Chapter 3 The Room

No one spoke.

Everything felt shocking, and neither Axton nor Sierra could find the right words to discuss anything. So, instead of talking, Sierra chose to tend to the wounds on Axton's face caused by the commotion from a few minutes ago.

She was sure that everyone was now talking about what had happened. However, none of that mattered anymore because she was waging a war alone with her thoughts.

"How much do you owe them?"

Minutes passed, and that was the first question that slipped through Axton's lips.

Sierra looked up to meet his eyes, but it lasted only a few seconds because she had to admit that she couldn’t bear to look him in the eye after everything that had happened between them.

"Did you take this deal because you needed money to pay off a debt?"

Sierra had already told Callie all the problems in her life, but it seemed Callie hadn’t told her husband anything.

Well, the deal initially only involved Sierra being a surrogate mother, not actually sleeping with Axton and having to carry his child. She didn’t see anything wrong with letting her best friend's child live with her, but she admitted that everything became messy, and they had no other choice.

"This might sound surprising, but did Callie force you, Sierra?"

"No," only Callie's name made Sierra speak up. "No one forced me. This was an agreement between the three of us."

"Yeah, but I thought you were doing it willingly!" Axton quickly retorted.

"No one was forced, Axton. It was a deal. I agreed to do it because I needed the money. Do you see anything wrong with that?"

"I thought you were doing it for yourself, Sierra. Not because you had no other choice due to a debt."

"Indirectly, it's not my debt. My father borrowed money and used my mother’s house as collateral. Then he ran off with some woman, leaving me with all his debt. Did I have any other choice? Or should I have lost my mother’s house?" Sierra took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she had just revealed her darkest secret that she had kept to herself. All this time, only Callie knew about it, but now many people knew that she had debt and no money to pay it.

After saying that, Sierra put all the first-aid supplies she had used back into a box and stood up after making sure that Axton's wounds were properly treated.

"I'm sorry for causing a scene at the office and everything that makes you get hurt. I promise this won’t happen again," she said before walking out of Axton's room.

***

Spending the late afternoon sitting on a bus after work was something Sierra enjoyed the most. Everyone seemed busy with their lives, lost in their worlds, not caring about anything or anyone.

Usually, it took only 15 minutes to get from her office to her house. But since she started living at Callie and Axton's house, the bus ride took 45 minutes. Unfortunately, it had now been two hours, and Sierra was still sitting on the bus without any intention of getting off.

"Miss, this is the last stop. Are you still not getting off?"

Sierra looked up as the bus driver addressed her. She looked around and realized she was the last person left on the bus.

"Sorry," she said, standing up.

After getting off the bus, she walked for a bit before boarding another bus and heading back toward Callie's house. She had passed the area over an hour ago, which meant it would take another hour to get there.

It was already late at night when she finally reached the grounds of the mansion, which was quite a distance from the bus stop. Living in this place made access difficult because there were no bus stops in the elite residential area. But did she have a choice?

"Oh my God, Sierra! You had me worried!"

Sierra stopped as soon as she entered the room and found Callie rushing toward her, pulling her into a tight hug.

She blinked, then noticed Axton sitting on the couch not far away, watching Callie as she embraced her.

"Where have you been? I couldn't reach you, and you’re coming home so late!" Callie let go of her and looked at her with concern.

Sierra let out a short breath, then immediately smiled as she always did. "I got on the wrong bus route. I had to take a longer way around, so it took more time."

"What?" Callie looked at her in disbelief. "Why didn’t you call me? Or why didn’t you come home with Axton?" She glanced at Axton, still sitting in the same spot, then clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I don’t know what's really going on here. Should I be surprised when I see my husband come home with bruises? Then I find you missing and unreachable. And neither of you seem at all panicked about what happened."

Sierra bit her lower lip as she noticed the bandage she had put on Axton earlier that morning. He should have replaced it by now.

"I'm sorry, Callie." Sierra maintained her smile. "I’m really tired. May I go to my room now?"

"Yes, go to your room. It’s time to get some rest because if you want to have a child soon, you must maintain a proper sleep schedule to stay healthy. I’ll ask the maid to bring your dinner to your room."

Sierra clenched her fists when she heard what Callie said.

A proper sleep schedule if she wanted to have a child.

It wasn’t an easy feeling for her.

However, Sierra knew better than to say anything to correct Callie. So, she headed straight to her room, where she soaked in the bathtub for over an hour before stepping out, wrapped in a towel, with her hair still wet.

What she loved most about this house was the bathtub, which was very comfortable after a long day of work. Soaking in it made her body feel more relaxed after a day full of problems.

"Sierra,"

"Oh God!" Sierra jumped in surprise and almost slipped because her feet were still wet. Luckily, she managed to grab a pair of hands that were also trying to catch her before she fell.

Wait, a pair of hands?

Sierra looked up from her position, blinking in shock when she realized that Axton was bending down to catch her before she slipped.

Her towel loosened, and the top of her chest was exposed.

Axton lowered his gaze, and Sierra immediately pulled away as she realized what had happened. She bent down, grabbed her towel, and hurried into the wardrobe to change her clothes.

This is crazy.

Who would have thought Axton would be there when she stepped out of the bathroom? And what was he doing?

Sierra hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should she stay in the wardrobe? Or should she go out and face Axton? But why had he come to her room?

Why? Was she really asking why Axton had come to her room?

