Chapter 23: Wet, Soft and Sweet

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The intimacy of his caress didn’t tingle her skin, but it repulsed her to the point of nausea. He was merely treating her the same way he did with others. They were together only because she was lucky, only because he needed some action, and only because they were each taking what they needed from one another.

Because Maisy was pregnant, Jay did nothing but wrap his arms around her, his chest to her back on the bed throughout the night.

She couldn’t fall asleep, her mind reeling with thoughts of the man next to her. For a fleeting moment, she thought he felt it too. But it was all a deception constructed in her head, an illusion in her mind that caused her to mistake his tenderness as love, blinding her perceptions to think that she stood a chance. It was all her imagination, a marvel that ought to pop like a bubble.

She exchanged her sleepless night for reaching a decision. All she wanted right then was to deliver the child and escape his control as quickly as possible so their fates would no longer be shackled together. Only when the first light of dawn began filling the sky did she doze off in exhaustion. A few hours passed before she got startled awake by his movements when he got out of bed. She pretended to be asleep, remaining still until the warmth of his embrace had faded away. She opened her eyes. Jay had gone to work, and she was now alone in the room. Outside, the sky was nothing but grey clouds looming. A slow drizzle of rain was falling. She went back to sleep and only got up for food when she had enough rest. The remaining dreadful hours passed until nightfall that the doorbell rang several times in rapid succession. Her relaxed body tensed up once again, and all her nerves and muscles were taut. The housekeeper had already prepared dinner and set it on the table before leaving. It might be Jay at the door, but he didn’t have to ring her when he had the key. She came to the door and looked through the peephole, only to see the distorted face of her father through the fish-eye lens.

“Open the door, you fucking whore! I know you’re in there. You’re a slut, indeed. Pretending that I never existed after sleeping with a wealthy man. Did you hear me? Open the door!” Each of his words burned like a brand applied to her bare skin, and she was scared to death, fear accelerating her heart rate. She couldn’t get herself to open the door, and the pounding on the door continued. She listened to the vulgar language her father screamed at her, and they were probably every curse word she had ever heard.

Leaning against the door, she collapsed, sliding to the ground into a squat. She circled her arms around her knees, dropped her head in between, and began her uncontrollable crying. She was his daughter, undoubtedly. So why did her grandfather give her more love than he ever would, while all he did was see her as an object? When the noise on the other side of the door came to a sudden halt, Maisy wiped her tears away. The man was her father, after all. He couldn’t have done anything if she had no money with her now, could he?

She got to her feet and unlocked the door. All she saw was Jay’s menacing form, and he was too tall that he filled the doorway, preventing her from seeing what was going on beyond the door. Anxiety flooded over her. She inched sideways, but her father was nowhere in sight. Nothing was behind Jay. Puzzled, she looked up to meet his eyes.

Jay had always loved the way her doe eyes glistened with innocence and animation. Then, he heard her stutter. “Uh… Did you see who was at the door?”

His lips curved into a smile, and he reached his fingertip. Maisy closed her eyes, afraid of what would happen to her next, only to find him merely poking her with amusement.

“Don’t worry. I got rid of him. It seems that he’s your father?” he said.

Almost squirming with embarrassment, she nodded. It was already outrageous when her father had caused a scene at the door, but more when the residence’s owner had come home and witnessed it.

With the front door left open, they had let in the cool evening breeze. Maisy shivered and stepped away from the door. Grasping his chance, Jay came inside and shut the door behind him. He still had his suit on when he turned around, leaned down, and pressed his lips against hers.

Her wet, soft lips. So sweet..