Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 377

Chapter 377 Raw Sensation

Jasper personally saw Norman and the others out.

Finished

As they reached the villa’s entrance, Norman glanced back at the second–floor window where the lights were still burning. He couldn’t resist a jab. “You’ve really got nerves of steel. Her mind is currently stuck in her teenage years, and you’re standing there lying to those inocent eyes. Don’t you feel even a flicker of guilt?”

“It’s time for you to leave,” Jasper replied coldly, his dismissal sharp.

“How cold. And after we just finished helping you out, too.” Norman shrugged.

The woman beside him instantly dropped her flirtatious act, stepping away to put some distance between herself and Norman. “Correction: I helped. You were just there for the scenery.”

“Ivy, this isn’t the time for an ego trip.”

“Don’t call me Ivy. We aren’t friends.”

Norman didn’t bother arguing with her. He turned back to Jasper, his expression growing somber. “Everything is set for tomorrow?”

“Yes. Nothing can go wrong.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”

The woman added a blunt postscript: “You can doubt his brains, but never doubt my professional ability. When I play a role, I play it to perfection.”

“Get going. Thank you for tonight.”

The woman–Ivy–gave a dismissive wave as she headed toward the car. Before stepping inside, she couldn’t help but complain, “That cheap perfume smells like a dumpster fire. It’s going to take three showers to get this scent off me.”

The truth was, the perfume didn’t belong to Ivy. It belonged to Bianca.

Jasper hadn’t actually met with Norman earlier that night. He had gone to see Bianca to thoroughly dismantle her suspicions and set the final stage for tomorrow’s operation. He had no intention of letting the current Tatiana know about the dark, lethal games being played in the shadows. Once everything concluded perfectly tomorrow, he would clear away every threat so she could finally live in the light.

Tatiana stood behind the curtains of the second–floor window, watching the figures move below. Her eyes

darkened.

In the house, the two had acted like a couple, but the moment they stepped away from the villa’s sig D they had instinctively moved apart. The shift was too deliberate, too guarded to be ignored. It meant theil relationship was a fabrication.

Her heart sank.

“It’s chilly by the window. Don’t catch a cold.”

The low vibration of Jasper’s voice came from behind her. He draped a knit cardigan over her shoulders with practiced ease. She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest.

12:31 Mon, Jan 5

Chapter 377 Raw Sensation

“Jasper, would you ever keep things from me?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me. Please.”

He leaned down and gave her nose a playful pinch. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

She shook her head, choosing to keep her doubts silent for now.

“I’m going to go wash up. Do you want to try and get some sleep first?”

“Okay,”

Jasper leaned down and swept her up into his arms.

X51%

“Ah!” She let out a startled cry and reflexively hooked her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushing crimson.

He settled her onto the bed and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Watching her shy, devoted expression, Jasper’s pupils darkened with a swirling intensity.

In the bathroom, the sound of splashing water soon filled the air. He closed his eyes, letting the spray run

past

few over his face as he tried to wash away the day’s tension. He thought about her reliance on him these days–how she slept in his bed, how she clung to him.

He wasn’t a saint, and he certainly wasn’t a martyr. He was a man fighting every instinct he possessed. He didn’t want to hurt her while her mind was so fractured and vulnerable. He was gritting his teeth, enduring a torturous level of self–restraint.

The roar of the water masked his low, strained breathing. When the water finally cut off, he stood in the silence, balanced on the razor’s edge between discipline and total collapse. He let out a bitter, self- deprecating huff. “Animal.”

The bedroom was silent when he returned. It seemed she had finally fallen asleep. He lay down with extreme caution, terrified of waking her. But the moment he settled, a warm, soft body pressed against his back. Two arms wrapped around him like vines.

His entire body went rigid. The sensation of her against him was a shock to his system.

“Tatiana, let go,” he said, his voice sounding like it had been dragged over gravel.

She shook her head, her grip tightening as her voice came muffled from behind him. “No.”

“Tatiana…

“No, no, no! Why do you want me to let go? Aren’t we husband and wife?”

He remained silent, his body drawn tight like a bowstring. Suddenly, she reached out, her hand tugging at the hem of his sleep shirt.

“If we’re married, we should be closer than this, shouldn’t we?”

2/3

12:31 Mon, Jan 5 G.

Chapter 377 Raw Sensation

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