Chapter 3
I panicked.
How could he be back?
To him, I was just an insignificant replacement tool.
The knocking sounded again, still three knocks, extremely restrained.
He spoke a bit faster: “Aria, I want to see you.”
I sat up, trying not to panic, not to give myself away.
I took a deep breath and said sleepily but pretending to be calm: “Mr. Shaw, I… need to use the bathroom and take a shower. Please wait a moment.”
I quickly ran into the bathroom, turned on the shower, then stared at the kiss marks on my neck.
These were marks I had made myself yesterday by pinching with a bottle cap. For the sake of realism, I had been rough, and now they were so obvious that even foundation couldn’t cover them!
But I couldn’t not cover them either.
Because the first reaction of someone who’s cheating would definitely be to lie and cover up.
Adrian was shrewd; I had to play my part thoroughly.
I wet my hair to look like I had just showered, then changed into a high-necked black dress that covered everything, including my arms.
I carefully covered the half-visible kiss mark at the neckline with a band-aid.
I looked in the mirror, practicing an expression of guilt poorly hidden beneath forced calmness.
Disgusting enough, right?
Adrian would surely be repulsed and immediately propose divorce, telling me to get lost.
I opened the door.
Adrian was sitting on the sofa, brows furrowed, eyes closed as if resting.
His face was a bit pale, with a faint shadow of stubble on his chin.
He had forgotten to wear his watch, and the cufflinks that matched his suit were missing.
One hand tightly gripped his phone, the other hung on the sofa armrest, with four deep wounds on the knuckles.
As if he had hit something hard, more than once.
But he didn’t seem to care, not even bothering with a band-aid.
“Mr. Shaw, why are you back?”
Adrian opened his eyes and looked at me, his pupils dark and deep.
He stood up from the sofa, the man who had been so anxious just now suddenly moving very slowly as he walked up to me.
I instinctively stepped back, but Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
He lowered his eyes to look at my neck, his pupils contracting.
I forced a smile and said, “Did something happen?”
He didn’t answer, just used his cold fingers, two fingers together, slowly hovering over the band-aid, as if he would roughly tear it off the next second, along with all my lies, and then angrily, humiliated, tear up our fake marriage contract.
My body started to tremble, I closed my eyes waiting to be exposed.
But his index and middle fingers just lightly touched the band-aid.
Adrian calmly asked, “How did you get this?”
I deliberately avoided his gaze, “Just… just accidentally got scratched by a book page yesterday.”
“Book page…” Adrian blinked very slowly, “What were you doing last night?”
His fingertips explored into my collar, just a little more force and he could see the kiss marks hidden under the fabric.
I swallowed, “I went out for a hair treatment last night.”
Adrian’s breathing became heavy.
He looked at me expressionlessly, for a moment, I had the illusion that he would devour me whole.
His fingers tightened on my collar, I stumbled along with that force, almost falling into his arms, I quickly extended my arms to block his chest.
His palm encircled my lower back, like an iron hoop, tightening bit by bit, that restrained anger seemed to be venting in this way.
I couldn’t match his strength, my resisting arms began to soften.
Adrian approached me inch by inch.
“Mr. Shaw, don’t,” I said trembling, though I didn’t know what he intended to do, but instinct told me it would be dangerous.
My mind went blank, my voice shaking, I begged incoherently.
After three or four seconds.
He actually slowly withdrew his fingers, clenched them into a fist, his face turning iron-gray, his lips tightly pursed.
I realized what I had been saying — “I’m scared, don’t touch me, please.”
“I’ll assign you two personal bodyguards. They’ll follow you when you go out from now on to ensure your safety,” Adrian announced flatly.
Then he turned and left without hesitation.
When I heard the familiar engine sound from outside, I finally came to my senses—
He’s not pursuing it?
How could this be?!