Chapter 1826


    Her hands clenched suddenly, then slowly released.


    The chill at her slender fingertips mirrored the trembling of her heartbeat—irrepressible and


    uncontroble.


    Morrison seemed to have used brute force, a stark contrast to his earlier frantic desperation.


    In fact, it was as if he wanted to devour her whole.


    “Damn fool, I love you."


    “Every time I see you, I want to fuck you."


    “Every damn day, I want to do those things couples do at night with you."


    If hisst sentence hade first, then all those explicit things he said before would seem


    justifiable—a reason she could ept.


    He said he loved her...


    Her eyes uncontrobly reddened. Her clothes had already been mostly stripped away. The


    oversized shirt she wore of his was easy to remove due to its looseness.


    The sound of stic scraping distracted Rose, her eyes freezing as she pushed Morrison away.


    She turned her head to dodge his kiss.


    Noticing the pile of things beside them, Rose pursed her lips. She shifted back, and her cheeks was


    flushed, "Why did you bring those items to the hospital?"


    Morrison shrugged off his jacket. "Didn''t I bring you too?"


    He loosened a few buttons of his shirt cor, looking down at her with a gaze smoldering with


    intensity.


    His lips brushed against hers, then grazed her ear, his voice seductively husky. "After tasting the


    vor tonight, do you think I could just let you go?


    All these years, I''ve been looking for a legitimate reason."


    Rose, flustered by his blunt words, retorted, "All these years, and you finally find a reason? Yet, the


    moment you hear Mona is in trouble, you rush off.


    How can you say she’s not on your mind when you leave at such a critical moment?"


    Morrison''s expression soured, his pride stung. He had been denying his shameful desires for the


    mermaid-like beauty in his arms for years, but now, the thought of her made him ache to flip her


    over until she was begging for mercy.


    However, this woman was ruining the mood.


    “It''s not about her. Rose, if you bring her up again, you can forget about sleep tomorrow night. It''ll


    be the perfect excuse to indulge myself"


    Rose looked surprised at the man now revealing his true colors, "You think I want to talk about her?


    Isn''t she the one you hook up with? You were the one who was on the bed with me, and you got


    worried when you heard she was in trouble, didn''t you? After divorce, whether it''s her or you, it has


    nothing to do with me."


    "Rose, do you know how annoying it is for you to talk about divorce all the time?"


    “If you agree, you can only hear it once in your life."


    Rose paused for a few seconds, then pushed Morrison away.


    His face immediately darkened, and when he saw Rose slipping away from him, he moved his arm


    to block her way. "I just want you."


    Rose bit her lip, "You are thinking about other women, but your body is lusting after me. You''re


    dating spiritually and physically. Don''t you feel trashy?"


    “Are you out of your mind? I said I don''t love her."


    RêAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Rose turned her head and didn''t look at him.


    Morrison''s impatience grew, but he resisted the urge tosh out, his voice low and controlled.


    “lL went to see her because if something happened to her, it would be bad for everyone. With


    today’s unreliable intews, you know what people can say. If this blows up, who knows what


    they''ll drag you through?"


    Rose watched him silently.


    “You''re already making a scene about feeling wronged with me. If another issue arises, and others


    start criticizing you, how can I have peace of mind?"


    Rose countered, "Who''s making a scene with you?"


    "You''re not. Nothing''s wrong. You just decided to pick a fight with me."


    Rose frowned, "So it''s my fault?"


    “It''s my fault. 1! shouldn''t have gotten involved with other women while we were in school, and I


    shouldn''t have left you in the middle of our makeout and went to ‘worry’ about someone else. So,


    I''m here to make it up to you."


    With that, Morrison''s intent was clear as daylight.


    Rose swiftly held him back. "Not here. This is a hospital!"


    “I locked the door"


    Despite the assurance, Rose resisted, pushing against his shoulders, "So Morrison, you''re saying


    you came to the hospital because Mona''s issue might cause bad press for me?"


    Morrison paused, his face tensing slightly, "Mostly, I didn''t want to be theughingstock."


    Rose smirked cynically, "I thought so. How could you possibly do it for me..."


    "Rose, you''re a damn fool,’ Morrison cursed, his anger bubbling once again.


    Rose''s lips tightened, and she remained silent.


    “You''re always such a fool."


    After a while, Morrison tied up Rose''s slightly damp hair, carrying the glowing, soft "mermaid’” into


    the bathroom. He held her close, turned on the shower, and thoroughly washed her before tucking


    her back into bed. Then he loomed over her, "You see now? Next time you defy me, the


    consequences will be worse, got it?"


    Rose barely opened her eyes, nced at him, then turned away, leaving him with an indifferent


    back.


    Morrison sighed. Damn woman, when did she get such a temper?