Of course, she knew the answer. Of course… she knew why he had come to her at night.

"Sierra?" Axton's voice came from outside the wardrobe, and Sierra silently cursed in her mind.

She didn't reply, but she opened the door and stepped out.

Axton was still there. Of course, he was still there because she had heard his voice moments ago. He was sitting on her bed, and she had no choice but to sit beside him.

"I think I can’t do this right now," Sierra admitted, feeling deeply embarrassed as she spoke. After hearing Callie's words earlier, something inside her resisted what she was saying, but she knew she had to stop Axton before they did anything else.

"I didn’t come here to do that with you." Axton handed her a document, which Sierra immediately recognized from its cover.

When she opened it, she was stunned to see it was the title deed to her house, the one her father had pawned. It had taken her months to pay off the debt after she lost all her savings to cover her mother’s medical expenses. She had worked day and night, trying hard to save on living expenses so she could pay off the debt her father had left behind. She had faced people who belittled her, speaking harshly because they knew she had no one. She had gone through it all alone, only to give up by selling herself to pay the debt. She sold herself to her best friend, agreeing to sleep with her friend’s husband, and suddenly, the title deed was in her hands.

"What did you do?" Sierra looked up, shocked.

"It’s yours," Axton said, looking at the document in her hands.

"Yes, I know it’s mine. But this document shouldn’t be with you, should it?"

Axton nodded. "I’ve paid off your debt, which means you no longer have to pay those men. You’re free from them, and your house is yours again."

Sierra lowered her head and stared at the document in her hands once more.

This… was beyond what she had imagined.

"I wasn’t supposed to get this now. According to the agreement I made with Callie, I would only receive payment after I delivered a child for you two."

Once again, Axton nodded. "Don’t think about that agreement. The amount you’ll receive from that deal will remain the same after…" he paused and took a short breath, "after we have a child. As for this deed, consider it my apology for what happened. In that agreement, we never mentioned that I would be the first man to take your virginity. I know what I did won’t change or undo anything, but at least this might make you feel a little better, right?"

Sierra almost screamed in frustration when she heard what Axton said.

What was this man doing?

An apology?

"I didn’t know this was the reason you made the agreement with us. If I had known you were forced into this, of course, I would have considered making a deal with someone else."

Damn it. Sierra could feel a raging storm in her mind.

She knew she couldn’t do this. But Axton had started everything first, and now Sierra had to fulfill her duty.

"Sierra?" Axton furrowed his brows as Sierra unbuttoned her shirt and sat on his lap.

She looked at him and guided his hands to touch her body—her chest underneath the shirt she was wearing.

"What are you doing?" Axton tried to pull his hands away.

Sierra pressed against Axton’s body, and of course, she could feel his reaction to what she was doing.

This man was her best friend's husband, but she was seducing him like some cheap woman.

"I’m giving you what’s rightfully yours," Sierra whispered softly as she moved to unhook her bra, letting Axton’s hands stay there.

He touched her chest as she wanted, but he didn’t do anything—he didn’t squeeze her like he had the previous night.

"Sierra," Axton gave her a warning look.

Sierra nodded, understanding, even though Axton hadn’t said anything other than her name. "I know I must look disgusting right now. But this is what I have to do to get that deed. I was supposed to get it after giving you both a child, but since you’ve already given it to me, I feel I should give you what we agreed upon."

"I didn’t pay off your debt because of this." Axton shifted uncomfortably, but Sierra pushed him back until he was lying on the bed. "You said yourself you couldn’t do this right now."

"You paid my debt, didn’t you?" Sierra closed her eyes, letting her fingers quickly undo Axton’s belt. She was nervous—she could feel the internal struggle in her mind, but she knew she couldn’t follow her common sense. "Now, there’s no reason for me not to do this. From now on, my body belongs to you. I’m being paid for it, and I don’t mind doing it whenever you want until we have a child."

Sierra felt utterly degraded at this moment. She felt dirty and sinful, allowing a man who wasn’t her husband to touch her in all the wrong ways.

But did she have a choice?

No. Not at all.

When Axton’s hands couldn’t resist what was in his mind, when his lips began to accept the kisses Sierra gave him, and when his finger entered hers, Sierra had no choice.

"Ah!" Sierra felt the same sensation when Axton's finger began to move inside her.

Now, it was only his fingers, but soon, another part of his body would be inside her.

"Damn!" Axton flipped the situation, laying Sierra beneath him—spreading her legs wide to make sure she was ready for everything.

"Do it," Sierra muttered when she saw a flicker of hesitation in Axton's eyes after they had finished foreplay and were prepared to move forward. "Do it, Axton." Sierra pulled Axton’s hand, guiding him into her body, moving wildly like they had the night before.

Sierra wrapped her legs around Axton's back and let him grab her breasts—squeezing hard as he started to lose control of himself.

This wasn’t just about lust, but Sierra realized they were both sinking into the same desire.

"Go faster!" she growled as Axton hit her deepest spot—thrusting so hard that she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

"Fuck!" Axton cursed for what felt like the hundredth time. His body kept driving harder, and Sierra could only surrender to his touch on every inch of her skin.

If she had already sinned by selling herself, would it be even worse to admit she was enjoying it?

Just as Sierra felt she was about to climax with Axton, there was a knock at her bedroom door, followed by someone calling her name.

"Sierra? Can I come into your room?"

Oh hell! It was Callie's voice!