His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 505

"Gemma, we were supposed to have a baby..."

"It was all my fault back then. I was wrong. Gemma, let's start over, okay?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head, trying to kiss her forehead.

"We can have another child. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Let's just start over..."

That faint scent of cigar smoke mixed with his unfamiliar presence rushed over her.

Gemma frowned, a visceral wave of discomfort washing over her. It wasn't just disgust toward her 'stand-in' identity; knowing she might just be a replacement triggered a deeply physical repulsion toward this fake husband.

"No!"

Finding a sudden surge of strength, she violently shoved Dominic hard in the chest.

Caught off guard, Dominic stumbled back, his leg hitting the edge of the coffee table with a dull thud.

Dead silence instantly fell over the living room.

His eyes flickered, but he didn't lunge at her again. After a long moment, the morbid, obsessive madness in his gaze vanished completely.

It was replaced by the cold, condescending mockery of someone looking at a total stranger.

He adjusted the collar of his black turtleneck, bent down to retrieve his gold-rimmed glasses from the table, and methodically slid them back onto his nose.

The lenses concealed every trace of emotion in his eyes.

"It seems I've been too indulgent with you this past year. You've forgotten whose territory you're standing on."

Dominic walked to the entryway and picked up his coat, his tone so flat it was devoid of any inflection.

He pulled the front door open and stepped out.

The next second.

A heavy click echoed through the room.

The estate's heavy security door had been deadbolted from the outside with the master key.

Yet the next second, as if something had just clicked, she frowned and blurted out a name.

"Julian?"

At the sound of that name, Julian Vanderbilt paused mid-step.

He stood frozen, his gaze piercing through the dim light to lock intensely onto Gemma's face.

He took in her off-white cashmere turtleneck, her casually pinned-up hair, and that face—the face that bore a sixty-percent resemblance to the real Gemma Harrington.

After a moment, he let out a short bark of laughter.

The smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, a bone-chilling coldness lurked in their depths.

"Just what kind of shady methods did Dominic use to turn you into this?"

As Julian spoke, he kicked the door shut behind him, his long legs striding over to take a seat on the single sofa in the living room.

His gaze swept over the photos scattered across the coffee table and the floor, eventually landing back on her.