    After a quick shower, he came back to bed and pulled the woman, who was turned away from him,


    into his embrace.


    Rose was exhausted. She felt his presence, her eyelids fluttered but did not open, knowing who it


    was and letting it be.


    The room was brightly lit. Her face in his arms was almost blindingly glowing, and her skin was


    wless. Just like the rest of her, soft and smooth.


    He had never wanted to admit it before, not even considering saying it out loud. Now that he had, it


    didn’t seem to be such a big deal. After all, he had already made the worst impression possible on


    Rose. Nothing else mattered.


    Even if he was the worst, she still loved this face.


    Morrison''s brow furrowed in sudden irritation as another man''s face intruded on his thoughts, along


    with Rose''s words— “Well, who wouldn''t feel ttered by the attention of a big-time movie star?"


    He had overheard their conversation in the hospital room, crystal clear from outside.


    ncing down at Rose, he lifted her chin with his hand, examining her face from either side. Even


    with her eyes closed, there was no denying that the woman was beautiful.


    A face worth swooning over.


    With her looks, herpany, and her own worth, damn, it wouldn''t be surprising if she kept a


    boy toy on the side.


    And when it came to Winston, well, he had to admit, it''s very possible.


    His expression grew darker as he studied her peaceful sleeping face, growing more irritable by the


    second.


    Why the hell did she have to doll herself up to look so damn good?!


    Beautiful, rich, and financially independent, it seemed snagging any man she wanted was as simple


    as snapping her fingers. No wonder she could brazenly bring up divorce without a care in the world.


    This set Morrison on edge. He felt like a country bumpkin who feared his wife would run off with


    someone else every day.


    His grip on her arm tightened reflexively, his brow creasing even deeper.


    Sleep eluded him, and insomnia had set in.


    The next day.


    A persistent knock at the door woke the two sleeping figures. Rose''s eyes fluttered open, heavy


    with sleep. The light streaming in from the window furrowed her brow slightly.


    The events of the previous night yed through her mind like a film reel, each word, action, and


    breath vividly etched in her memory.


    She instinctively ced her hand on her slightly rounded belly, caressing it gently. Her cheeks were


    flushed, but her heart suddenly felt calm.


    The knocking on the door outside continued. Beside her, Morrison furrowed his brows, a thick


    displeasure evident on his face, revealing a clear sense of annoyance.


    Disturbed from his rest, he turned with a scowl, his mood softening slightly as he caught the faint


    scent of her perfume. His lips curled in a reluctant smile, as he wrapped his arm around Rose''s


    waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck.


    Rose stiffened for a moment. Morrison''s hand on her waist shifted, tracing a path until it rested


    beneath her palm, over her burgeoning belly.


    Her eyes blinked softly. It was a simple gesture, but it touched her heart nheless. He was


    looking forward to the baby, ready to treat him with tenderness and care.


    Given Morrison''s nature, the thought of him as a doting and gentle father was almost inconceivable.


    She knew him too well. Getting him to show her the slightest bit of kindness was a Herculean task.


    Since their college days, pleasant interactions with him were rare. In fact, their rtionship was


    never about one yielding to the other; they were always at odds over something.


    While their wealthy peers often acted with indifference, with Morrison, what he said wasw, and no


    one challenged him.


    Except her, the one who frequently did.


    So back then, their interactions were often contentious, appearing mutually antagonistic. But aside


    from matters of principle, she still liked hanging around him. She liked his face, his independent


    mind, and his refusal to conform. As for expecting him to be tender or engaging in sweet talk, that


    was a pipe dream.


    She could tolerate his roughness, his bad temper, even his childish behavior and thinking, but she


    would never relent on matters of principle.


    And yet,st night, he had actually...


    The knocking ceased, and Rose faintly heard someone mention getting a doctor to unlock the door.


    Realizing she was still in her birthday suit, she quickly propped herself up in bed.


    Morrison frowned in displeasure. His arm across her waist tightened, “Lay back down for a bit."


    “They''re going toe in soon, and I’m not even dressed,” she protested.


    After a moment of silence, Morrison sat up, his gaze lingering on her as she clutched the nket to


    her chest, her bare shoulders a stark contrast.


    Clearing his throat, he pressed her down again, indulging in a brief moment of intimacy.


    Rose struggled slightly, so he released her with a sigh and picked up her clothes from the night


    before, helping her dress.


    Rose went from being pinned down to being dressed almost by rote. Finally catching her breath,


    she nced at Morrison, her brow creasing with concern. “You..."


    Morrison looked up, “What?"


    Rose hesitated, then spoke, her cheeks tinged with red. She grabbed her zer from the night


    before and distanced herself from him before speaking up.


    “And what''s with those dark circles? You look like hell."