Jessica yanked hard on the car door handle, but it was already locked.


    Timothy leaned over, reaching to buckle her seatbelt. She pped him across the face, her handnding with a sharp crack.


    His handsome features turned with the force of her blow.


    Anger shed across his eyes, breaking through the mask he usually wore. Without another word, he pinned Jessica against the passenger seat and kissed her fiercely.


    No matter how desperately she struggled, she couldn''t escape his hold or the forceful, unyielding press of his lips.


    They''d been married for seven years now. She''d just turned twenty-eight, and after giving birth, her body seemed even more sensitivepletely defenseless against the seductive skill of his kiss.


    Bit by bit, the rigidity in her body melted away.


    Only then did Timothy release her lips.


    Humiliation and self-loathing swept through her.


    Her cheeks flushed a deep, angry red, the afterglow of his touch staining her delicate features. The storm of anger and frustration left her expression cold, adding a new sharpness to her beauty-different from the woman she used to be.


    Maybe he sensed she''d responded to his kiss; the anger in Timothy''s eyes faded, reced by something softer.


    "Still need me this much, huh? Would it kill you just to behave?" His voice was low, thick with a dangerous charm.


    But the implication behind his words only made Jessica burn with shame. She hated how her body responded to him, how little resistance she could muster against his intimacy.


    "Timothy, you broke the agreement." Jessica''s voice was steady, her gesture firm.


    A smirk curled Timothy''s lips. "And? The contract never said what would happen if I did."


    Jessica''s eyes widened in shock.


    Timothy reached out, gently brushing the back of her head. "Come on, don''t be upset. There are no penalties, so what''s the big deal? I didn''t mean to break the rules. Honestly, you just weren''t behaving. Do you want me? If you do, just say so. We can wait until we get home."


    His tone softened, fingertips idly ying with a lock of her hair, the gesture as tender as it was tempting.


    To him, Jessica''s recent coldness was just a sign of unmet desire.


    She was reaching her prime, while he was always traveling on business, barely home, too busy to give her the attention he thought she needed.


    But Jessica wasn''t even thinking about that. Her mind was on the agreement. She wasn''t awyer, and she''d overestimated how much the contract could actually restrain Timothy.


    She''d believed the agreement would protect her, but now she saw the truth: it only mattered if Timothy chose to honor it. If he didn''t, it was nothing but worthless paper.


    Their marriage, everything between them-Timothy had always held all the power.


    Seven years ago, there''d been no obstacles; they''d slipped into marriage with barely a ripple.


    They''d kept it secret all these years. To Jessica, Timothy was the most important person in her world-her love, her family, the only one she had left.


    But to him, she may as well not exist. He was no different than he''d been before they married.


    After all these years, the only one left defeated was her.


    She wanted to break free, but it was so damn hard.


    Jessica stared at the man she''d thought she knew so well, fighting the ache in her chest. She lifted her hand, voice cold and steady. "I''m about to divorce you, Timothy, and you still chase after me like this. What''s wrong with you? Have you actually fallen for me?"


    Her eyes were icy-sharp enough to cut.


    Timothy''s hand froze mid-motion.


    His refined, handsome face seemed to pale in an instant, a storm gathering in the depths of his dark eyes.


    "You''ve got guts, I''ll give you that," he said quietly. "You keep trying to provoke me. These days, I''ve done everything I can to be good to you to indulge you, forgive you. And all you see is me debasing myself?"