After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 73

“Don’t you already know?” Jeffrey answered with infuriating calm.

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He draped an arm over the chairback, and his eyes locked with hers unflinchingly. Neither would yield.

Ultimately, Rebecca broke first.

“Save yourself the trouble right now.” She hated his righteous nonchalance. Why should she be the only one

affected? “Even if you're not with Andrea anymore, we're through.”

She'd remember every poisonous word he said forever.

“As long as she doesn’t askto leave, I'll take care of her for the rest of my life,” Jeffrey said slowly.

Rebecca genuinely wanted to smack him. She wasn’t stupid. This comment was clearly meant for her ears.

“Are you tired?” Jeffrey asked her.

Since the last incident, he'd rarely opened up like this. He knew exactly how her days went: daytjob, noon

hospital visits, evenings spent cooking, nights burning the midnight oil with freelance art projects-a never-

ending whirlwind.

Even the Hanson family’s housekeeper didn’t work half as hard as she did.

Rebecca froze and thought, ‘Tired? Oh yes, bone-deep exhaustion.’

Every day looked the same: up at dawn to cook, squeezing in freelance work until 3 AM after Samuel was asleep,

juggling endless chores between shifts.

She'd never experienced this kind of relentless grind in her entire privileged life.

Jeffrey had watched her fraying nerves and hollow eyes. Seeing his carefully nurtured “flower” wilt like this

pained him. “Answerproperly. Are you tired?”

“Yeah,” Rebecca admitted. “But that’s adult life. No one gets through it unscathed.”

“You have options,” Jeffrey reminded her. This level of leniency was something he'd never granted anyone else -

not even Samuel.

Rebecca looked at him, her expression momentarily blank. “You wantto be Mrs. Hanson again?”

Though anticipating her rejection, he answered, “Yes.”

“Jeffrey, do you have no self-respect?” Rebecca understood this was his concession, but she couldn't accept his

entanglement with Andrea or forget his recent words and actions.

She needed to sever his hopes and her own expectations for his preferential treatment.

“After countless rejections, anyone else would've stopped asking,” Rebecca kept her voice low to avoid Samuel

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Chapter 73

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overhearing. “Are you truly shameless, or do you actually believe being Mrs. Hanson is scoveted prize?”

Her words carried deliberate cruelty, burning every bridge. She knew this provocation would anger Jeffrey.

But desperation drove her. With her mother still unconscious, Rebecca feared prolonged stress might break her

resolve, knowing emotional collapse often breeds poor decisions. She decided to end things.

Jeffrey's eyes chilled as he watched her lips form these heart-piercing words.

“Rebecca,” Jeffrey spoke her nwith uncharacteristic gravity, his voice roughened, “you're lucky | understand

you enough to stay calm.”

Rebecca stubbornly met his gaze, her expression openly challenging him to act.

Jeffrey's lips pressed into a thin line before relenting. He stood abruptly, seizing her wrist and pulling her into

an embrace.

Rebecca struggled fiercely against him.

“Stop squirming,” Jeffrey hissed, clamping his arms tighter around her.

Her resistance only intensified.

Though tempted to scold her, thoughts of her recent turmoil softened his tone. “I know you're exhausted. You've

been suffering from stress and emotional strain these past weeks.”

Rebecca froze in his arms.

Jeffrey exhaled heavily. “Hush now. Stop fighting.”

The unexpected tenderness shattered her composure.

She pummeled his chest, unleashing weeks of pent-up fury. When mere blows proved insufficient, she sank her

teeth into his arm with vicious satisfaction.

Jeffrey didn’t even flinch.

Staring at her shattered state, for a fleeting moment, he wondered if destroying his bond with Rebecca for a

promise had been a mistake.

But if even he abandoned his conviction, that'd prove his parents had been right all along.

Tblurred. Rebecca finally stopped her outburst.

Still holding her, Jeffrey spoke in his usual warm tone. “You forgot to bite the right side. Want symmetry?”

Rebecca's eyes burned, her nose prickling with suppressed tears.

Jeffrey was a paradox-a betrayer she despised, yet the man who knew her soul. Two irreconcilable halves fused

into the arms holding her now.

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Chapter 73

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Jeffrey released her, gently wiping her cheeks with his thumb. His touch held the reverence of polishing a

gem.

The familiar warmth in his eyes made her chest tighten. But their path had shattered the day he'd chosen

Andrea. It was a fracture no glue could mend.

“Jeffrey,” Rebecca called out.

Jeffrey’s voice softened, warm and gentle. “Yes?”

“Could you stop making things difficult for me?” Rebecca felt utterly exhausted. The cheerful facade she

maintained daily was just a survival mechanism. “I'm scared | might break down someday.”

Jeffrey’s hand paused while wiping her tears. “I haven't caused you trouble these past few days.”

Rebecca pressed, “What about the future?”

After a weighted silence, Jeffrey finally spoke. “You know how | operate.”

His answer sank Rebecca's heart like

cold stone. She understood this

meant Rer peace hitgéd entirely on

hie Whims until she returned. “Got it,”

she said. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

“Rebecca.” Jeffrey immediately noticed her withdrawn tone.

She didn’t respond, taking a deliberate step back.

That simple step from her felt like a tiny dagger pricking Jeffrey's heart. His handsfeatures tightened almost

imperceptibly.

“My apologies, Mr. Hanson.” Rebecca gestured stiffly at his dampened shirt, rebuilding emotional walls. “I've

soiled your clothes.”

Jeffrey let out a bitter laugh. ‘She

usedand tossedaside? What

does she take rae iho spoiled

hee to developing such an annoying

habit?" he thought. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

The thought barely formed when the

realization hit. It was his own faut for

Spoiing pet Hiseyed dt thei?

wiarinth Sis piercing gaze locked

onto her. “Who taught you to

apologize like this?” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

The flood of emotions receded from Rebecca's face, her usual detachment returning. “What do you want, sir?”

“Sir?” The word ignited a fire in Jeffrey's chest.

Just moments ago, she'd been clinging to him in tears, begging him not to make things difficult, but now her

attitude turned cold.

He took a step closer, gaze dropping to her defiant mouth. “I want it like this,” he enunciated each word sharply.

Before Rebecca could react, he cupped the back of her head and captured her lips. The moment their mouths

met, sprimal part of him settled.

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Chapter 73

He claimed her mouth systematically, that kiss equal parts tenderness and domination.

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The air vanished from Rebecca's lungs as consciousness slipped away, replaced by his overwhelming

presence.

When she bit down, coppery blood filled their mouths. Instead of retreating, Jeffrey only deepened the kiss with

renewed intensity.

“Breathe.” Jeffrey rasped, noticing she was growing increasingly limp.

Rebecca gasped.

She tried to push him away, but before she could utter a word, his lips sealed hers again.

As their bodies grew feverish, Jeffrey lifted Rebecca onto the dining table, pressing her down beneath him.