Chapter 6

Liana sat in a clinic while her wound was being treated. The door suddenly swung open, and a man charged in, looking murderous. The doctor was startled when he saw that.

Liana turned around to glance at the unwelcome visitor. "It's fine. He's my… boss."

She'd been about to say that Jaxon was her husband, but changed her mind at the last minute.

Jaxon felt like something was lodged in his throat. He approached them and asked the doctor, "Is she badly injured?"

"It's just a minor injury. She's fine." The doctor wasn't interested in knowing more about their relationship. She finished tending to Liana's wound before prescribing some external medication for it.

Liana thanked her before leaving. Jaxon followed the former closely and fought to pay for her medical bill. He even snatched the medication from her, holding it for her. He acted like a loving, responsible husband.

Liana couldn't be bothered to say anything to him. After leaving the hospital, she lowered her head to call for an Uber. However, Jaxon snatched her phone and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, forcing her to follow him to the parking lot.

He opened the front passenger door and stuffed her inside before entering the driver's seat. He slammed the door shut, cutting them off from the rest of the world. The atmosphere was tense.

"Did you block me and try to seek death to get revenge on me?" He turned to look at her, his expression a mixture of annoyance and anger.

Liana was speechless when she heard that. She stared at him in surprise for a while before laughing when she saw the steely look on his face. The situation had been rather oppressive, but his joke amused her.

He was the one who'd betrayed her, yet he thought she'd seek death to punish him? How could there be such a narcissist in the world?

"Don't worry. That's not something you'll ever have to trouble yourself over. Now, return my phone." Liana held out her hand to take back her phone.

Jaxon dodged her. "I'll admit that I lied to you today, but you can't just bully Clarissa and make her cry without caring about the consequences. You can't actually think that you're not at fault! She's just a spoiled young lady who speaks without thinking. You didn't have to take her seriously."

Liana listened to his nonsense. Despite his negative description of Clarissa, his tone still carried a hint of indulgence. She wanted to ask whether he could see how much he'd changed.

She spoke after a long silence, her voice carrying the hopelessness that came after one's heart froze over. "I won't bully her in the future, nor care what you do with her. All I ask is that you keep her on a tight leash. Don't allow her to show her face before me."

"I treat her like she's my sister. It's not like what you think." Jaxon frowned.

"Uh-huh. A sister." Liana resisted the urge to expose his lies and throw all the evidence she'd collected in his face. "Fine, then. I acted rashly and had the wrong idea about both of you. Congratulations on getting a new sister."

Jaxon didn't speak.

"Drive." Liana felt cold and sore to the bone. She pulled the suit jacket tighter around her, cocooning herself in it. Her nose brushed against the collar, and the sandalwood scent wafted into her nostrils again.

Only then did Jaxon notice the expensive gray suit jacket. It had clearly been custom-made. "Whose is that?" he asked.

She turned to look out the window. Seemingly wanting to mock him for claiming that Clarissa was like a sister to him, she said, "My brother's. He's fresh out of the oven, too."

Jaxon fell silent. He looked like he could kill as he snatched the suit jacket off her and threw it out the window.

Liana was startled. She wanted to get out of the car to pick it up, as she had to return it to its owner.

However, Jaxon grabbed her and forced her back into her seat when he saw what she wanted to do. He leaned close and kissed her forcefully.

Liana clamped her lips shut, refusing to let him in. When he noticed her resistance, he forced her jaw open and slid his tongue into her mouth. He was domineering and unreasonable.

He pulled away once he'd had enough, his warm, hurried breath fanning over her face. "Don't try to piss me off with something like this. You have to consider other people's lives."

Liana was utterly speechless. Ultimately, she didn't manage to get the suit jacket back. Still, she had promised to return it after washing it. What was she going to do now?

…

After everything that happened, Liana caught a cold and burned up with a fever that very night. Jaxon stayed at home, cooking for her and feeding her. It gave her the illusion that perhaps he did still love her.

Midnight came, but she was still burning up. Her head was heavy, and she felt horrible.

Just then, Jaxon's phone, which was on the bedside table, rang. Liana propped herself up to glance at it at the same time as Jaxon.

It was 12:35 am, and the caller ID displayed on the phone screen was "Clary Pie".

It was such an affectionate nickname.

The phone's vibration seemed particularly piercing in the silence of the night. It was almost as if the phone was buzzing on both of their nerves, not the bedside table.