Since Imogen had moved on, there was no need to avoid Ethan anymore.She answered the call and put the phone to her ear."Hello."Ethan said with a displeased voice, "Imogen, where did you move to? Your parents said you left with that guy?"Imogen replied, "He's my husband, not 'that guy.'""Where are you?""That's none of your business.""Imogen!" Ethan shouted. She knew he was angry from listening to his voice. She found it ridiculous, so she replied, "Ethan, I'm married now. It's normal for me to live with my husband. I don't owe you an explanation about where I am."Ethan said earnestly, "Imogen, you know I'm worried about you. How long have you known this stranger before marrying him? Do you know his personality? Do you really know what kind of person he is? What if he mistreats you?"Imogen was speechless.She surpassed her emotions as she said clearly, "Hey, you're my childhood friend, so I still consider you a friend, but that's all you are. Know your place. You hav
Jasper held Imogen's slender waist. He frowned as he tried to control his breathing, which had become a bit rapid.This woman, didn't she know how soft and tempting her curvy body was?And she was rubbing against him?He felt like he was going crazy!Jasper put the dessert box on the counter. Then, he held her waist with both hands and gently but firmly pushed her a bit away.He quietly asked with a low voice, "What's making you so happy?"Imogen was extremely happy. As she looked up at him, she said, "A big company called me out of the blue and asked me to attend an interview tomorrow."Jasper smiled knowingly; he had already known about this."Which company?" Jasper asked deliberately.Imogen's hands were still on Jasper's neck. She was genuinely excited when she slowly said, "Star Enterprise.""Not bad," Jasper replied calmly.Imogen pouted in displeasure, "What do you mean by not bad? It's Star Enterprise, the hottest company in the internet industry right now."Jasper
Jasper's response cut deep into Imogen's pride. She offered a strained smile and pushed herself to say, "I was just kidding. You don't have to get so uptight."After clearing his throat, Jasper explained, "Imogen, it's not that I'm unwilling. It's just—""It's okay. You don't have to explain," Imogen said, feeling overwhelmed. Maintaining a facade of composure, she added, "I get it. Let's just go with the flow!" With that, she lowered her head and began eating quickly.Seeing her tense expression, Jasper felt uneasy and unsure how to proceed. He began, "Imogen—"Imogen cut him off quickly. "Let's eat. We don't have to discuss this."Jasper sighed resignedly and quietly focused on his meal. The atmosphere at the table grew noticeably heavy. After dinner, Imogen left the dishes for Jasper to take care of and retreated to her room in a sulk.Sitting on the couch in the living room, Jasper was lost in thought and unable to quiet his mind. As time ticked away, the night deepened. Ev
"Cheating on me or lying," Imogen said.Jasper's throat went dry when she mentioned "lying." He felt flustered and unsure how to respond.Seeing he looked disheartened, Imogen suggested, "Don't push yourself. Listen to your heart. Don't rush into marriage to meet societal expectations or feel pressured to settle down with someone you don't truly love just to fulfill family obligations."Jasper looked puzzled. "That sounds a bit strange no matter how I think about it. What exactly do you mean?"Imogen thought he was playing ignorant and had no choice but to ask directly, "You're gay, aren't you? Are you a top or a bottom? Women aren't your thing, huh?"Jasper's eyes widened in shock. He pressed against the door with both hands, trapping her in between, and said firmly, "There's no way I'm gay. I'm straight, completely straight."He sounded truly exasperated. Imogen wasn't the only one who had suggested he might be gay. Mila and Candice had brought it up as well. While he couldn't
Imogen felt nervous and afraid. It was her first time, after all. She had an important interview the next day and couldn't afford to be anything less than flawless.She shook her head to break free from Jasper's kiss, panting as she weakly pushed against him. "Jasper Morrison, cut it out."Jasper trailed kisses down her neck, undoing the buttons of her pajamas one by one. Imogen's body had yielded to his touch, but her mind was still fighting to stay clear. She protested, "No, stop it."She could barely endure it. As Jasper's kisses moved to her chest, she tilted her head slightly back, closed her eyes, and bit her lip. His lips brushed against her sensitive skin, and she felt herself weaken. She let out a shy whimper.Jasper abruptly stopped, his breath ragged. He lay atop her soft, sweet-smelling body. The sudden halt was agonizing for him, almost causing physical pain. He felt like he was nearly losing his mind trying to control his desire.He was overwhelmed by an unprecedente
The next morning, Imogen woke up unusually early. With an important job interview looming, she dressed meticulously, applied light makeup, and left home half an hour earlier.Anxious about potential traffic delays, she deliberately opted for the subway. As she approached the subway entrance, someone suddenly threw a bucket of water mixed with green dye at her out of nowhere.Imogen was completely caught off guard, freezing in shock. She let out a startled cry. The water cascaded from her head to her toes, leaving her drenched. She stared in disbelief at the culprit—Scarlett, who was visibly pregnant.Passersby at the subway entrance were equally stunned. They paused to watch with curiosity, gossiping and speculating about the unexpected incident.Imogen clenched her jaw, struggling to maintain her composure as she slowly wiped the water from her eyes. She looked down at her soaked clothes, then back at Scarlett. If Scarlett hadn't been pregnant, Imogen might have been tempted to
As Scarlett underwent a series of tests, Imogen sat on a hospital bench, glancing at her phone to check the time and reading over the apology message she had sent earlier. A sense of heaviness burdened her heart.Before, Scarlett had taken the man Imogen once had a crush on. Now, Scarlett had also dashed the job opportunity Imogen had longed for. Imogen couldn't help but feel that Scarlett's presence was nothing short of bad luck for her.Imogen couldn't gauge how much time had elapsed when Ethan rushed into the hospital in a frenzy. Upon spotting her, he hesitated briefly before blurting out, "Imogen, what are you doing here? Where's Scarlett? And why are you soaked?"Imogen stared at him with a steely glare but chose to say nothing.Her simmering frustration caught Ethan off guard, making him nervously swallow. He glanced around, asking, "Scarlett said something happened with our child. What happened?"Imogen scoffed inwardly. Instead of something happening with their child, i
Imogen gritted her teeth, her gaze cold and tinged with simmering anger she struggled to suppress. She turned away again.Tears welled up in Ethan's eyes. He stood still like a marionette cut loose from its string.Scarlett approached him and gently linked her arm with his. Her voice was filled with compassion as she whispered, "Darling, think of our child and me. Stop clinging to the delusion. She's already married."Ethan could no longer contain himself. He buried his face in his hands, turned away, and leaned against the wall, sobbing.Scarlett stood behind him, her eyes welling with tears as she watched, her fist clenched and trembling.…After leaving the hospital, Imogen hailed a taxi. Feeling dejected, she retrieved her phone from her bag and checked her message. It was a reply from the HR manager at Star Enterprise, Skylar."Ms. Kingsley, if today doesn't work for you, we can reschedule for tomorrow or the day after. Any weekday is suitable for your interview."Imogen s