Chapter 6

Rosemary didn't catch what was off about Maxwell's words. She was still fuming over his icy

detachment, huffing out a response in annoyance.

Maxwell picked up his soup and downed it in one go, though he set the bowl down with a bit too

much force, causing a loud bang.

Then he flipped back the covers and slid into bed, while Rosemary turned her back to him, switched

off her bedside lamp, and shut her eyes, ready to hit the sack.

This past year, they'd occasionally share a bed, with enough space between them to fit another two

people. But tonight was a bit different.

She was snoozing away when suddenly Maxwell got all up in her space. She was practically in his

arms, her back against his solid chest. Through just two thin layers of fabric, she could feel every

ridge of his muscles.

His deep, raspy breathing was right up in her ear, cranking the room's heat up to scorching levels.

Before Rosemary could even react, she felt something pressing against her lower back. Her brain

froze for a sec, and then it clicked what was going on.

"Maxwell," her voice came out shaky, half from the shock and half from nerves; she was worried

that Maxwell might force the issue.

She had longed for this kind of scene in the early days of their marriage, but years of his coldness

had ground those dreams to dust. Now, with divorce on the horizon, the last thing they needed was

another entanglement.

Some mistakes one only needed to make once.

"Hmm?" His voice, rough as gravel, resonated above her head, oozing a domineering vibe that

couldn't be ignored.

The next second, Maxwell rolled over, pinning her beneath him, towering above as he stared into

her eyes.

Rosemary steadied herself and tried to push him away, "I don't want to."

"Didn't you accuse me of not satisfying you? When you asked me to drink the soup, I thought you

were so desperate you'd hop on and take charge. Now you're saying you don't want to. Playing

hard to get, huh?" His lips brushed against hers as he spoke, his tone dripping with desire but his

words full of sarcasm.

Even an idiot could tell the soup was spiked, and Rosemary tried to explain, "I didn't know."

"You think I'd buy that? This isn't your first rodeo."

Every time that night was brought up, Rosemary felt utterly helpless, as he always forced her to

relive it.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, it was because,"

Before she could finish, Maxwell's overwhelming kiss cut her off, literally capping her words.

Rosemary was stunned, her hands pushing against his chest trying to shove him away, but in

return, she got an even deeper, more forceful kiss. There was no gentleness or tenderness, just

outright conquest.

Her lip was cut, the faint taste of blood mingling with her dizziness from the lack of oxygen, until his

scorching hand touched her and she jolted into awareness, realizing her shirt buttons had been

undone at some point.

She turned her head to stop his kisses, "Maxwell, let me go."

She struggled fiercely, using all her might to break free, but women were naturally at a disadvantage

in strength, and all her efforts were no match for Maxwell's single arm, which easily subdued her.

Maxwell's just-kissed lips were tinged with red, and he smirked mockingly, "You wanted a divorce

because you said I had erectile dysfunction and couldn't meet your needs. Now there's no issue, so

your reason for divorce doesn't hold."

He propped himself up, kneeling on the bed, grabbed her chin, and forced her head straight,

making her look at him. Because of their position, what Rosemary could see was quite obvious.

His voice was as cool as usual, but every word was testing her tense nerves, "Are you satisfied with

what you see?"

Her face was a picture of disgust, but before she could retort, Maxwell's phone rang. He reached for

it on the nightstand, his brow furrowing slightly when he saw the caller ID. It was Victoria's agent.

He swiped to answer, "What's up?" As Maxwell was about to get off her, the woman who had been

avoiding him suddenly reached out.

The moment her delicate hand touched him, his body tensed. He looked down, his eyes swirling

with a storm that seemed ready to tear someone to shreds. His clenched jaw made a slight grinding

sound.

The voice on the other end of the phone continued, and Rosemary caught the gist of it - it was the

same old story about Victoria having issues. The subtext was clear: Maxwell needed to go see her

now.

Maxwell shot a warning glance at the woman in his arms. She defiantly tilted her chin up at him,

answering his previous question, "Not just satisfied, but it's lasting too long; I can barely take it, slow

down."

Her voice was loud enough to be heard clearly by the person on the other end! Rosemary was

doing it on purpose, playing dirty to snag a man.

Maxwell's Adam's apple bobbed as he gripped the phone tighter, his knuckles white.

The voice came through again, "Mr. Templeton, if Victoria's leg is done for, so is her dancing career.

Back in the day, she suffered a lot in silence to become an internationally renowned dancer early

and to spare you from gossip about her background. Now, she's riddled with injuries and needs

therapy every week."

Maxwell bit his lip and got off the bed, "You take care of her."

She didn't try to stop him from leaving, knowing it was futile. Why would she humiliate herself? She

didn't want to snatch Maxwell back; she just wanted to get back at Victoria.

Maxwell got dressed and headed out, not saying a word to Rosemary, his so-called wife, the whole

time.

Downstairs, everyone was asleep, except for the emergency lights still glowing. He reached the

foyer to change shoes, and with a click, the massive chandelier above the living room suddenly lit

up.

Pearl stood at the kitchen door, remote control in hand, "Where are you off to this late?"

Maxwell frowned, "Mom, why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm asking you, where are you going leaving Rosemary behind in the middle of the night?"

Maxwell pressed his lips, and after a moment, said without changing his expression, "I lost control

for a moment and hurt her. I'm going to get some medicine for her."