My Billionaire Husband

Crap. Kate's first reaction was to run away, but she didn't move. A small voice said around her ears, "You cannot retreat. You have to confront it." So she tried to compose herself and said, "It is my notebook. What are you doing with it?"

Tristan leaned back in the chair and raised his eyebrows, "Well, I saw the notes were all about me. Didn't know you care so much."

He was a little proud when he read it out loud and turned each page lazily, "Day 1, kick away the blanket & grinding teeth in sleeping; day two comb hair in living room…" and he turned a few pages and said, "Day 15, peanut butter on toast…"

After he finished, he raised his head and looked at her with ridicule, "I don't understand these. Could you explain it to me?"

Kate's mind was racing fast to find an answer. She bit the bullet and said, "Recording, just recording."

"What does that check mean?"

"Uh, that is to say, this is the bad habit, and I have to remove it."

Tristan laughed and turned gentle, "For me?"

Kate bit her lips and nodded reluctantly.

Tristan showed some satisfaction and stood up slowly, with the notebook still in his hand. He walked close to Kate and pointed to one page, "Day 30, a little red flag. What does that mean?"

He drawled on languidly as if he was really puzzled or he had already known everything. Kate felt a creeping feeling on her scalp. She grabbed the notebook from him and mumbled, "It is a little flag. Can't I draw anything I want?"

"Sure you can. But that is all?" Tristan wrapped his arm around her and showed extreme intimacy.

"Uh-huh."

"OK, let's go to sleep." Tristan finally let it go and carried Kate by her limbs to the bedroom.

It was uncomfortable to be carried, but Kate felt relieved that her lie had worked. Her breath had not yet come back to normal when she heard Tristan stop and ask suddenly, "Who gave you the idea?"

Kate's heart missed a beat, and she played possum, "What do you mean?"

"Look at me," Tristan ordered.

She looked up reluctantly into his eyes, and he said, "You fooled me?"

The gentleness and smile were nowhere to find.

Kate's heart began to bounce wildly again, and he asked again, "The sergeant gave you that idea?"

She didn't expect him to guess Jimmy, and it also reminded her of meeting with him in the morning. The man felt her body stiffen and frowned, "It is really him?"

"No." Kate denied hurriedly after drawing back her thoughts.

"Then who is it?"

"Nobody." She insisted.

Tristan sneered, "You think I am a fool?"

Kate felt danger and struggled to get back on her feet, but Tristan held her tighter and said, "It will not be over if you don't say clearly."

He got to the bed and sat down. He turned Kate around in his arms and put her on his leg with her back up. He pressed her elbow on her back and controlled her.

Kate was like a fish being thrown to the land. She struggled in vain. She was both angry and terrified.

She retorted, "I didn't fool you. It is you who always treat me like a fool. Can't I have my own thoughts?"

Tristan snorted, "You are not a fool, and you can have your own thoughts, but this kind of thought is not what you are allowed. I have limited patience. If you don't confess, I will take action."

He grabbed a magazine from the nightstand and rolled it up, "Last chance, will you say it?"

The words sounded familiar to Kate. She heard a bang, and her b.u.t.t hurt like being burnt. She frowned but kept silent.

"Not enough?"

One more, and the sound echoed through the room.

Kate gave out a cry but insisted, "Nobody. Nobody."

She was as stubborn as the first time he saw her. Tristan ground his teeth and said, "You will have to change your bad habit today."

At the fifth bang, Kate still kept silent. Tristan thought she was really tough, and he could not bear to continue.

He tossed away the magazine and pulled down her pants. The tender skin was reddened and shocking. Looking closely, it was like a ripe peach with abundant juice. He felt his throat tighten and a hot current run down his belly.

While Tristan was in a trance, Kate took a chance, climbing up on her feet and pulling on her pants. Turning back, she gave him a kick on the shin and said angrily, "Morbid."

Tristan had flames in his eyes. He was quick, grabbing her and throwing her back on the bed. Kate lost balance and fell on her back. Tristan bent up and supported himself with his arm, still controlling her in his arms.

Tristan's eyes fixed on her, and he was swallowing mouth water. He said in a low voice, "Morbid. Since you said that all the time, I need to be morbid with you."

And he bent down and bit her on the neck.

Kate felt hurt. She kicked and beat at him, but he easily controlled her. He bit her to his satisfaction and scrutinized the visible teeth marks with delight. He said, "The movie you watched just now. They took two decades to plan the escape. Did you want to escape from here in 30 days? You think that you are too smart or that I am an idiot?"

"Let me give you a lesson from the beginning."

Then he continued his motion, picking the places with the least meat: her rib, the inside of her arms, her belly; he bit all the way down.

When he pulled down her pants again, his palm squeezed her b.u.t.t and kneaded it, seeming to crush it. His slender fingers touched the front groove unintentionally and finally explored into it and tried to spread it. He was satisfied to hear her suppressed m.o.a.ning.

Kate bit his lips to endure the humiliation and heard him say, "How many c.o.n.d.o.ms did you buy?"

She said honestly, "One box of each size." He sneered and blew his breath to her ear, "That won't be enough."

