Chapter 7 Don’t Escape
Eileen and Fremont had never officially announced their marriage. Since she wanted a divorce, of course, she wouldn’t let anyone find out about it
now
She quickly pulled him to leave.
Unlike days before, she had stopped crying or looking down. Instead, her eyes sparkled again, which was something that made Fremont both beam and dread.
To him, she was like a bright star, and it took him a lot of effort before taking her away and hiding her from anyone else. He was utterly uneasy now that she had reappeared in the sky.
The sun had set. After the long trip. Eileen was exhausted.
“Let’s talk, Fremont.”
“Why don’t we go home and talk? Helga made some soup. I’ve had the luggage you stored at the hotel fetch back.”
“OK.”
She wasn’t surprised. After all, he had ruined her career and future. There was nothing he wouldn’t do.
At the street corner, she saw a few middle school students just released from classes, beaming with grins. Though it was already cold late autumn, there were still a few of them who wore nothing but thin jackets.
Suddenly, she thought of Fremont in the past. Back then, his student. uniform was washed out. Though he was tall, he was so thin due to
insufficient nutrition. When he held her in his arms, she could even feel his protruding ribs.
How things changed. Now, he sat next to her in a suit, rotating the wedding ring on his finger. As his head dropped, she couldn’t see his eyes and didn’t know what he was thinking.
His gaze falling upon her purple dress soon turned deeper.
They arrived at the villa.
In the next second, Coco meowed and darted out from the courtyard.
Coco had always been a wild one, throwing herself at Eileen whenever Eileen’s footsteps rang out.
And now, Eileen was pregnant. Though she had booked an abortion, she instinctively shielded her abdomen with a hand due to maternal instincts.
Luckily, Coco didn’t throw herself at Eileen today.
She came to an abrupt stop at Eileen’s feet, looked up, and rubbed her head against Eileen’s leg with a meow.
Eileen crouched down and stroked her head. “I’m back, Coco.”
Helga walked out with a smile.
Mr. Woodward has been drinking the “Mrs. Woodward, you’re back.
leave again.”
days without you around. Don’t
Little did Helga know that she came back just to leave again.
She had acted too impulsively three days ago.
Let alone the marriage, she and Fremont had been together for eighteen years. Of course, a divorce couldn’t put an end to everything.
”
Chelsea claimed the villa Fremont had bought for her, enjoying the life of Mrs. Woodward, while her account held just 8,000 dollars.
Why?
She refused to be a lovestruck fool who opted to leave with nothing Fremont must give her everything she deserved–plus interest–in the
divorce.
They were no longer the pair of broke lovebirds living in the slums anymore, and it’d take a while to completely untangle their assets.
She took off her clothes and went to the bathroom.
Fremont breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the sound of the running
water.
Now that Eileen was back, this place finally felt like home again.
With a cigarette in his mouth, he went to the balcony and called Alfred. “Get me everything you can find out about Eileen’s days in Palsbury. I wanna know who she met and what she did. Also, get me her spending records, too.”
“OK.”
“Also, prepare a grand fireworks display.”
“Alright.”
Soon, Alfred sent him Eileen’s spending records in Palsbury.
She paid for the presidential suite and the two round–trip plane tickets- that was all
She didn’t spend a penny during her stay in Palsbury.
des
Someone had deliberately erased her traces, and Alfred couldn’t even find out which hotel she had stayed there.
None of her friends were this good.
Fremont’s gut told him it was a man.
The wood scent he had smelt on her was so unique. No woman would ever choose to wear such perfume.
Fremont was on the verge of losing it at the thought that she had been staying with another man and even came back with his perfume. Maybe it was just business, but he didn’t give a damn at all.
Who was that fucking man?
Eileen took a bath and walked into the walk–in closet in a robe.
Her slender yet curvaceous body underneath the robe was nothing but tempting.
All his friends bragged about how many women they had been with, pursuing a sense of novelty with different female companionships.
But Fremont could never relate. He could never get tired of being with Eileen.
“Eily…”
He pressed against her body from behind, and Eileen knew exactly that it meant he wanted her.
She trembled instinctively as he placed his hand on her abdomen.
Then she pushed him away. “What are you doing?”
The dim light cast shadows on his striking face. He lowered his gaze, his
11
lashes concealing the sullenness in his eyes, and then he stepped forward and wedged a leg between her legs.
Meanwhile, he gripped her chin, confining her between him and the closet, his intimidating aura overwhelming her.
She suddenly felt that she didn’t recognize him anymore.
