phone call for me?"
In the middle of the night, James was sent to the hospital, alarming Indigo.
After Indigo understood what happened, her expression was strange. "I specifically had Juliet make soup for Sophia to nourish her body."
"This soup wouldn't have such a strong effect." Juliet's gaze moved between James and me, hesitant to speak.
I felt my face burning.
Juliet and Indigo misunderstood—they thought we got carried away ourselves and were blaming it on the nourishing soup.
"The doctor did find some drug components in James's system," I said.