Finn held Aoife’s head, preventing her from dodging backward.
Intimidated by the danger in his eyes, Aoife dared not move.
Satisfied with her obedience, Finn held her tightly, his lips pressing against hers as his hands slipped under her clothes, feeling her smooth spine.
Goosebumps rose on Aoife’s body, uncontrollable tremors coursing through her as her legs grew weak.
Gritting her teeth, her eyes watering, Aoife endured, unable to control her body or heart, feeling destined to be treated this way by men.
Running his hands over Aoife’s back, Finn noticed her beautiful spine, the burn marks from before had faded, leaving behind smooth, pale skin. Her figure was well-proportioned, with a perfect s-curve when viewed from the side, resembling a butterfly’s wings, with a captivating arc.
“Aren’t you hot? It’s so warm on your body.”
In this weather, he wore short sleeves at home, while Aoife had pulled out a turtleneck sweater from the depths of her wardrobe, layering up, clearly trying to protect herself from him.
“You’re sweating all over and you’re not hot?” Finn sneered, his tone mocking, as he withdrew his hand from her clothes, fingertips still tingling from her body heat. “Who are you dressing up for? I want to take off your clothes, no matter if you wear ten or a hundred layers.”
Aoife remained silent, lips pursed.
Seeing her submission, Finn chuckled at her futile struggles.
“Should I undress you or will you do it yourself?”
Quickly, Aoife replied, “I’ll go upstairs to change later.” She didn’t want Finn to undress her, fearing a repeat of last night’s events.
Finally releasing her after a thorough examination, Finn watched her trembling legs and deftly supported her to the kitchen counter.
Suppressing his repugnant thoughts, Finn served breakfast, placing two bowls of porridge on the table.
After washing her hands, Aoife glanced at the untouched bowls of porridge and headed upstairs.
“Where are you going?” Finn inquired.
Stopping in her tracks, Aoife looked down at her toes, silently replying, “Upstairs to change.”
She said she was changing her clothes, but in truth, she just didn’t want to have breakfast with Finn at the same table. She felt powerless and could only hide like a tortoise.
After changing into fresh clothes with a delay, she returned downstairs to find the untouched bowls of porridge. The steam had dissipated, and Finn sat there, lost in thought.
Seeing Aoife in the red dress he had gifted her, she did look beautiful in it, but for some reason, the more he looked at her, the more uncomfortable he felt, like she wasn’t herself…
He used to say she wasn’t like Elisa, but now he felt like she wasn’t even like herself anymore. This version of Aoife seemed to drift further away from him.
Perhaps the white dress suited Aoife better. He decided to have her red dress cleared out from her room and replaced with a white one.
Pointing his fork, Finn said, “Come sit next to me.”
Hesitating, Aoife moved her chair and sat beside Finn.
“Eat.”
With each word he spoke, Aoife made a move.
Not knowing what kind of people Finn disliked, she wanted to become the one he hated the most so she could leave this place of conflict behind.
Once eager to stay, now she wished to leave. Sometimes, people need to experience hardship to see things clearly.
Finn gazed at Aoife’s lowered lashes, dark and fluttering like butterflies resting on her delicate skin, sending a ticklish sensation through his heart.
He lifted her onto his lap and spoon-fed her porridge, “You’re eating too slowly, it’s getting cold. Cold food isn’t good for the stomach in the morning.”
Aoife hesitated, “I don’t want to eat.”
That was the truth; she had no appetite due to her physical discomfort.
Thinking she was making excuses, Finn held her chin and forced the spoon into her mouth, making her swallow the porridge.
Unable to bear it after a few mouthfuls, Aoife climbed off Finn’s lap and vomited in the trash can. The recently consumed porridge spilled out, and though she couldn’t fully empty her stomach, her throat felt acidic and sore, tears welling up.
Seeing her vomit, Finn lost his appetite instantly, standing up abruptly.
Though still retching, Aoife recoiled like a frightened bird, cowering in a corner.
Knowing she was timid, he couldn’t help but wonder if she did it on purpose to disgust him.
Handing her some tissues, Finn watched as Aoife hesitantly accepted them, “Thank… thank you.”
“I’ll call a doctor to check on you later.”
“No… I’ll just rest for a day. You don’t need to go th… through this trouble.”
Before she could finish, Finn interjected, “I don’t want you to end up bedridden with no energy in the future. Having you feel lifeless when I touch you in bed would be no different from touching a corpse.”
In harsh terms, to Finn, Aoife was just a plaything that had to be useful. Those who weren’t were simply waste.
Thinking vile thoughts, Finn remembered his dog, disobedient when he first bought it and wreaking havoc at home. A few beatings later, the dog became well-behaved.
In Finn’s eyes, Aoife needed discipline too.
Despite growing up in a rural area, Aoife lacked the hardiness of village children, her delicate physique prone to minor illnesses.
In simple terms, she was malnourished and required supplements.
While Aoife could cook, she neglected to care for herself.
Ignoring Aoife’s injured expression, Finn contemplated arranging for a family doctor and a nutritionist.
Unable to finish breakfast, Aoife crouched on the floor for a while before rising, feeling faint. She cleaned up the bowls and overheard Finn calling a doctor.
After washing up, she found Finn in the living room, watching TV.
She was supposed to meet her agent at the company today, but given the circumstances, she doubted she could leave.
Standing behind him, Aoife hesitated to speak, trying to gather the courage.
Casually glancing at her, Finn’s tone wasn’t pleasant as he said, “Speak.”
“May I go back to the apartment to get my belongings?”
Apartment? It took Finn a moment to realize that she meant the dog kennel he saw last night.
“What belongings? Do you lack anything here, like clothes or food?”
“My documents are still there, and my… cellphone.”
Mentioning the cellphone stirred up thoughts of Ethan in Finn’s mind.
He knew Aoife didn’t mean any harm, but the thought of Ethan unsettled him.
“Don’t go back. Let me know what you need, and I’ll have someone buy it for you. I can also send someone to get your documents. As for your phone, I’ll get you a new one since the one from yesterday is broken.”