Chapter 2098


    "It''s all because you stirred something in me. You wanted to be with me, and you demanded my


    love. So you can''t just toss me aside after I''ve fallen for you. You just can''t."


    He seemed to finally shatter the thick, solid walls that had confined and repressed him for the past


    three years, kissing her without reservation.


    His long fingers threaded through her delicate ones, pressing them against the crown of her head,


    his heavy frame radiating a scorching heat through his shirt, searing her skin.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Her mind was a foggy mess, initially reying his words clearly, but eventually they blurred into


    fragmented whispers—


    "You can''t toss me aside after I''ve fallen for you."


    "No one loves you more than I do."d2


    No one loves you more than I do...


    That phrase was like a curse, a stuck record in her mind, endlessly repeating.


    No one loves you more than I do...


    She didn''t understand; she already knew the facts.


    Seth had a knack for touching her sensitive spots out of the blue, when she least expected it. Even


    though she was in a low mood, she would give him a great response because of her body''s


    instincts.


    A gentle nibble on her earlobe made Cicely shudder abruptly, her strength draining away as if pulled


    by a ma, leaving her limp and powerless.


    She bit down on her lip, her breaths shallow and warm. She wanted to resist, but the man only held


    her tighter.


    "Stop moving, honey. Can you be good for me... Please be good. Cicely, I want you."


    Her natural scent, as if seeping out from her smooth, pale skin, carried an innate, fatal allure.


    "Are you out of your mind?" Cicely managed to speak, her voice raspy and seductively soft to her


    own annoyance.


    "Mhm," Seth murmured back, his voice muffled, "I want you."


    The doe was finally soothed, and the cheetah began to feast, dominating his prey.


    At the moment of total possession, Cicely arched in pain. She couldn''t hold back her cry, "It hurts."


    "It''ll stop hurting soon, just a moment more."


    Seth''s voice was low, chaotic, filled with coaxing, luring her into submission, coaxing her to open


    herself for his convenience.


    Especially when his voice grazed her ear, bewitching her, she was forever powerless against his


    tactics.


    Cicely clenched her fists, Seth''s interlocking fingers pressing them beside her ear, his coaxing voice


    never ceasing. "No, let me go."


    Seth did not appreciate her refusal and turned to silence her with a kiss. What followed was his


    relentless im and pursuit.


    All control was in his hands, and he manipted every sense, satisfying his desires and


    contentment over and over.


    ...


    He wanted to devour her whole, and for a moment, Cicely thought he might cling to her all night


    long as he had once before, but in the end, his head injury and the fever that made his temperature


    rise consumed much of his energy.


    By the early hours of the morning, he was already in a daze, but still held tightly to Cicely, unwilling


    to let go.


    Cicely''s body, which had been stationary for more than three years, was drained by this tossing and


    turning as well.


    The heat of his embrace was unsettlingly high. Even his breath on her head felt scorching. Shey


    quietly for a while, then finally reached out and grasped his arm wrapped around her waist.


    He seemed to sense her intent to push him away and pulled her closer into his embrace, burying


    his face in the crook of her neck, his lips grazing her skin.


    Cicely closed her eyes, remaining still for a long moment. Soon, his breathing by her ear became


    more even, heavier than usual.


    She moved, but Seth did not react this time. She got up from the bed, found a nightgown to slip on,


    nced at the unresponsive man on the bed, pursed her lips, and walked into the bathroom.


    Minutester, she emerged with a basin of water, ced it on the bedside table after watching Seth


    for a moment, and then took a long time before bending down to put it down.


    If it weren''t such a hassle to change the sheets in the middle of the night, she wouldn''t mind


    dousing him with the entire basin.


    She wet the towel, wrung it out, and began to wipe Seth down, her face taut with effort as she bore


    her aching back.


    After several changes of water and checking on his fever, she managed to take a shower during a


    brief break. Seeing his furrowed brow slowly rx, she tossed the towel into the basin.


    Unable to stay awake any longer, she slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.


    *


    When Lana opened the door, there was no one outside. She was surprised; she had thought he


    would stay out there, even though it was probably pointless, but waiting was always better than


    giving up.


    What a pity.


    She closed the door and went to have breakfast. The servant, likely noticing her earlier action,


    added ament as breakfast was served. "Last night, Mr. Diaz came in."


    Lana''s hand, which had just picked up the fork, paused abruptly. She looked up, "Who let him in?"


    "Miss Cicely, she came downst night."


    The young servant blushed, "Last night, Mr. Diaz carried Miss Cicely upstairs."


    Lana fell silent. Taking a bite of her croissant, she chewed thoughtfully. It shouldn''t have happened;


    the man had a high fever, and he could barely stand. Even if he could carry Cicely upstairs, he


    wouldn''t have the strength to do much, right?


    ncing at the blushing servant, Lana raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her lips. "Why''s your


    face so red?"


    Caught off guard by the question, the servant''s face turned even redder. "I... Mr. Diaz was kissing


    Miss Cicely in the living roomst night."


    "Cough cough."


    Lana had thought that at most the young girl had imagined a steamy romance after seeing Seth


    carry Cicely upstairs.


