Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 77

Ignoring her, Alaric pulled out his phone and dialed Mrs. Gable.

He instructed the housekeeper to go check if Stella was actually asleep.

He needed to make sure the little troublemaker hadn't just locked them in and wandered off.

Only after Mrs. Gable confirmed that Stella was safely tucked into her own bed did he finally relax.

He looked back at Ivy. "You can't possibly keep up this act every single night."

Unsure of what he meant, Ivy looked at him tentatively.

Without meeting her gaze, Alaric grabbed a bathrobe from the walk-in closet and headed for the bathroom, tossing a remark over his shoulder.

"Relax. I wouldn't touch you even if you stripped naked right in front of me."

He wasn't the type to force himself on a woman.

Even if she was his legal wife, as long as she was unwilling, he wouldn't lay a finger on her—no matter how frustrated he was.

The blunt reassurance washed a wave of relief over Ivy.

She knew it. He might be cold and brutally mean,

but he was a fundamentally decent man.

That kind of integrity was rare.

Noticing a large sofa in the sitting area,

Ivy quietly slipped into the closet to find some spare bedding.

Finding a blanket, she hauled it out and began making a makeshift bed on the couch.

When Alaric stepped out of the bathroom and saw her setup, his handsome face instantly darkened like a thundercloud.

A terrifyingly oppressive aura radiated from him.

"Is the bed not big enough for you? If sharing a bed with me is such absolute torture, why the hell did you marry me? Was it just for the money?"

Ivy flinched at his booming voice.

She immediately stood up, hanging her head and stammering timidly,

"I... I toss and turn a lot. I didn't want to bother you."

"If you didn't want to bother me, you shouldn't have practically begged me to marry you. You are so ridiculously fake. If you don't want to sleep in the bed, get out."

Alaric was genuinely infuriated.

After barking the orders, he stormed into the walk-in closet to change into his pajamas.

He felt like Ivy found him utterly repulsive.

She probably thought he was too old, repulsed by the idea of touching him while happily leeching off his wealth.

Ivy shoved the blanket onto a shelf, taking deep breaths and slapping her burning cheeks to calm down.

Don't panic. Don't be scared. Just keep it together.

She and Alaric were legally married.

Sleeping in the same bed and even being intimate would be entirely normal.

But she absolutely could not make the first move.

If she did, she'd just be confirming his worst suspicions—that she was a shameless gold digger willing to do anything to secure her position.

She couldn't let him misunderstand her intentions again.

After mentally repeating her pep talk a dozen times, she slowly, nervously crept toward the massive bed.

Seeing that he had left a space for her,

she sat down gingerly. Curling herself into a tight little ball on the very edge of the mattress, she looked like she was tied up in invisible ropes.

She didn't dare inch even a millimeter in his direction.

Watching her act like she was sharing a bed with a serial killer, Alaric was so furious he had half a mind to kick her off the mattress.

Unable to hold his temper, he snapped coldly,