Bianca screamed, stumbling backward and losing her balance.
Her mind raced with questions. Was it a thief?
She struggled against the grip, but the man’s strength held her against the bathroom wall.
Then, the lights suddenly turned on, flooding the room with brightness. Bianca squinted at the harsh light, only to see Dave standing before her.
“Oh, it’s you…” Bianca sighed in relief, but she barely hid her frustration. “You scared me to death.”
Dave didn’t answer, and his expression was hard to read. It was then that Bianca noticed how drenched he was. His white shirt clung to his body, revealing more than she expected, and water from his hair dripped onto her skin.
With one hand pressed against the wall by her ear, Dave looked at her with intense, mysterious eyes.
Bianca hesitantly reached out, touching his wet hair and then his cold arm, showing her worries. “What’s wrong? What happened? You’re soaked, and it’s not raining outside.”
“I needed to cool off,” Dave said, his voice low and tense, like he was holding something back.
Bianca frowned in confusion. “Cool off? What do you mean?”
Dave stared at her with a mix of emotions. He reached out, lifting her chin so she could look directly into his eyes. Without holding back, he asked directly. “Why did you lie to me, Bianca?”
Her heart raced at his question. Did he know she had lied about working late?
Flustered, Bianca gently pushed his hand away. “Let me explain. You’re… hurting me.”
Dave realized he was hurting her and stepped back, giving her some space.
“Explain, then. I’m listening.”
Bianca hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Finally, she spoke softly, “Blake and I were in a car accident a few days ago. He got hurt saving me, and now one of his legs is disabled. He’s an artist in my company. As his agent and friend, I had to take care of him in the hospital. I was worried you’d misunderstand. I didn’t mean to deceive you.”
Dave stared at her, and she quickly turned away to avoid his eyes. He sneered, and his face hardened. “So, you sneaked off with Blake to a hilltop grill in the middle of the night? Watching meteor showers and making wishes together? You two had a good time while I was gone, didn’t you?”
His voice was full of anger, almost growling as he spoke. He suddenly grabbed Bianca’s wrists, pinning them above her head with force. With his other hand, he began violently tearing at her clothes.
Bianca, shocked and flustered, struggled against his grip. “Dave, what are you doing?!”
Dave’s eyes blazed with fury as he spoke, his voice thick with accusation. “I need to check your body. I need to know if you’ve cheated on me and kept it from me!”
Dave had never been this unreasonable and furious. Seeing that he was serious, Bianca struggled frantically and yelled, “Dave, are you crazy?!”
Ignoring her, he continued to remove her clothes. As he was about to tear them off, Bianca couldn’t take it any longer and slapped him hard across the face, shouting, “Don’t touch me!”
The bathroom fell silent instantly, and all that could be heard was their heavy breathing. Dave stood still, his head tilted to one side, frozen.
Bianca’s eyes were red from anger. She leaned back, feeling completely exhausted. The cold wall made her shiver, but it wasn’t as cold as the pain in her heart. It hurts to be misunderstood by Dave. She expected him to be angry, but she never thought he would believe she’d betray him.
Trying to hold back tears, she faced Dave. Her voice trembled as she said, “Fine. Do you want to check on me? Go ahead. But don’t regret it later.”
Dave didn’t even look at her or say a word.
Bianca started taking off her clothes slowly, beginning with her coat, shirt, and underwear. She took her time, but Dave stayed silent, not stopping her or even looking at her.
When she was completely naked, tears streaming down her face, she finally shouted, “Look at me! Look closely! Do you see any other man’s marks on me? Have I betrayed you?”
Dave finally snapped out of it and looked up at Bianca standing before him. Her skin was smooth and flawless, with no marks, not even a hickey. She was shaking, and her face had gone pale.
She used to be fearless, handling everything with ease. But now, tears streamed down her face as she stared at him. Seeing her tears hit him hard, snapping him back to reality.
What had he done? He’d spoken harshly, and now he saw the red mark on her wrist from where he had grabbed her.
Regret flooded through him. At that moment, he had been completely out of control, like a wild beast. Bianca must have been terrified of him acting so ruthlessly.
She stood there, clutching her body, looking like a frightened rabbit, her eyes full of disappointment.
Dave felt a sharp pain in his chest, like a knife piercing through him.
Quickly, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Bianca, pulling her into a tight hug while repeatedly apologizing and regret filling his voice.
He wanted to explain that he hadn’t meant to hurt her, but now it felt like nothing could fix what he had done.
Bianca stayed silent, like a lifeless doll, letting him hold her.
After a few moments, she seemed to realize she was treated badly and pushed him away forcefully. Her voice was flat but held a hint of sadness.
“Why did you do that to me? After my car accident, instead of caring for me, why did you think I was with another man?”
Bianca struggled to get the words out, almost tripping over them. “How do you know about that night? Are you investigating me? You knew about my accident and still didn’t trust me like you used to. You don’t care about me. You’re just selfish and possessive. It’s all about you!”
Dave quickly tried to explain, “No, that’s not it! I really care about you. I came back because I was worried something bad might happen to you.”
But as she listened, something seemed off to Bianca. She frowned and studied him carefully. “Why would you think I’d be in an accident? Do you think it was planned?”
Feeling desperate, Dave slipped up with his words. He swallowed hard and said, “The entertainment industry is a battlefield. Your company has been struggling lately. I’m just worried about you.”