    But this...


    Was he so impatient that he started right in the living room?


    Last night, when the servant heard noise and came out, to her shock, she witnessed that intimate


    scene. Mr. Diaz was holding Miss Cicely, whispering affectionately, each word and action dripping


    with sensuality.


    The Seth Lana remembered, like everyone else''s image of him, was noble and aloof, seemingly


    unsuited for such intimate affairs between men and women. But paradoxically, when such a cool


    and elegant man became involved in those matters, the pheromones he exuded were surprisingly


    intoxicating.


    ...


    Seth awoke first, his eyes slowly adjusting to the semi-familiar room that greeted him. He paused


    for a few seconds, the events of the previous night creeping back into his recollection. His heart


    skipped a beat when he turned and saw the woman nestled in his embrace.


    Her delicate and beautiful facey against the crook of his arm, her eyebrows soft and feathery,


    slightly furrowed in peaceful slumber.


    He found himself holding his breath, watching her, scrutinizing her features with unapologetic


    intensity, down to the fine baby hairs at her hairline. Unable to resist, he bent down and nted a


    gentle kiss on her forehead.


    The sleeping beauty stirred, nuzzling closer into his chest in response.


    He stiffened momentarily, feeling the familiar warmth and scent of her body pressing against his


    own, a sense of belonging that had been absent for far too long. He tightened his hold around her


    waist, his broad, warm chest enveloping herpletely.


    The tight embrace made Cicely furrow her brow, her consciousness slowly stirring before her eyes


    fluttered open. She moved slightly, trying to push him away.


    Feeling her stir, Seth slightly rxed his grip and looked down at her, his voice low and husky. "You


    are awake?"


    Her forehead moved under his gaze, and he responded with another kiss, this time on the tip of her


    nose.


    Cicely turned her head, her voice still groggy from sleep and tinged with a coolness that seemed to


    suit her. "Aren''t you done?"


    "No," Seth stubbornly replied, recalling the hazy promises of the night before. Even in a feverish


    state, he remembered his words. He’d be damned if he didn’t keep her right where she was – by his


    side.


    Last night hadn''t been her choice.


    If he let her decide now, she would surely send him away, probably never wanting to see him again,


    possibly even destroying the fragile truce they had managed to forge in recent days.


    That was uneptable. He wasn''t looking for that oue.


    "Are you trying to smother me?" Cicely asked coldly, prompting Seth to finally release his grip.


    Sitting up on the bed, she crossed her legs and gazed at Seth, who also sat up, leaning back


    against the headboard.


    Seth’s gaze fell upon the washbasin and towel on the nightstand, noting that he seemed much more


    at ease than he had been in days. A smile danced at the corner of his lips as he turned to face her.


    Cicely narrowed her eyes slightly. "I was worried you''d die in my bed." As the words left her mouth,


    she frowned.


    Seth reached for her wrist, his voice carrying a teasing lilt, "Then you''ll have to worry every day."


    The suggestive meaning was not lost on Cicely, who tried to pull her hand away without sess.


    "Seth."


    "I made myself clearst night, Cicely. Stop asking me to let you go; it’s not going to happen. You


    can hit me, curse me, whatever – I''ll treat you right. No one can do better by you than me. Don''t


    even think about leaving." He pulled her closer, resting her head against his chest. "Just stay with


    me, okay? As long as you''re here, everything else is up to you."


    "And if I don’t?"


    "You have to take responsibility. Cicely, you were the one who provoked me back then, and you


    were the one who had to make me love you. It''s not fair that we have to be together if you say you


    love me, and not if you say you don''t."


    That was what he saidst night. It seemed like he was very soberst night.


    "Seth, are you really going to be like this?"


    He stroked her tousled hair, "I gave you a chance, and you missed it. No more chances. Call it what


    you will, but I’ll ept anything to keep you close. Even if it means you stay just to torment me."


    Cicely sat up, meeting his gaze, "So, I guess whatever I say doesn''t matter now?"


    Seth nodded candidly, "Yep, doesn''t matter."


    "Seth, aren’t you afraid that one day I might poison you or stab you in your sleep?"


    "I''ll risk it."


    Cicely smirked, "You probably think I still love you. That’s why when youe freeloading for food, I


    let you. Seeing you down and out, I can''t stand it, so when others say to get you out, I do it. When


    you''re sick with fever outside my door, it hurts me, so I open the doorte at night to check on you.


    You''ve got a high fever and I''m worried that you might fry your brain, so I take care of you, even


    though it leaves me achy and weary. No one’s smarter than you. I’ve only ever loved you, never


    anyone else, never thought to. You’re right, I do still love you."


    Seth''s easy, pleasant expression darkened. He didn''t rejoice at her sudden admission of love.


    "I always thought love''s opposite was hate, that they couldn''t coexist. But now, I believe they can.


    My love is real, but so is my hate.


    "Everything from the past, I am the original sinner, but you''re not meless. Damon said my dad


    had a heart condition; I’ll take his word for it. Seth, considering half of my father''s life, and one of


    Issac''s, even if everything you did back then was because you loved me, how can we be together


    with a life and a half between us?"