Chapter 30
William was infuriated by her words. Sarah was like a thorn stuck between them - it hurt Ava, and he seemed to be suffering too.
He had waited three years for this divorce, but when the day finally came, he found himself not as eager as he'd imagined.
If only Ava would make a fuss with him, but instead, she signed the divorce papers so casually and couldn't wait to go through with the procedures. What did she take him for?
A toy for when she was lonely?
Or a practice boyfriend for her first love?
He grabbed her chin with one hand and kissed her hard, biting her lip roughly. The taste of blood spread through both their mouths.
"I'm your husband, Ava. Until we have that divorce certificate in hand, you're Mrs. Ava Morgan. Please remember your status before you do anything or see anyone - you're embarrassing the Morgan Family."
Ava wiped her lips, leaving a streak of red on the back of her hand - lipstick or blood, all mixed together and impossible to tell apart.
"You still remember you're my husband? I thought you were my brother-in-law. Since we're getting into all this, why don't you explain what you were doing at a couple's restaurant with my sister?"
William licked his lips and paused for a few seconds before speaking.
"Sarah made the reservation. I didn't know it was a couple's restaurant before I got there. Could you not be so mean when you talk about your own sister? She's innocent and doesn't overthink things. She just wanted to try this trendy restaurant, that's all."
Ava's lips curved as she forced herself to smile, completely speechless.
She had no words to describe how she felt right now. It was disgusting, like eating a fly - a fly that her so-called husband had shoved down her throat.
"Honey, let's go home."
Let's just end this topic here.
She didn't want to continue. Who was right or wrong didn't matter - she was the only one feeling sick.
They were about to divorce anyway. No point dwelling on this crap and making herself miserable.
That "Honey" really worked on William. He was naturally the type who responded to softness, not hardness. Going head-to-head with him never ended well.
If she'd been this soft earlier, he wouldn't have lost his temper like this.
"Ava."
His thumb touched the corner of her eye again, gently stroking those alluring fox eyes. The ice in his eyes gradually melted.
Ava stood stiffly, letting him touch her face.
"Ava, be good, just like this, okay?"
He rarely spoke to her in this tone - it was almost coaxing.
Ava knew this was the lowest he could go. He was born standing on giants' shoulders - the word "submit" wasn't in his dictionary.
She used to be so obedient, but he never called her name in such a gentle tone, except in bed.
Looking at the rare tenderness in his eyes, Ava almost believed for a moment that she was cherished by him, too.
But how could that be possible?
His heart belonged only to Sarah. There was no room for anyone else.
She looked at him seductively, standing on tiptoes, her arms wrapping around his shoulders like vines. Her eyes caught a glimpse of that figure in the distance as she asked softly,
"Honey, are we going home or back to the restaurant?"
William felt a nameless fire stirring inside him. She rarely showed him affection in public, let alone called him "Honey" in that way that made his whole body tingle. All his jealousy melted away.
Sometimes men are really easy to please, and he was no exception.
One "Honey" was enough.
"Let's go home."
He said.
His expression completely softened. He lowered his head to kiss her eyebrows, her nose, then patiently kissed the corner of her lips.
He pried open her teeth and explored inside.
The kiss was deeply passionate.
Something was different today. William was unusually emotional, as if some mysterious force was surging through his body, unable to find an outlet.
He wasn't some eighteen or nineteen-year-old kid who'd never touched a woman, but today he couldn't get enough of kissing her, even though this woman kissed terribly, like a piece of wood.
Her learning ability was poor too - no improvement after three years.
He even wanted to throw her in the car right now and have his way with her.
For a moment, he was scared by his own thoughts.
People have impulses, but what separates humans from animals is that humans can control their behavior. Right now, he just wanted to be an animal.
He just wanted to follow his heart recklessly.
In the distance, Sarah stood under a streetlight. The light cast her shadow on the ground, so small that no matter how loudly her heels clicked, William couldn't see her.
At this moment, his eyes only had Ava. He was lost.
Sarah trembled with anger watching the two of them kissing passionately in front of her. Worse still, the woman being kissed looked at her with mocking eyes.
That one look crushed all the fighting spirit she'd come with.
She'd worked so hard to get a reservation at this trendy couples' restaurant, used every trick to coax him here, and he was so easily taken away by Ava.
She'd wanted to get him to drink more, then take him back to JadeDragon Bay Residences, just like last time.
After all that careful planning, nothing to show for it.
He'd clearly seen Ava at a couple's restaurant with another man, but he still took her away without disgust, leaving Sarah alone at the restaurant to be verbally attacked by that savage Lucas.
Sarah couldn't believe her eyes. Had he really fallen in love with that woman who looked seventy percent like her in just three years?
Then what about their feelings over all these years?
He'd always been so accommodating to her, agreeing to everything except her requests for intimacy. Why would he kiss Ava so passionately but refuse to even touch her?
Sarah clenched her fists. She hadn't panicked this much even when she heard the rumors about Ava being pregnant this afternoon.
"William."
She held back her displeasure and put on a bright smile.
"William, don't blame Ava. I shouldn't have booked this restaurant and made Ava misunderstand. I just wanted to try their blueberry ice cream. Ava, don't fight with William either. Let's all have a nice meal together as a family."
Hearing her voice, William paused and was about to pull away.
Ava's arms pulled him back, holding him tightly.
Anyone could put on an act - she just hadn't bothered before.
Her sudden initiative made William unable to think. His brain was completely occupied by desire, his behavior firmly controlled by it, not allowing any loosening.
"William, you explain things properly to Ava. I'll leave first, then."
Sarah said this, but showed no sign of leaving. She was waiting for him to ask her to stay. She didn't believe he would just leave with Ava like this without even saying goodbye.
William was kissing so passionately that he had no time to process her words.
He opened the car door and placed Ava on the seat.
He was so absorbed in the kiss that she got drawn in too, even forgetting that she'd only seduced him to put on a show and anger Sarah.
Truth was, deep down, she still loved him desperately.
"Click" - the seat reclined flat.
Ava's mind snapped back, and she panicked for a moment. A dangerous aura enveloped her, leaving her no time to provoke the woman under the streetlight. She even regretted whether she'd gone too far - was this a pyrrhic victory?
She wasn't some naive girl. She knew exactly what he wanted to do.
Adult matters didn't need to be spelled out so clearly.
"Let's, let's do it at home."
She pulled down the dress that had been pushed up to her waist, her voice trembling as she offered him a rain check.
No matter how calm she'd been before, her heart was racing now.
William stopped all movement, restrained and controlled, like a beast trapped in a cage.
"Okay, we'll do it at home."