Chapter 4

William thought I left his place simply because of a tantrum. He had no idea that I no longer loved him.

I replied bitterly, "I don't have a home now."

He reached out to pat me on the head, his tone taking on a sympathetic tinge. "My home is your home, Daphne. You can live there."

His words made my heart tremble, but it only lasted for a moment. Now, my heart was calm again.

In the past, whenever I got into a fight with Charles, William would take me back to his home and comfort me there so that I could feel safe. His concern toward me gave me the illusion that he truly cared about me.

But the truth was, he only had carnal lust for me. He had already given his heart to another woman, after all.

William tried to pull me up to my feet, but I refused to budge. His voice might be soft, but I could tell that he was already adopting an authoritative tone.

"Stop messing around, Daphne. Be a good girl."

But I just shook my head and turned him down. "No. I'm going to stay in a hotel."

William frowned. This time, he yanked me up to my feet forcefully.

"You'll stay at my place from now on. You may go home whenever you feel like it."

After that, he scooped me into his arms and left the park without giving me a chance to retort.

Seeing as William was overbearingly insistent on this matter, I didn't resist him at all. I finally said, "Once I find myself a new place, I'll move out of your house. I won't disturb you anymore."

William's gaze darkened. Confusion tinged his tone as he asked, "You won't disturb me anymore?"

I saw him looking at me inquisitively. After that, he asked me meaningfully once again, "Are you sure you're capable of not disturbing me at all?"

I just pursed my lips without saying anything. Deep down, I felt the familiar pang of pain attacking my heart once again.

William must have known about my feelings for him. He could tell that I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with him.

Despite knowing that I wasn't a part of his future, he still watched me slowly sink into the quicksand of love. He really was cruel to me.

I took a deep breath before tossing out a question on purpose. "Do you know that your childhood sweetheart is the daughter of my former father's new wife?"

William frowned instantly. His breathing turned heavier as well.

"Yes, I do."

My next question came out, albeit gingerly.

"Do you… love her?"

William's features were scrunched up in a tight frown, as though he was contemplating the answer very seriously.

But then he replied, "Elaine's my junior back in the academy. Moreover, she even saved my life in the past, so I'm very thankful toward her. I don't care what sort of bad blood you have with your stepmother—just don't cause trouble for Elaine."

He never told me whether or not he loved Elaine. Instead, he beat around the bush just to issue me a warning. Clearly, he was defending Elaine.

That was why pelting him with questions seemed quite meaningless.

At that moment, I felt exhausted all of a sudden.

Upon returning to William's home, I went back to my usual room to rest. Minutes after lying down, I felt a pair of warm hands pulling me into an intimate embrace. Soon, the hands began roaming up and down my body.

If this had happened in the past, I'd have gone with the flow. But now, I didn't feel like doing that.

I shoved William away before sitting up instantly. In a displeased tone, I said, "I'm very tired, so I don't want to do anything today."

The way William looked at me was rather odd. After all, this was my first time rejecting his need for pleasure.

Puzzled, he asked me, "Are you angry about something?"

I just shook my head. Then, I got out of bed and walked toward the balcony.

William followed me right away. He hugged me from behind before burying his head into the crook of my neck. He began kissing me.

I kept replaying the scene of William kissing Elaine in my mind, which nauseated me to no end. So, I pushed him away forcefully.

Having lost his balance, William fell onto the couch behind him. Since I rejected him again, he got mad at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Daphne?"

I was in a bad mood, to begin with, so I snapped back loudly, "You've always treated me like a robotic plaything in bed, and you've never thought about how I feel! If I'm not in the mood, then I'm not going to be intimate with you!"

William was slightly taken aback by my outburst. Then, he frowned deeply.

"So that's how you feel all this time, huh? You really are making a fuss out of nothing! Whatever, have it your way!"

After that, he turned to leave angrily.

As I watched William's silhouette disappear from my line of sight, all I felt was endless sorrow and grief.