"If you dare, just kill me," she said, staring at the once familiar face that brought back memories of their early days of marriage, when he loved her deeply, to the very core of his being.
Evan's lips twitched in anger, and before she knew it, one of his hands was around her throat, tightening its grip.
Zoe stopped struggling, tears unexpectedly streaming down her cheeks. Her vision blurred, obscuring his face, and the overwhelming sense of suffocation made her lips curl upward in a bitter smile before falling limp again. He truly intended to end her life, despite promising to love her forever.
Snapping out of his rage, Evan loosened his hold.
Looking down at Zoe, who was on the verge of fainting, he held his breath.
"Zoe..."
Given a moment to breathe, Zoe coughed violently, her eyes half-closed. The tears refused to stop flowing.
Evan's eyes were bloodshot, and he pulled her into his embrace, her body too weak to resist that.
"I'm sorry..."
It was all so absurd.
Zoe took a while to catch her breath before turning his face towards hers, smiling gently yet helplessly. "Go on, just kill me."
Evan stared at her for a moment, his gaze making her uneasy. Then, he reached out and roughly tore at her clothes.
Feeling a sudden chill on her chest, Zoe tried to cover herself and screamed, "If you dare, kill me! If you don't, you're not a man!"
He remained silent.
"Is it that if we have a child, you won't leave me?"
Veins popped on his forehead as he lowered his head to bite into her prominent collarbone.
Zoe's mind went blank with pain, and she clenched her teeth. "You're insane!"
He only let go after tasting blood, licking his lips before sealing her mouth with his own.
Zoe bit down hard, forcing Evan to stop. She had drawn blood from his lip.
"Zoe, give me a child." His hand moved downward.
"Are you crazy?"
He knew full well she couldn't bear children!
"No, I'm not."
From start to finish, he handled her roughly, as if trying to kill her.
Zoe cried until her voice grew hoarse.
Night had fallen.
Opening her eyes, she met his wolf-like gaze. The discomfort below made Zoe reach out to push him away.
"I'll have a doctor see you tomorrow."
Her voice was raspy when she spoke. "No point in that."
"I said you'll bear my child, and you will!" Evan rolled over, pinning her down again.
Zoe touched her sore collarbone, gasping in pain before she laughed bitterly, "Listen carefully, if there really is one, I'll kill it myself."
"How dare you!" His jaw clenched, veins throbbing visibly on his forehead.
"See if I dare."
“Zoe!"
Evan suddenly let out a sinister chuckle.
"Fine, you kill my child, and I'll kill your adulterer. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
"Evan! I've told you, there's nothing between us!"
He was a devil, and she had been blind to think him an angel.
"Oh, give me a child, and maybe I'll consider sparing him," he said, ignoring her words and planting a kiss on her.
His lip was already broken, making it a little painful.
Having not eaten for nearly two days, she felt unwell, compounded by his weight on top of her. Evan looked at her for a while before getting up to order takeout.
Though hungry, she couldn't eat much. He ignored her protests and forced intimacy on her again.
