Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 258

"Huh? You've been up this whole time?"

Tarquin's brows furrowed deeply. "Tell me the truth!"

Elysia's heart pounded wildly. When she had entered and seen him with his eyes closed, breathing steadily, she thought he was deep in sleep. Little did she know, he was faking it!

He's so cunning!

"I wasn't trying to seduce you! And I definitely wasn't planning to kill you. I was... oh, right, I was sleepwalking! Yeah, that's it, sleepwalking."

The grip on her wrist tightened suddenly, clearly showing he didn't believe a word she said.

"Ouch—" Elysia felt like her wrist was about to snap. She was a mix of pain, fear, and a touch of feeling wronged, her nostrils flared, and she was on the verge of tears.

"I really wasn't trying to... could you, maybe, lighten up? It hurts."

Seeing her eyes well up, Tarquin's expression softened slightly, and the grip loosened but didn't let go entirely, his voice cold as he warned, "Then give me a reasonable explanation, or don't blame me for being ruthless. Killing you would be no different to me than stepping on an ant."

Elysia's breathing hitched, fear evident in her eyes. She looked at Tarquin, and he stared back.

In his gaze, she truly saw a willingness to kill!

Elysia started to breathe heavily, "I... I just wanted to see your..."

"See what?"

The words 'shoulders' danced on her tongue, but she dared not speak them. In the end, she gritted her teeth, "I thought you were well-built, so I wanted to strip off your shirt to have a look!"

Such a scandalous admission!

"Because of Elijah, I can tolerate and even indulge you. If you're honest with me, I'll respect you. I made it clear before. I have someone in my heart, and you shouldn't set your sights on me. Apart from Elijah's mother, there's no one else for me. You're pretty and have a nice figure. Although not the brightest, that's not a flaw. If you want a man, there are plenty out there who would be interested in you. If you're looking for a quality man, I can introduce you to someone. But if you're aiming for me, you're barking up the wrong tree."

Elysia turned red with embarrassment, "I'm not looking for a man! And I definitely wasn't looking for you!"

"Not looking for me? So sneaking into my room tonight was just for a bit of fun?"

"I didn't! I..."

"I don't care what you want. But people need to maintain their dignity. Even if you don't care about your own reputation, think about the children's future. If you don't want them to be the talk of the town, you need to learn to respect yourself and understand the concept of shame."

His tone wasn't harsh, but every word struck deep!

Wasn't he basically saying she had no self-respect, no sense of shame?