I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 271

I couldn’t. I truly couldn’t. It was a death sentence. The pain and loneliness of my past life were still too vivid, too raw. I didn’t have the courage to walk that path again. The image of dying alone in a hospital bed flashed through my mind, and fresh tears welled in my eyes.

“I’m no use to you. I have a bad temper, a sharp tongue, and I’m not afraid to use my fists. If I stay your wife, I’ll only make you miserable. I’ll probably stress you into an early grave. It’s a bad deal for you. How about this: we get divorced tomorrow, and you ban me from ever appearing in your life again. Doesn’t that sound better?”

A humorless laugh escaped his lips. “You hate me that much, yet you came to me for help?”

My voice was thick with tears, but my words were sincere. “Because I’m selfish. All I want is to save Horace.”

Compared to Horace’s future, my pride and dignity were worthless. I had come here prepared for humiliation, for impossible demands. I would have done anything he asked. Anything except remain Mrs. Lancaster. That was the one thing that felt like dying.

“At least you’re honest.” Steven’s knuckles were white, the veins in his forehead standing out in stark relief. He was so angry he was actually smiling. “If you don’t want to, you can always say no. It’s not your leg on the line, after all. You don’t have to sacrifice your life for another man by being with someone you despise.”

I looked at the clock on the wall. My heart twisted. With a choked sob, I looked up at him, my eyes pleading. “I agree. I won’t mention divorce again. Just please, call the hospital. We’re running out of time.”

His face was a thundercloud. “Let me be clear. You are the one begging to be Mrs. Lancaster this time. That means you will fulfill all your marital duties. You have no right to refuse. You will serve me like a mistress. When I want you, you will deliver.”

My face went deathly pale. It wasn’t his crude words that horrified me, but the unspoken demand behind them. He wanted my body.

The bastard. He was playing games with Verna and still expected me to sleep with him.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. “I agree. Now, please, call the hospital!”

For a moment, Steven was silent. He stared into my swollen, red-rimmed eyes, and I stared back, unable to decipher the turbulent emotions swirling in their depths. Then, he let go of my hand and, right in front of me, dialed the hospital.

I slowly, stiffly, made my way to the stairs. Then, a thought occurred to me, and I turned back, my voice still hoarse from crying. “Steven, you said I can’t mention divorce. But you can, right?”

He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “What are you trying to say?”

He didn’t seem as angry as before, his handsome face a calm, placid mask. But I knew better than to trust it. Steven’s control was legendary; this was likely just the quiet before the storm.

“I was just asking. You said I had to serve you like a mistress. Does that mean you just want to keep me as one? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will? You don’t actually want me to be Mrs. Lancaster, do you?”

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