Chapter 7

His hand slid under her robe, finding the smooth skin beneath, and he yanked her clothes off in one swift motion.

Hannah screamed, "Shawn, you bastard, get away from me!"

Fueled by alcohol, Shawn's mind flashed back to what Denise had told him—he had been too lenient with Hannah. That was why Hannah had become so spoiled.

With a swift movement, Shawn's hand ripped the silk robe apart, leaving it in tatters around them and her body exposed.

His eyes burned red with desire.

Tonight, he was determined to get what he wanted.

Hannah frantically tried to crawl away, but Shawn caught her by the ankle, pulling her back beneath him. His eyes were flushed with anger. "Hannah, tell me—what wife stays a virgin days after her wedding? What kind of wife refuses to sleep with her husband?"

He grabbed her legs and pushed them up against her shoulders.

Hannah's face was covered in tears of shame and anger. "Shawn, don’t touch me."

But Shawn wasn’t listening anymore.

He might have held back if he hadn’t experienced sex before, but ever since being with Denise, his self-control had faltered. The temptation was too strong—this was his wife, the woman he’d loved for eight years. Not even a saint could resist giving in to such desire.

As he moved to take things further, Hannah braced herself, ready to fight back with everything she had. “Shawn, I know about you and Den—”

Shawn suddenly stopped.

He looked up at Hannah, his interest fading, and let her go. "You’re on your period."

Hannah fell silent.

Relieved, she scrambled to her feet. Grabbing a nearby shawl, she quickly draped it over herself and hurried out to the study.

Shawn pressed his hand against his forehead and collapsed heavily onto the carpet.

By now, most of the alcohol had worn off.

Something felt off about Hannah.

Since their wedding night, she had been acting strange. Was it because... she had found out about his affair?

Impossible! He had been so discreet.

Looking at the clothes scattered on the floor, Shawn felt a deep emptiness inside. He picked up Hannah's silk robe, pressing it against his face and inhaling her scent deeply, finding some comfort in it.

Hannah sat on the toilet, feeling as if she had narrowly escaped a disaster.

She gasped for air, her breaths coming out in heavy, uneven bursts.

Then, tears streamed down her face.

By the time she pulled herself together and came out, Shawn was already gone.

However, on the bedside table, there was a hot water bottle and a steaming cup of ginger tea.

Hannah bit down hard on her lip.

She almost wished Shawn would be more ruthless, instead of this constant back and forth, caught between extremes. On one hand, he was recklessly destroying their six years of love; on the other, he kept reminding her of all the tender moments they had shared.

Just as she stood there in a daze, the phone rang—it was a call from Leslie Spencer.

Leslie's voice had a commanding tone. "Your uncle hurt his arm. Go visit him at the Rosalia Estate tomorrow."

Hannah's heart skipped a beat.

She agreed immediately. She knew that if Sebastian's arm was injured, it was likely because of her; it was only right for her to visit him.

It happened to be Saturday the next day.

Hannah called Shawn to ask if he wanted to come along. While she felt she should go alone, visiting an uncle from the husband's side as a niece-in-law might not look proper, so she reached out to Shawn to see if he'd join.

However, he didn’t pick up.

Hannah felt a small sense of relief. Now, if Leslie asked, she could at least say she had tried to bring him along.

Because of her period, she avoided wearing a dress.

Instead, she chose black pants, a white hooded sweatshirt, and sneakers, looking almost like a high school student.

At nine, she left the house.

By around ten, she arrived at the Rosalia Estate.

The butler recognized her and greeted her with a deep bow. "Madam, please come in. Mr. Sebastian is at home."

Hannah returned his smile politely and walked in, carrying a gift basket of health supplements.

She followed the central path, moving forward. Just as the grand entrance of the living room came into view, a few fierce, rapid barks suddenly erupted from the side.

Hannah's legs went weak.

She trembled as she turned her head to see four large, snarling dogs barking wildly at her, their eyes gleaming with aggression.

Hannah nearly collapsed to her knees. She quickly quickened her pace, trying to move faster.

But the four dogs rushed forward, barking fiercely, "Woof! Woof!"

Terrified, Hannah screamed, dropping the heavy gift basket she was holding and took off running. "Help!"

She had been afraid of dogs her entire life!

Hannah ran desperately toward the living room, only to crash headfirst into what felt like a wall of muscle. Before she could say anything, the dogs had reached her, tugging at the hems of her pants.

In a panic, Hannah clung desperately to that "wall," pulling her feet as high off the ground as she could.

Sebastian's face was cold and stern. "Down!"

The four dogs instantly became obedient, lying flat on the ground, their tails wagging furiously as they eagerly looked up at Sebastian, transforming from fierce wolves into docile puppies in a blink.

With the dogs disciplined, he turned to the person in his grip.

Sebastian's cold gaze fell on the woman clinging to him like an octopus.

They were face-to-face, and she was so close that he could feel the softness of her chest pressed tightly against him.

Her hips were aligned closely with his lower abdomen.

Sebastian, a healthy man with normal urges, subtly took a step back. "Had enough of holding onto me?"

Hannah’s face turned bright red.

Common sense told her she was being ridiculous and inappropriate—she should get down immediately!

But seeing the four dogs forming a circle around her… she just couldn’t muster the courage.

Hannah’s expression was conflicted. “Could you… have them leave?”

As she spoke, her body slid down slightly, and she quickly scrambled back up, as if climbing a tree.

Sebastian was speechless.

He clenched his teeth. "Get out!"

The four dogs, sensing their master's less-than-friendly attitude, slowly retreated to the doorway and lay down.

Only then did Hannah quickly let go and step away from Sebastian, her face flushed with embarrassment, unable to raise her head. "Uncle, I heard your arm was injured, so I came to check on you and show my appreciation."

Sebastian glanced at her lightly.

Hannah’s head dipped even lower. “If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened that night.”

Sebastian's cold voice fell from above her, "Zack Benson is notorious in these circles for being a lecherous predator."

The implication was clear: she had willingly walked into that situation; how could she not know what might happen?

Hannah pressed her lips together, speaking with calm dignity, "I was careless and didn’t check his 'background' properly."

Sebastian gave her a longer look.

She was someone who could bend and adapt as needed.

He gave a quiet nod. "I’m not injured. You can go home now."

Hannah nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "I brought you some health supplements…”

Sebastian looked at her with a hint of amusement. "And where are these supplements?"

Hannah froze for a moment. She had dropped them when the dogs chased her earlier.

She gave an embarrassed smile. "I'll go get them."

She carefully stepped outside.

Sebastian watched her as she practically hugged the wall, muttering to the dogs as she walked, "You already chased me once, you can’t chase me again, okay? Your master is inside, watching. Be good, stay still…"

Just as one of the dogs stood up and stretched, Hannah's soul nearly left her body. "Oh, please, don’t move, Doggy!"

Sebastian was speechless.

Where on earth did Shawn find this timid creature?

At that moment, the phone on the coffee table vibrated with a deep buzzing sound.

Sebastian took a few long strides over, picked up the phone, and said in a low voice, "Speak."

Joe sounded thrilled, eager to impress. "Mr. Sebastian, we’ve tracked down the girl from that night. Do you want to meet her?"