Chapter 85
The air in the private room instantly froze.
Every hair on my body stood on end. The tingling sensation on my back vanished without a trace, leaving only bone-chilling coldness that crept from the soles of my feet all the way to the top of my head.
James stood at the doorway, tall and straight. His black suit made his face look pale and cold. His eyes seemed frozen over, heavily fixed on me, the anger churning in them almost ready to swallow me whole.
His gaze swept across my bare shoulders, and his hostile energy intensified: "Liliana, you get out too!"
Liliana immediately wrapped her bathrobe tighter around herself, jumped off the massage table she'd been lying on, and stood in front of me.
She lifted her head and glared at James: "I'm the one who brought her here for a massage. It has nothing to do with her. Don't give her a hard time."
James warned in a low voice: "I don't want to say it twice."
Liliana swallowed nervously. Her voice was a bit loud but shaky: "I, I'm not leaving. I can't leave her alone in here to be bullied by you."
"If you want me to leave, fine, but I'm taking her with me."
James gave a cold laugh: "Come in and take her away."
His assistant, who'd been waiting outside the door, pushed it open and said apologetically to Liliana: "Sorry about this, Miss."
Liliana was forcibly taken out. Before leaving, she shouted at me: "Sophia, don't be scared. If he really dares to do anything to you, just scream. Even if it kills me, I'll rush back in to help you."
The door to the private room was shut by James. He locked it. Liliana's voice was cut off outside, and my escape route was blocked by him.
My wrist was suddenly grabbed by him.
His grip was extremely strong, squeezing my wrist painfully. My bones felt like they were about to be crushed. I sucked in a sharp breath and looked up to glare at him: "James, let go of me!"
"Let go of you?" He laughed softly, but his laugh only held deep coldness.
He leaned down close to me, his warm breath brushing past my ear with an aggressive sense of pressure: "Sophia, we're not divorced yet. You're still my wife. Besides me, no one else can touch you."
I'm not his personal property. Why shouldn't I even be allowed to get a massage?
James said I couldn't, so I deliberately went against him: "James, who do you think you are? Won't you let anyone else touch me? If you're so capable, go kill everyone who's ever touched me."
"I'm not anyone's property. Forget about me getting a massage to relax—even if I went looking for men to have fun with, it's none of your business!"
Angry waves surged in James's eyes.
He reached out his hand. I raised mine to block in front of myself.
His gaze fell on my reddened wrist. The anger in his eyes faded a bit, but was still frighteningly heavy. He leaned down and pressed me back onto the massage table. His tone was cold and hard, but hiding a barely noticeable compromise.
"You want a massage? I'll give you one."
I struggled to get up, my voice cold: "James, who are you putting on this show for?"
"You're the one who brought our marriage to this point. Don't come in front of me pretending to be devoted. I'm not buying it."
His hand paused at my neck and shoulders. The temperature of his fingertips burned my skin numb.
He didn't speak, just kneaded my neck and shoulders with moderate pressure. My sore muscles were worked loose by him, and a tingling sensation welled up.
"I know I'm a bastard." His voice was low and hoarse, carrying some suppression, falling on my ear. "Sophia, I owe you, I admit it. But divorce—I don't agree to it. I'll never agree to it in this lifetime."
"Whether you agree or not doesn't matter." I turned my head away. "My heart is dead. It can't be warmed up again. James, between us, there's no going back."
"Whether we can go back or not, I decide." His hand slid down from my neck and shoulders to my lower back, pressing the sore pressure points with precision, his movements practiced and gentle.
His fingertips had calluses that rubbed against my skin. Each touch felt like it was scratching at my heart. I couldn't help but tremble.
"Why did you come here?" I finally couldn't help but speak up, breaking the slightly intimate atmosphere.
"Grandma called me and said she saw you and... your friend go into this kind of place together. She was worried, so she asked me to come check on you." His fingers ran through my hair, his movements incredibly gentle. "Sophia, you're getting bolder and bolder, daring to run to places like this. Aren't you afraid something might happen?"
"I'm not doing anything wrong. What could happen?" I argued with him.
He gave a low scoff and grabbed my chin, forcing me to turn and look at him.
His eyes churned with emotions I couldn't understand. His forehead pressed against mine, nose to nose, our warm breaths mingling together. His lips were only a finger's width from mine.
"Sophia, you're always so stubborn in front of me."
I met his gaze and lifted my chin, deliberately provoking him: "So what?"
He laughed softly and leaned closer. His kiss landed gently on my forehead.
The moment that soft touch covered me, all the blood in my body seemed to freeze, and my mind went blank.
This was completely different from his forceful, domineering kisses before. This kiss was light, soft, and seemed to carry cherishing.
He gradually pried open my lips and teeth, lingering and passionate, the kiss gradually moving downward.
Maybe I was blinded by his tenderness—I didn't push him away.
I tilted back my slender neck and held his head.
Then I hated myself for being so easily manipulated by him. I despised myself. Then I thought that James was pretty handsome anyway, so I might as well treat it like I'd paid money for a gigolo.
His hand wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly in his arms. He kissed deeper and deeper, his breathing getting more and more rapid.
The massage table wasn't very big. We were pressed very close together. His heartbeat was right by my ear, steady and strong, gradually overlapping with my own heartbeat.
"Sophia." He pressed against my lips, his voice hoarse beyond recognition, the deep emotion in his eyes about to drown me. "Don't mention divorce anymore, okay?"
I bit my lip and said nothing.
I don't know how long we stayed locked in that stalemate before he finally let me go. His forehead pressed against mine, his hand caressing my face.
He didn't force me to answer, just reached out and scooped me up in his arms.
My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. My cheek pressed against his chest. Smelling the familiar fresh scent on him, my heart was a jumble of emotions.
"I'm taking you home." He looked down at me, his voice so gentle it could drip water.
I nestled in his arms without struggling and softly acknowledged him.
He carried me and pushed open the door to the private room. Liliana was standing right outside. When she saw him holding me like this and saw the kiss marks on my neck, her eyes went wide. Then she wisely shut her mouth and winked at me.
I immediately understood the teasing in her eyes. My cheeks burned hot. I buried myself in James's arms, not daring to lift my head.