Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
William couldn\u2019t stay in that room for another second, and he blurted, \u201cI\u2019ll be in the guest room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Ruth entered the room, she was also genuinely surprised to see the kittens. \u201cOh, for heaven\u2019s sake! The door was shut tight. How did they even get up here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them rounded up the kittens and hauled them back downstairs. It wasn\u2019t until they saw the window was cracked open just a sliver that they realized what had happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe must have figured out the latch and gone through the garden,\u201d Ruth sighed, shaking her head. \u201cThat cat is way too smart for her own good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The genius calico cat was currently scratching at the door, letting out a series of long, pitiful wails. But the second Scarlet opened the door, the cat\u2019s meows shifted into a sweet, manipulative purr as she rubbed against Scarlet\u2019s legs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet couldn\u2019t bring herself to scold the cat. She knelt and stroked the cat\u2019s fur with a heavy sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re planning on assassinating William, you could\u2019ve at least checked with me first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She stared at Scarlet, wondering if she\u2019d heard her correctly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we really should find them a new home,\u201d Ruth suggested gently. \u201cMr. Cooper\u2019s allergies are quite serious. The cats\u2019 fur gets everywhere. You can scrub and disinfect all day, but you can\u2019t really get rid of it all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A colleague at the hospital had already claimed one kitten. Her friend, Lucy, posted the others on social media every day, trying to find adopters. But they still had three left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kittens were less than a month old, so they had to be thorough with the adoptions. Meanwhile, the mother was an adult, which made it even harder to rehome her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet found herself fretting over the situation as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have someone install child safety locks on the windows tomorrow,\u201d Scarlet murmured, resting her chin on her knees as she stroked the calico\u2019s head. She sounded like she was talking more to herself than to Ruth. \u201cIt won\u2019t be for much longer, anyway.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon, she and William would be divorced. If the cats hadn\u2019t found homes by then, she\u2019d just take them with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruth misunderstood. \u201cOh? You found someone to take them already?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet didn\u2019t elaborate. \u201cJust make sure to change the sheets and the duvet in the master bedroom, and do a deep clean of the whole room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, Scarlet grabbed a glass of warm water and some antihistamines. Then, she walked over to the guest suite and knocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Scarlet pushed the door open, William was already half-undressed for a shower. His shirt was unbuttoned to the waist, revealing the sharp, defined lines of his core.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d always stayed in incredible shape. She remembered a time when she\u2019d caught a glimpse of his abs while he was changing, only for him to catch her staring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, he teased, \u201cI know you\u2019re looking. You couldn\u2019t be less obvious about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite that, he had spent that night guiding her hand over every muscle on his body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Y CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet stayed by the door, setting the tray down on the dresser. \u201cTake some medicine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William unbuttoned his shirt. As he pulled the shirt off, his broad shoulders, a lean waist, and toned muscles were fully exposed. He looked dangerously masculine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLater,\u201d he muttered, not even looking at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet stepped closer, holding out the glass and the pill. \u201cNow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even at five feet five, she looked tiny standing in his shadow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William glanced at her, took the pill, and drank some water to wash it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, he asked, \u201cWhat pill is that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSodium cyanide,\u201d she replied flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was poison. A single dose was enough to stop a heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William smiled drily. \u201cYou\u2019re that eager to get rid of me, huh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet took the glass back. She didn\u2019t actually want him dead, but there were moments when the hate was real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t understand why he was treating her that way. How could he go from loving her to nothing without any warning?\u00a0<\/p>\n
William had only taken one sip of the water. It was exactly how he treated women. He merely tasted, never fully committing\u00a0<\/p>\n
to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet realized then that he was a cold man. His passion for women was brief, and what made her different from those\u00a0<\/p>\n
women?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stared at the remaining water in the glass. She was just like that water. He briefly loved her, then threw her away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This would only end with her getting tossed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam,\u201d Scarlet called out as she lifted her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped on his way to the bathroom and glanced back over his shoulder. \u201cWhat now? Are you unhappy that the poison hasn\u2019t kicked in yet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet didn\u2019t respond and only watched him quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes were bright and were like a mirror of the woman she was, gentle and innocent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right now, those eyes were shimmering with a deep, lingering affection-a look she hadn\u2019t shown him in a long time. Or maybe, she\u2019d never looked at him quite like that before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William froze for a split second. His expression softened, and a small, knowing grin tugged at his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you looking at me like that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get a divorce,\u201d Scarlet said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d played this scene in her head a thousand times ever since her conversation with Justine. Because she\u2019d rehearsed it so much, saying the words out loud felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pain was still there, crashing over her in relentless waves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carving William out of her heart was never going to be easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile vanished from William\u2019s face. He stared at her, and his gaze turned dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have less than three weeks left until the three-year promise,\u201d Scarlet added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Y CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this what you\u2019ve been trying to talk to me about all this time?\u201d William asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are still three weeks left. What\u2019s the rush? Or have you already found someone to take my place?\u201d William sneered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sarcasm cut deep, finally killing the last shred of lingering affection Scarlet had for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether I have or not is none of your business,\u201d she snapped. \u201cOnce the divorce goes through, we\u2019re even. You can go after whoever you want, and I\u2019ll do the same. We\u2019ll be nothing to each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William smirked coldly, his voice turning ice-cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really can\u2019t wait, can you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned toward the bathroom and said coldly, \u201cDon\u2019t worry. We agreed on three years, and I won\u2019t keep you a single day longer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, their conversation didn\u2019t end well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William left as soon as he showered and changed, and he didn\u2019t come back all night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet only found out from Ruth the next morning, and he didn\u2019t show up for several days after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Xyla was losing her mind. She\u2019d been stuck in a hospital bed for two days and was already climbing the walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She threw a fit, complaining that she was going crazy. If she had to stay there any longer, she\u2019d literally start to rot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lilly finally gave in and got Xyla an electric wheelchair to take her out for the afternoon sun when the weather was great.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But half an hour wasn\u2019t nearly enough for someone as active as Xyla. The second Lilly left to go home and make some food, Xyla sent the nurse out with an excuse and snuck out in her wheelchair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She asked some nurses for directions, navigated the elevator with her cast-bound leg propped up, and finally found the ophthalmology department.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s friend, Lucy, worked at an advertising agency and had a flexible schedule. She\u2019d finished a meeting with her client early and was waiting in the hallway for Scarlet to get off work so they could grab dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet was still buried in paperwork. \u201cJust let me finish this chart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy was sitting there, bored out of her mind, when she heard a voice ask, \u201cIs Scarlet in here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy looked up and saw a patient in bandages rolling toward her in a wheelchair. Only one eye was visible through the gauze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy poked her head into the office and shouted, \u201cDr. Benson, a mummy is here to see you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xyla was speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy cackled, and Xyla finally got the joke. She would\u2019ve jumped out of her wheelchair if her legs weren\u2019t broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the mummy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet glanced back. When she saw that it was Xyla, she immediately got back to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xyla was quite shameless. She acted as if nothing had ever happened between them, shamelessly hovering around Scarlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wheeled herself right into the office, peering over Scarlet\u2019s shoulder. \u201cDr. Benson, my eye hurts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDeal with it,\u201d Scarlet said without looking up. \u201cMadison, take her back to her room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Madison rose to her feet, Xyla shot her a warning glare. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare touch me. Come one step closer, and I\u2019ll jump out\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0 1\/4\u00a0 Chapter 18\u00a0 William couldn\u2019t stay in that room for another second, and he blurted, \u201cI\u2019ll be in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-end-of-the-contractstart-of-his-obsession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions\/152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}