Chapter 21 I Won’t Be Your Tool for Pleasure
Before, Cecilia thought she understood.
She believed Kolton loved her.
Now, she shook her head. “I don’t know anymore.”
“I liked that you were obedient. I thought you were different from other women.”
Kolton leaned back in his seat, unusually patient as he spoke to her.
He disliked women who constantly picked fights or caused trouble.
He preferred traditional roles, the husband making money, and the wife managing the home. And over the past two years, Cecilia had met his expectations perfectly.
She never questioned his whereabouts or interfered with his work.
He, in turn, never brought work frustrations home. At home, he was simply her husband.
They were compatible in bed. Though she was a bit too delicate to fully satisfy him, he thought they made a good match.
What he didn’t realize was that aside from being adequate in bed, he was failing in every other aspect of being a husband.
Cecilia stared at him for a few seconds, her face suddenly paling.
The Thompsons were well aware of how Jasmin and Garrett’s marriage worked.
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The Thompsons and the Bradshaws had been close for generations, and her marriage to Kolton had been arranged by their grandfathers.
Garrett’s lack of decency in certain matters caused Braden to distance himself from him.
Did Kolton assume she would be like Jasmin, submissive, letting her husband dictate everything?
Was that why he married her? Because he thought she would stay quiet, play the dutiful Mrs. Thompson, and turn a blind eye to his affair with Iris?
“Do you know why I want a divorce?”
Her delicate brows furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together..
Kolton stayed silent. Whether he didn’t care or simply didn’t know, she couldn’t tell.
She answered her own question. “Because I’m just like other women. I don’t want a marriage without love. I won’t be your tool for pleasure, and I refuse to be your cover–up!”
The last words came out in a near–growl, her slender neck straining with veins, her face flushed with fury.
“Stop acting like I’ve bullied you. If you had any backbone, you wouldn’t have been home to tattle on me!”
Kolton wasn’t really listening to her words. Instead, he studied her carefully.
So many nights, she’d been too exhausted to even straighten her back, yet she’d resist him like a feisty little cat, biting him.
In their two years of marriage, that was the only time she ever fought back.
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This woman before him, now full of defiance, felt unfamiliar, yet this only sharpened his desire to conquer her.
Where had she learned these alluring tricks? Playing hard to get?
“W–what did I even tattle about?” Cecilia froze.
Had Braden talked to Kolton?
She was sure she hadn’t revealed any dissatisfaction about Kolton.
But since she’d gone to meet Braden behind his back, her sense of justification quickly turned to guilt.
“Cecilia, let’s make a deal. Behave yourself as Mrs. Thompson, and I’ll give you whatever you want. But from now on, you toe the line.”
Kolton’s expression was stern, his tone that of a businessman closing a negotiation.
He played his strongest card. “If you still want access to every hospital’s medical records, then agree.”
Cecilia’s eyes widened. So, Braden had handed this matter to Kolton.
She had been caught by Kolton at her weakest point.
As he watched her reaction, Kolton’s face softened, instantly assuming the demeanor of a man in complete control.
He wasn’t speaking to his wife. It was more like he was tossing scraps to a beggar on the street.
It was as if the position of Mrs. Thompson was a blessing she had earned over several lifetimes.
And she should be grateful and compliant, never daring to hope for love, much less anything beyond the hollow prestige of being Mrs. Thompson.
Her lips drained of color as her breathing grew faint, nearly overwhelmed by the intense sense of condescension radiating from him.
In this state, she looked a bit pitiful.
Kolton reached out and grabbed her hand, which was resting on her lap.
His rough fingertips gently caressed the smooth skin on the back of her
hand.
He leaned in closer, and the air around her grew warmer.
“Come home with me,” he murmured, his breathing heavy.
The thick masculine scent enveloped Cecilia, yet her mind remained crystal clear.
She weighed her options. If she refused Kolton now, would she find another way to access medical records from Sevarin’s major hospitals?
The answer was obvious.
The moment this realization crystallized, she made her choice.
Her body remained tense but unmoving as Kolton’s cool lips landed on
her.
The charged atmosphere in the car shifted, growing thick with heat.
The first autumn rain arrived unexpectedly, the headlights illuminating the empty road ahead.
Fine droplets pattered against the windows, streaking downward.
The sound of rain mingled with Kolton’s ragged breathing as he pulled Cecilia’s resisting hands from his chest.
After days of abstinence, his restraint had worn thin. The thought of
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taking her right here, right now, consumed him.
They’d never tried it in the car before, and he was determined to change
that.
Ignoring her subtle resistance and the fact she hadn’t verbally consented, he lifted her onto his lap with ease.
She wouldn’t refuse him. Despite her recent rebellious streak, Cecilia understood boundaries. She knew better than to waste the opportunities he provided.
Cecilia didn’t refuse. She knew she couldn’t bear the consequences of refusal.
But she didn’t agree either.
As long as she never verbally consented, she could still file for divorce after Quincy’s matter was resolved without going back on her word.
Kolton was losing control. Her clothes were in disarray, and it seemed he might take her right there.
She knew he was drawn to her physically, but that was as far as his interest went.
Fortunately, they were still in public, and Kolton’s upbringing kept him somewhat restrained.
He drove them home instead.
Rain streaked down the windows like a curtain, reflecting the growing fire in his eyes.
The hunger radiating from him was so intense that it completely overshadowed the sorrow in Cecilia’s eyes.
She thought to herself, “We’ve slept together so many times already. What
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difference would a few more times make?”
But when it actually happened, she realized the emotional disconnect was impossible to ignore.
Before, whenever he kissed her, she would fantasize about his tenderness, convincing herself they were in love.
Now, even as his aristocratic features twisted with desire for her, she couldn’t lose herself in the act, because this marriage was something Kolton had secured through power.
It was nothing but a transaction.
Outside, the rain pattered steadily. Inside the car, Cecilia clenched her teeth and played her part.
Kolton was more than satisfied. He was so carried away that he lost restraint, knowing he was hurting her but unable to stop himself.
“Consider this punishment for her disobedience these past few days,” he thought.
And yet, with her flushed cheeks and dazed eyes, she seemed to be enjoying it too.
If anything, this punishment was too lenient on her.
In the early hours of the morning, the rain began to let up, and they
moved from the car into the villa.
Cecilia wore only his shirt, her slender, pale legs exposed.
Seeing her fragile state, Kolton felt the heat inside him flare up again, the same heat that had never truly faded.
They stayed awake all night.
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Cecilia drifted in and out of consciousness, caught between sleep and wakefulness.
At some point, she heard Kolton answer a call, his voice rough and urgent. “Iris, stay hidden and protect yourself until I get there!”
Kolton got out of bed and headed to the walk–in closet to change.
Less than two minutes later, he emerged in black dress pants and a white
blouse.
As he passed the bed, Cecilia pushed herself up on shaky arms and grabbed his sleeve.
“Kolton, about Quincy…”
