Sophie's eyes widened in shock, her instincts kicking in as she started to struggle. But the wall behind her was cold and unyielding, and the man in front of her even more so, his presence chilling to the bone. All her protests were swallowed up in his dominating kiss.
"Mmph," Sophie tried to push him away, pounding on the man's shoulders, but he didn't budge. If anything, her resistance only fueled his anger, pinning her against the wall in a frenzy that seemed to strip him of all reason.
This side of Jason terrified Sophie. She had never seen him lose his temper like this. Usually, he teased her, mocked her, but it was always laced with a certain affection. Today, she had pushed him to the brink.
His breath, heavy with the scent of whiskey, felt like a stormy sea crashing against her lips.
Unable to break free, Sophie stopped resisting, allowing him to kiss her. She closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling with a mix of indignation and defiance.
She'd let him kiss her; she wanted to see just how far he would go.
Jason felt as if he was trapped in a dark, cold abyss, with the warm lips of the girl below him the only way out.
He sensed her struggle, her anger, and finally, her surrender.
Her compliance chilled his heart more than her resistance ever could.
She must truly despise him now!
From today on, their relationship was irreparably broken!
He must have been out of his mind to listen to Jewel's advice, using such a ludicrous method to test her, and now unable to bear the outcome, his frustration turned into rage.
But the crazier he got, the more desperate he felt, as if knowing this was their last moment of closeness, he clung to her like a drowning man to a lifeline.
Even if it was a mistake, he'd continue making it. He just wanted to soak up as much warmth from her as possible, enough to last a lifetime.
Sophie, with her eyes closed, clung tightly to his shoulders, her body trembling. After what felt like an eternity, she felt his frenzied kissing slow down, even turning gentle.
But his grip on her remained firm.
This was probably his first kiss too, but he quickly went from clueless to expert, his kisses becoming more intricate, more suggestive.
Sophie reciprocated the kiss, shyly at first, a mere brushing of lips, unlike this intense entanglement.
Her heart raced, her mind blank, an inexplicable shiver spreading through her body with her blood.
He knew he had made many mistakes today, like confessing too soon after her breakup, and then, in his rejection, kissing her without regard for her feelings.
But he had no regrets.
Just as Jewel had said, could he really wait another twenty years?
Even if this was the only chance he'd ever get to be close to her, even if she grew to hate him and never spoke to him again, he had no regrets.
The snow kept falling, piling up on his hair and shoulders, but the man stood motionless, like a statue, as if this was the last time he'd ever stand under her window, with no more chances or reasons to return.
*
After crying for a while, Sophie emerged from under the blanket, her face flushed from the heat.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at the ceiling, then suddenly got up and walked towards the balcony.
Sure enough, he was still there, unchanged.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
May we have more updates please....
Thank you so much for the updates today. Now that Yvonne knows that Gonzalez has established who's really in charge of the Hansen house hold she and her mother are treading carefully. It will be interesting to see how Jenny will get the information to see if Adrian is paying for Norah....
With Adrian last comment, he's gonna get whipped and wonder what happened. Thank you so so much for the updates....
May we please have more updates. Thank you....
I would like for Norah to secretly have her memory restored and not tell anyone just to observe how everyone is trying to keep mess going....
Janice and Adrian don't want Norah to be with Xavier....
Thank you for the updates. You do keep us in suspense....
Curious as to how, what, when and where Norah will get her memory back of Xavier....
I'm so glad that Gonzalez was able to get Luke, Oliver and all others who wanted to challenge himas the CEO straight. Interesting how Xavier made reference to a girlfriend concerning his gift to Norah, but never did this before her accident. I'm grateful for the updates. Thank you...
I had a lot of catching up to do..oh buoy, what twist and turns. Loved every bit of it, thank you for keep updating the novel. Hoping for more love along the way....