I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 458

“Steven!” A jolt went through me. I was terrified. I scrambled away from him, fumbling for my phone. “What are you doing in my room? Who let you in?!”

Steven looked down at my rapidly changing expression, and his own gaze darkened in an instant.

“So angry. Is it because I'm in your room, or because I'm not the person you were expecting to see?”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, his eyes locking onto my face.

“You're even calling out Horace's name in your dreams. How far have you two gone? Have you kissed him? Slept with him?”

His tone was low, cold, and dangerous, as if any wrong word from me would trigger his immediate retaliation.

My heart clenched painfully, and I exploded with anger, yanking my hand free and glaring at him.

“Horace is not as disgusting as you! He respects me!”

Steven's sneer deepened, though his demeanor seemed to soften slightly. “Should I be directing that energy toward someone other than my wife? Besides, I'm a healthy, normal man. Horace isn't. He doesn't have the right to treat you that way.”

He cupped my face, his voice intensely forceful and obsessive.

“Zephyra, my patience has its limits. Don't keep provoking me, don't keep bringing up Horace's name, don't keep him in your heart. You're asking for trouble, you know that? Your body and soul belong to me. Even in your dreams, you can only dream of me.”

“Horace would get on a plane just to see me for a little while, even when he's not well, all because I said I missed him. He'd drop all his commitments to come protect me. His love is passionate and intense, so obvious I can't ignore it. But you… you could never do any of that.”

In my past life, for the first four years of our marriage, Steven was always busy with his company, his career. He was flying abroad twice a month to see his dear Verna without my knowledge. He almost never expressed any emotional need for me.

It wasn't until the fourth year, when our relationship became physical, that he finally broke through some kind of barrier and began to express a strong desire for marital intimacy. His possessiveness was intense, but it wasn't love. At least, in my limited understanding, it was nothing like the love Horace showed me.

Yes, I admit Steven had his good points. Besides his ambiguous relationship with Verna, he had no scandals, he led a clean life, and he came home for dinner early. He almost never spent the night out unless he was on a business trip. He gave me gifts for every occasion—jewelry, bags, anything a stay-at-home wife could want.

If I was sick, and Verna wasn't in the picture, he would take care of me. When I had a miscarriage, he stayed by my side, handling everything, including helping me find Horace. I once thought that was love, that maybe he had a little bit of affection for me.