Even his voice carried a hint of danger. “Eily, tell me. Did you go see a man in Palsbury? Who was he?”
Eileen didn’t know about Welburn’s real identity. Back then, the investors had simply told her to mentor a newcomer in showbiz.
After these days, she could tell Welburn came from a rich family.
Not wanting to cause him trouble, she said instinctively, “None of your business.”
Fremont traced her lips with his finger. As he was against the light, she couldn’t make up the domineering, even frightening possessiveness look on his face.
“Don’t be so cruel to me, Eily.”
“Fremont, you didn’t tell me when you let Chelsea have your baby, did you? What right do you have to ask me about anything? Does it matter to you which man I was with?”
Of course, it did. It was driving him
crazy!
He skimmed her lips and then her tender, fair face with his thumb. She
perfect, and he wouldn’t let anyone take her away from him.
Was so
“Let go.” She wanted to push him away, only to be caught by the wrist.
He effortlessly pressed her against the closet, sucking her earlobe.
I de joj je odwies
She had just taken a bath, and the rose scent lingering was nothing but. familiar to him.
He and Eileen had completely different personalities.
Ile was cold, old–fashioned, rigid, and hated changes, always frowning at new things.
In contrast, she was bold, fiery, tough, and craved thrills and novelty. She’d thrive even in the toughest times.
Even though he was already standing atop the pyramid of power, the inferiority in his bones still made him terrified of losing her.
He hated changes, and he didn’t want her to change.
“Eily…” There was a trace of obsession in his voice.
Sucking her earlobe, he ran the tip of his tongue upward, wetting the soft fuzz inside her ear.
Meanwhile, he slid his calloused fingers along her thigh, making her burn at his touch.
Feeling her trembling body, he said, his voice hoarse, “Eily, I’m the one who loves you the most in this world. Don’t ever try to escape. You can’t.”
Chapter 8 You’re Hurting Me
In the cramped walk–in closet, the air was thin, and the temperature rose in a split second.
Eileen, who had always been meek and almost submissive, refused Fremont’s advances today. Maybe it was because of her pregnancy or the fact that he was the one she had loved for years, her feeble struggle seemed more like foreplay to him.
Amid resistance, she yanked down a dress from a hanger.
The fine–quality silk dress slipped down and happened to cover Fremont’s head. His breathing became even more rapid as he kissed her neck frantically.
Until she said, “Fremont, you’re hurting me.”
Only then did he come back to his senses. Pulling a bit away from her, he looked down at her, who was in a mess.
Most of her robe had been taken off, draping over her slender arms. Her body exposed in the air instantly turned him on, and his eyes burned with lust.
Eileen pushed him away, saying icily, “Get out!”
He stepped away. “I’m sorry.”
What had gotten into him? How could he force his own wife?
Eileen didn’t respond to his apology. As Helga knocked on the door, she tightened her robe and went downstairs to eat.
Meanwhile, Fremont walked into the bathroom, washed his hands, and used the towel Eileen had just used. Such intimacy unique to couples lifted his mood briefly.
Then he took the haute couture dress she had worn from the laundry basket.
He took a photo of it and sent it to Alfred.
Soon, he’d know what that man was.
As Eileen walked downstairs, Helga came to her eagerly with a smile. At the sight of the red marks on her neck, Helga advised, “Mrs. Woodward, I’ve been working for you and Mr. Woodward for years, and I know exactly how much he loves you. Couples have arguments–it’s normal. No matter how upset you are, the fact remains. You’re still married. Right? Don’t stay angry with him anymore. He’s been waiting for you to forgive him.”
Forgive him?
After he had betrayed her?
She could never bear to forgive him whenever she thought of Chelsea’s baby. What she had with Fremont was already a deadlock, and there was no way they could fix this and patch things up.
After dinner, Helga washed the dishes and left. Curling up on the sofa, Eileen said, “I come back to talk to you about the divorce.”
In the quiet living room, the crisp snip of nail clippers rang out.
Also sitting on the sofa, Fremont was trimming nails for Coco with his head lowered. It seemed he hadn’t heard anything.
“Fremont,” Eileen called out.
“I’ve thought a lot these three days. In fact, the baby isn’t the only problem between us. For example, I love acting.”
As his hands paused, she continued, “But you had already cut me off years ago. This whole thing has been nothing but your long game. You first ruined my career and cut off all my connections. If I had successfully gotten pregnant, you would have used the child to tie me down forever. Right?”
Fremont finished trimming Coco’s nails. He tossed the clippings into the trash can and picked up the nail clippers exclusively to Eileen.
