Chapter 14

The word “whore” hit Zoey like a train going full speed. She paled as her head swam from the shock. Clenching her fists tightly, she tried to use the pain to keep her mind clear. To Laurence, she was a woman who would do anything for money. She took a deep breath but did not attempt to explain herself.

“I just thought I could take up some extra projects in my free time,” she conceded.

Laurence did not want her to do useless projects.

“Do you know what kind of man Gordon Lewis is?”

Zoey did not say anything.

Laurence forced her head up again and said forcefully, “You don’t.”

Zoey was tired. There was no use explaining herself to him; he wouldn’t believe her anyway. On the other hand, she couldn’t understand why he was so angry. It wasn’t like him to make such a scene over a small incident like this. On second thought, maybe he was just possessive and didn’t want his wife attracting attention like that. Zoey lowered her head and kept quiet. The soft light outlined her delicate features, especially her plump red lips which looked alluring. Laurence pressed closer to her and lifted her head again.

“Where did he touch you?”

Zoey didn’t know what to say. She turned away silently. Laurence’s expression was neutral, and his tone was calm. He sounded like he was just making small talk.

“Speak.”

Zoey bit her lips and gritted her teeth. Laurence looked down at her intently. His thumb pressed against her lower lip.

“Did he kiss you here?” he asked, his voice low and scratchy.

With tears in her eyes, Zoey shook her head. As if hearing the answer he wanted, Laurence’s expression softened slightly. He pressed his thumb past her lips and into her mouth.

“What about here?”

Zoey’s tears fell onto his hand. Laurence paused, then pulled out his thumb and cleaned his hands with his handkerchief.

“Do you feel wronged?”

Zoey didn’t want to cry in front of him. She could be as stubborn as he was, and she didn’t want to show him any weakness. Crying would do just that. Not that Laurence would ever show her any sympathy. Zoey had never met anyone so heartless before. He was cold, rational, distant, and cruel. No matter how much he loved Sarah, he still maintained his principles, never allowing himself to lose his pride and superiority. Laurence wiped away her tears for her.

“There’s no use crying.”

“I know,” Zoey sobbed. “I know, Mr. Scott,” she repeated as a reminder to herself.

Zoey felt like she had lost all her dignity. Then again, what dignity did she have left? She had already sold herself to him.

Gradually, she stopped sobbing and said, “Gordon Lewis only managed to touch my waist.”

Laurence hummed in reply. Zoey kept her head lowered. She didn’t want to look at him, because every time she did, she felt her heart break into smaller pieces. If only she didn’t love him. Then maybe she wouldn’t be suffering so much now. Unfortunately, she loved him, and she wanted him to love her back equally.

Zoey’s face was flushed. She stared at her toes and said in a low voice, “I won’t embarrass you again, Mr. Scott, but I really want to... can I continue…”

She wanted to continue working freelance in her free time. After all, she needed to plan for her future. There were only two years left in their marriage contract. Once they were divorced, she would need to fend for herself. Laurence’s answer was simple.

“No.”

He slung his arm around her waist and stared at her.

“I don’t want you to continue working part-time.”

Zoey kept quiet in a silent protest. Seeing her reddened eyes, Laurence felt inexplicably annoyed.

He pushed away the feeling and said, “Figure it out yourself.”

Zoey knew what he meant by that, but she wasn’t planning to surrender. At worst, she would just work secretly. Just as she was forming her plan, her stomach began to hurt. Her face lost all color. The throbbing pain quickly turned into a stabbing pain. This wasn’t something she could ignore. She held on weakly to his arm as she doubled over in pain. Laurence helped her up, frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

Zoey’s voice trembled.

“My stomach hurts.”

Her health condition was barely okay at best. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, she had barely gotten any rest. Moreover, she had been really scared tonight. Something was bound to go wrong. Laurence picked her up.

“I’ll send you to the hospital.”

Zoey grabbed his sleeve and shook her head. “No… not the hospital.”

She still didn’t dare to let him know that she was pregnant. Laurence stared at her silently for a few moments. Then, he smiled.

“Why are you acting so guilty?”

Zoey’s heart leaped into her throat.

“I don’t like hospitals. Would anyone?”

“Of course not,” Laurence said, raising his eyebrow. “But you’re sick, so you need to go to the hospital. What else can you do? Stay at home and suffer?”

Zoey didn’t know how to answer that.

“I think there’s something you’re not telling me, Miss Jenner,” Laurence said, tilting her chin up. “Why are you so fragile lately? Are you pregnant?”