***

Kate slept till almost noon the next day, which was rare for her. She could not sit on the chair in her study at all in the afternoon, so she had to take the same position as the cat, lying on her stomach on the carpet. The skin she could see was covered with bite marks, and the place where she could not see had even more.

She cursed him for almost a full hour with all the words available in her vocabulary: morbid, psycho, beast, bastard… and then she opened the book on the floor and started to read. Since the plan to escape had failed, she had to return to her original plan to study and make herself stronger.

With the disturbance of Lucy, she finished only a few pages in several hours. And then she got a call from Jessie.

Kate staggered out of the villa gate and saw a red car as bold and outstanding as its owner. Jessie sat inside wearing sunglasses. She bent over and opened the front door for her. Kate only wore a thin sweater.

She said, "I will go change clothes."

"Just come up. I only need a few words." Jessie said impatiently.

When Kate got in the car, Jessie started the engine immediately. Kate buckled up and heard her say, "Do you cherish your life?"

Kate didn't reply. Jessie instructed her to buckle up every time she got into the car until she had gotten used to it.

When the car hit the main road, Jessie sighed and said, "It is over for Tristan and me."

Last night at midnight, the phone ringing had woken Jessie up. It was Kate's number, but when she picked it up, it was Tristan's voice.

He said, "That is it for the farce." She paused a little and said, "You cannot treat me like this." Tristan stayed silent for a while and said, "Jessie, you still don't know about me? This is what I am."

After she hung up the phone, she kept her eyes open till the day broke.

Jessie pulled her mind back to the present and turned to Kate, "Congratulations. Life term. You are stuck with him all your life."

"We have an agreement," Kate said.

Jessie looked at her as if she was looking at an alien. "You are so naïve. Do you think he will keep his word? I know him better. He is literally paranoid. If I guess right, you are the 2nd woman in his life."

Kate showed surprise in her eyes.

"Even if you are useless in everything, with the dimples in your cheek, you will have to be the substitute all your life. Either he will not marry anyone all his life, or he marries someone in the future, you will still have to play your current role because," Jessie sneered, "he doesn't have an interest in other women physically. You will be his mistress all your life."

She spoke with spite and satisfaction. Kate put her hand on the seat belt.

The car sped up and soon got out of the downtown area. When Kate got back her attention, the car was running on a coastal road, and there was not a car within eyeshot.

"There is only one way out. That is you die." Jessie stepped further on the gas pedal. The car was flying above the road.

Kate grabbed the handle on the ceiling of the car. Jessie was vehement and might do something to end both of their lives.

The car was galloping under the darkening sky.

When they stopped suddenly, they were in the middle of a winding mountain road. Jessie breathed heavily and said, "Aren't you scared?"

"Yes," Kate said.

"Why don't you scream?"

Kate looked at her, "Why should I?"

Jessie put her hand to the forehead, "I am curious how you communicate." And then she seemed to understand and looked at her weirdly, "You only communicate physically?"

Kate looked away. The scene last night occurred to her, and the pain seemed still there with the embarrassment.

Jessie leaned back on the seat, and her heart was overwhelmed with fury and jealousy. She felt that a force twisted her soul. She ordered coldly, "Get out of the car."

They were at the peak of a mountain.

Outside the rail, it was a steep drop to a bottomless sea. The sea here was very different from outside the villa.

The dark water was crashing against the cliff and created white waves and foam. It was like it was in a fury and was intimidating those watching it. Kate stepped back a little.

The wind was also strong, and their hair was blown up.

Jessie took off her sunglasses. Her face looked dark, her eyes were baggy and black, and her lips were pale.

"Do you know where we are?".

Kate shook her head.

"Give me your cell phone."

Kate gave it to her without a second thought and saw it draw a line in the air as it dropped into the sea with a sound.

Kate was shocked, and Jessie sneered.

"Have you ever seen the sunrise from the sea?"

"Some people say that this is the best place to watch the sunrise from the sea, but that is for summer. Now it is winter. People can freeze here at night." Jessie smiled at Kate, "Hope you enjoy the sunrise tomorrow."

Kate chased back to the car and said, "What are you doing?"

Jessie turned back to face her, "Hush. Don't force me to push you down from here." She got into the car, closed the door, and turned around.

As she passed Kate, she put her head out of the window and said, "Don't make me run you over."

Kate stepped back at these words.

The car flew past her and down the slope and soon disappeared over the other side of the mountain.

The sea was roaring, and the wind was whistling.

She walked close to the rail. Jessie's actions brought shock to her for a moment, but the feeling was gone soon. Kate didn't have anger and resentment toward her.

Instead, what she had said earlier had a big impact on her, "Life term, substitute, mistress, s.e.x partner…"

Looking down, the sea was black and had one kind of appeal to her.

Things flashed in her mind: Caroline's death, meeting Jimmy, the cold expression on his face the last time she saw him, Tristan's unpredictable personality, last night's crazy d.e.s.i.r.e, and the prospect of a whole life with him… She couldn't bear to think about it.

Even if she stooped to compromise, it wasn't a life she wanted. She was not really living.