Then he half–knelt by the sofa and put her foot on his lap as he had done countless times already, not at all looking like the aloof, proud, and domineering ruler in public.
“Eily, let me trim your nails.”
He focused intently on trimming her every nail as if he hadn’t heard her mention the divorce at all.
Against his slender hand, her foot seemed particularly delicate.
His burning gaze fell upon her foot, which was so tender, as he used his calloused fingers to trace her slender ankle.
She was somewhat annoyed by his attitude and pulled her leg back.
“Fremont!”
Her cheeks flushed with anger, which made her even more stunning, reminding him of a thorny rose.
He knew exactly that she’d prick him, but he still uncontrollably wanted to get closer to her, not caring about being hurt completely at all.
“Eily, I’m not done trimming your nails yet.”
“Don’t waste any more time. Even if you finish trimming my nails today, so what? My nails always keep growing, but you won’t always stay by my side. Sooner or later, we’re gonna part ways.”
Eileen leaned down, lifted his chin, and forced him to meet her eyes. “Fremont, we’ve known each other for eighteen years, and you know me well enough to know how I will react after learning about your betrayal. You just wanted to gamble, to see if I’d compromise. But you know what? You already lost on the day you decided to bet our marriage on that baby
“You have a month to finalize the asset division. I want seventy–five percent of your assets, and apart from the shares I hold, I demand ten more percent.”
The ambition on her face was undisguised. “I’m not greedy. You owe me this. After the divorce, feel free to marry Chelsea or someone else–I don’t care.”
By then, Noelle’s surgery would be completed. Most importantly, she needed time to forget him and their past.
Fremont didn’t seem upset at all. He took her hand, gazing at her with sick obsession.
“Eily, I’ll transfer all my assets under your name. We can notarize it. You can have whatever you want. I just have one request–don’t leave me. OK?”
“No way.”
Eileen answered expressionlessly, “We’ll leave separately from today on. Are you gonna leave? Or do you want me to go?”
He gave in upon seeing the resolution in her eyes. “I’ll go. You can stay here so that Helga can look after you.”
“Alright. Then you can pack up now.” she said coldly.
Yet, he continued to trim her nail on her other foot and polished each nail with great patience before finally standing up.
She added, “No more tricks. Fremont. I only gave you a month because of our years together. If you don’t do as I say, don’t blame me for exposing what you’ve done at your product launch. Surely, you don’t wanna see the company’s reputation and all your painstaking work get destroyed, right?”
Being threatened, Fremont, who had already stood up, suddenly leaned down. propped his hands
embrace, and looked at host the cushions, confined her in his
meaningfully.
She froze as he leaned closer to her bit by bit. Then he whispered slowly. his warm breath brushing against her ear, “Eily, you’re too soft on me.‘
With that, he turned around and went upstairs, leaving her on the sofa.
Feeling her limbs cold, she realized something about him had changed. She knew he wouldn’t agree to a divorce easily, but with Chelsea’s baby as her leverage, she was certain she’d prevail.
In the worst–case scenario, she’d file for divorce, which might take longer. Still, the outcome was certain.
But… why was she so uneasy?
Fremont left with a carry–on suitcase without any objection.
Before leaving, he even thoughtfully reminded her not to stay up late.
It almost made her feel that he was on another business trip and would come back after a few days.
She sat on the stairs under the night sky, gawking at his car, which gradually vanished from her sight.
封
She didn’t get it. Since when did things between them become like this?
Coco climbed up her leg, wanting to nestle on her belly Stroking Coco’s head, she said gently, “I’m sorry, Coco. There’s a baby inside me now, and I can’t hold you like before.”
Her eyes turned red at the mention of the baby. She continued, “But it will soon be gone.”
Coco seemed to understand and sat beside her sweetly, looking at the Cullinan which was already a dot in the distance.
Eileen felt utterly cold after sitting on the stone stairs for a few minutes, but this time, no one would come out and drape a coat over her shoulders.
She muttered, “Coco, this is the right thing to do, isn’t it? People have to pay the price for the mistakes they make.”
Closing the door, she walked inside the vast villa alone. She had seen Fremont off a thousand times before, but this was the first time she had felt the villa was so cold and quiet.
She couldn’t bring herself to go back to their bedroom, which held too many of their sweetest moments together.
Curling up on the beige sofa, she pulled out her phone, only to be bombarded by countless trending topic notifications.
“The Woodward Group’s CEO’s flashy airport pickup of his wife” had topped the trending topic list.
