Chapter 12
Ava couldn't help but shrink back, the tingling sensation in her ears instantly spreading through her blood to every part of her body.
"Mr. Morgan, we're divorced. We can't sleep in the same room, let alone share the same blanket. Please go back to the master bedroom. The guest room bed is too hard for your precious body."
Her voice trembling, she reminded him again of their divorce agreement, afraid he might actually do something.
"Aren't you the one who loves sharing a blanket with me?"
William's tone carried a hint of mockery. Ava's face flushed with embarrassment and anger, though she couldn't really deny what he said.
In the first few months of their marriage, he rarely came back to SilkGrove Estates, often staying alone at his other properties. She tried every trick to get him to come home, even wearing lingerie. Back then, she thought that seeing each other would give their relationship a chance to develop. She had some confidence in her body, always feeling that if she tried hard enough, she could earn a place in his heart.
Looking back now, it all seemed absurd.
William propped himself up on his arms, lifting himself off her. Undeniably, he'd just been stung by that "Mr. Morgan." She used to only call him "William," and he suddenly realized he'd never heard her call him "Honey."
"I'm your Honey."
His flat tone carried an undeniable sense of pressure. Normally, Ava wouldn't dare contradict him.
But now?
They were getting divorced.
"Not after tomorrow."
Ava lay beneath his towering gaze, like a fish on a chopping board.
"Tomorrow's business is tomorrow's. I only live in the present, and right now you should call me Honey!"
Their relationship had come to this point—she really couldn't understand what there was left to fight about.
Unable to figure out what he was thinking, Ava's heart pounded nervously, though she pretended to stay calm on the surface.
"Mr. Morgan, do you really worry about having no one to call you Honey? Every woman in Emerald City wants to call you Honey. Who knows, maybe the moment we walk out of City Hall tomorrow, someone will be calling you that."
Ava was obviously referring to Sarah, who couldn't wait for his divorce. William would probably barely finish the divorce proceedings on the second floor before Sarah dragged him upstairs to the third floor to register their marriage.
"So you want to be one of them, too?"
Ava was caught off guard. What kind of logic was that? If it weren't for that face saying these words, anyone else would just seem overly confident.
"Say it once, now!"
Ava's eyes widened in shock at his words. What an absurd demand—being asked to say "Honey" the night before their divorce. She clearly remembered the first night after they got their marriage certificate, she'd called him "Honey" once, only to receive a sharp glare and an agreement in return. She never mentioned those two words again.
"What? Is it that hard? Say it once, and I'll buy you a designer bag. Or would you rather cry while saying it? That works too!"
Ava felt humiliated, her heart aching with a fine, dense pain.
Before, every time he slept with her, he'd give her a bag as payment. They weren't like husband and wife, more like a transaction of money for services.
She wasn't his wife—she was more like a prostitute he'd hired.
That entire wall of designer bags in the walk-in closet—she hadn't touched a single one. Each was a witness to her dignity being trampled underfoot.
This kind of humiliation—today was enough.
Ava stared at him with a bitter smile, repeating in her mind:
William, I don't want to love you anymore!
Get lost, you jerk!
William had no intention of letting her go, kissing her heavily, urgent and fierce. Ava dodged a few times, and in the quiet room came the sound of teeth clashing.
"You... let me go, or I'll call the police!"
William looked at the woman in his arms. He could tell the difference between her genuinely not wanting this and playing hard to get. Hearing her mention calling the police, he found it somewhat amusing.
She used to be as docile as a rabbit, but now she dared to talk back to him, even threatening him with the police. In all of Emerald City, no one dared treat him this way.
This woman had really grown bold today!
"Go ahead and report me then. I'm having you today either way."
Part truth, part threat—Ava was already terrified, curling up beneath him, her hand unconsciously reaching for her lower abdomen.
Two scalding tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
Ava realized this man hated being threatened most of all. Force wouldn't work with him. She suddenly felt helpless. If he really forced himself on her, she couldn't resist—after all, the physical strength difference between men and women was too great.
"What will it take for you to let me go?"
The little woman beneath him suddenly looked pitiful, gazing at him with tear-filled eyes. William couldn't stand seeing her teary-eyed, especially in bed.
Finally, he softened.
"Call me Honey and I'll let you go."
"In your dreams!"
William's briefly relaxed brow furrowed again.
Fine, still being stubborn.
"Won't say it?"
Domineering kisses swept over her like a tidal wave, as if he wanted to devour her whole. Ava had no power to resist. She dodged left and right, her hands pressing against his solid, burning chest. Thinking of the little life in her belly, she began to sob quietly in fear.
"Honey, Honey... let me go, please."
In this state, even if William had been eager before, he'd lost interest now. Besides, he'd only wanted to hold her while sleeping anyway—she was the one who provoked him.
After she left SilkGrove Estates, he hadn't had a single good night's sleep.
William was pleased, tenderly wiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
"Not bad. Call me that from now on."
He praised her, then rolled off her body to lie beside her, calming his breathing.
Ava straightened her nightgown, hugging her arms and trembling slightly. The next second, her body fell into a warm embrace, his large hand inadvertently resting on her lower abdomen.
Ava's entire body couldn't help but tremble lightly.
"Am I that scary? Why are you shaking?"
"Sleep. I won't touch you."
As he said this, he pulled her closer into his arms. The blanket was too small after all.
Ava calmed down and realized the person beside her had already fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically with his breathing, his warm breath above her head.
She looked up, her gaze meeting his thin lips.
Only at times like this did she dare to look at him so boldly.
They say people with lips like that are heartless, yet he'd been devoted to Sarah all this time—clearly, he was capable of deep feelings. The person he loved must be very happy.
The next day, when Ava woke up, William was already gone from the bed.
She stretched lazily and found his secondary credit card in her palm, along with a note.
【I'm on a business trip to Silverlight City, return date uncertain. Stay at the Morgan Mansion for a few days. Don't you dare go to Lucas's place!!!】
Ava felt like she'd been played. They'd agreed to go to City Hall today for the divorce, but he suddenly went on a business trip. Who knew when the divorce would be postponed to now?
Why should she obediently go to the Morgan Mansion just because he said so?
No way.
Ava got up and packed her clothes, stuffing them back into her suitcase. As she went downstairs and reached the staircase, her steps suddenly froze when she saw the person below.