CHAPTER 10

She quickly picked up the bath towel and wrapped it around herself. Her face was tomato red. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. His eyes lit up almost immediately, looking like a kid whose Christmas present got in early. In the blink of an eye, he stood in front of her. She was so scared that she completely forgot to run away. She bowed her head and stepped back, wanting nothing more than to keep a safe distance from him.

However, every time she stepped back, he took another step forward. They continued doing this till he had her backed up in a corner.

"What– what are you doing?" she stuttered out, clutching her bath towel.

Daniel's strong arms blocked her from going left and right, locking her beneath him. He leaned in so close that she could almost hear his heart beating in his chest. "Did you do that on purpose?" he whispered, his breath fanning across her nose. His voice was hoarse and raspy as if he had just gone days without a cup of water. She inhaled sharply.

"Nonsense. Why would I do that to you?" she said hotly, but she still couldn't help but shrink under his lustful gaze. He raised his hand and let his fingers brush against her face like a light feather.

She should've just turned, ducked, and ran, but she didn't.

Her stillness gave him another dose of confidence as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Soon enough, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She froze under his grip, not knowing how to react.

In fact, she was so surprised that she couldn't even move.

He acted like a curious child exploring his own toy as his tongue prodded inside her mouth. She groaned slightly, which aroused him even more.

It was as if time had frozen around them.

He kept telling himself to stop, but he was too enamored by her taste and fragrance that he found himself leaning against her even more. A few seconds had passed, and he finally, reluctantly, decided to release her.

He stared at her affectionately, not even noticing the tenderness in his smoldering gaze. Sonia gasped in surprise. She felt as if she had just been force fed some alcohol given how much of a daze she was in. Finally snapping out of it, she gritted her teeth and slapped him hard right on the cheek. "Bastard!"

Half of his face had the imprints of her hand.

She was the first person who had the guts to slap him!

His dark eyes flashed. "I'll show you who the real bastard is," he snarled. Without another word, he lifted her up and carried her to the bed.

As her back hit the cushions, she struggled to sit back up, but his rough hands grabbed her towel and pulled it. The air wrapped around her naked body as if she was a long lost friend.

"No!" she screamed, clutching the pillow behind her to cover up her body. "If you touch me, I'll tell the police, and I'll sue you for molestation!"

"You're my wife. No one would care."

Shit!

"Look, I was wrong, okay? I–I'm sorry," she begged. Seeing as he was so fired up from the slap she had just given him, she decided to ask for mercy. She closed her eyes, readying herself for the beating. Tears slid down her cheeks, wetting the cushion below her.

Daniel's heart twitched. He glanced at her plump lips and wet face. All of a sudden, his anger was gone. Instead, it was replaced with tenderness and guilt.

He took a deep breath and slowly approached her.

When she heard the footsteps, she tightened her grip on the pillow and raised her head, as if preparing herself for the hit.

Daniel's lips quivered at the sight. He raised his hand, flicked her gently on the forehead, and walked out without a word.

He decided to let her go for now.

Hearing the retreating footsteps, she opened her eyes and sighed in relief. She was safe.

He had gone into the shower. Not bothering to wait for him to come out, she grabbed her bath towel and ran into her room.

For the whole night, she didn't dare fall asleep. Her eyes were fixed at the doorframe. The day before yesterday, when she accidentally locked the door, he easily opened it with his credit card. Seeing as the lock didn't stop him, what would stop him now?

She glanced around the room and an idea came to her.

She jumped off the bed to push the large wardrobe behind the door before pushing the bookshelf to grant some extra support.

Thinking back to his strong muscles, she moved the sofa for a third level of protection.

Seeing as she was safe, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She just hoped that a disaster wouldn't hit her that night, because she might have nowhere else to go.