The lust in Frederick's eyes instantly dissipated. He grabbed the back of her neck with one hand, pulling her back toward him. His brow lowered, his gaze turning terrifyingly dark.

"What did you just say?"

"I said," Maeve took a deep breath, using a fair amount of force to pry his fingers off her neck one by one.

"If you have needs, go find Zoe. I'm not just some tool for your convenience."

Maeve grabbed her pillow and slid off the other side of the bed.

She was going to sleep in the guest room. She couldn't stand being in the same space as him for another second.

As she reached the door, her hand closed over the handle. Before she could pull it open, a large, well-defined hand slammed against the wood. With a loud thud, the door was shoved completely shut.

Maeve was trapped between the solid door and the man's broad chest, completely immobilized. She hugged her pillow tightly to her chest.

"Let go!"

A damp, warm sensation suddenly brushed against the back of her neck as his arm wrapped securely around her waist, hauling her flush against him.

"Mae, I'll clear my schedule tomorrow. We can have a belated anniversary dinner. Stop being angry, okay?"

Maeve felt absolutely nothing. "I don't need it."

Frederick didn't say another word, but his hands didn't stop. His large hand slid back under the hem of her nightgown.

Maeve squeezed her eyes shut and forcefully pushed him away, her fingers trembling violently.

"You always do this, Frederick! Do you honestly think that no matter how much you hurt me, as long as we sleep together and you throw a few sweet words my way, everything is magically fixed?" The source of this chapter is novеlceo.com.

Frederick froze. Seeing the redness at the corners of Maeve's eyes, he reached out to touch her face, but she turned away. His hand hovered stiffly in the air, a visible flash of irritation crossing his dark eyes.

"Mae, I've never thought that..."

Maeve glared right back at him, cutting straight to the bone.

"But isn't that exactly what you do?"

Frederick frowned deeply. "Mae, Zoe and I aren't—"

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone rang.

He glanced down at the caller ID and quickly locked the screen, before looking back up at Maeve.

The guilt was glaringly obvious. It was universally clear who was calling.

Maeve didn't say a single word. She picked up the pillow she had dropped, dusted it off, pulled the door open, and walked out.

"Mae." Frederick's voice echoed into the hallway as she walked away, but she didn't stop.

"We can solve our issues privately. Stop dragging the family into this."

Maeve immediately caught the hidden accusation. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at him. This chapter was copied from novelceo dot com without permission.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Frederick's demeanor had cooled entirely. The burning lust from earlier was completely wiped from his eyes.

"Lydia called Zoe today. Zoe hid in her room and cried for a long time, and Charlie was really upset by it."

Maeve laughed in sheer disbelief. "You think I went crying to your mother?"

"Lydia has always treated you like her own daughter." Frederick's tone was icy, as if he were merely stating an indisputable fact.

Maeve took several deep breaths, finally swallowing the furious retort burning in her throat. Just as she was about to speak, Frederick answered his phone. In an instant, his voice softened, slipping into that gentle tone that seemingly only Zoe could trigger.

"Don't be scared. I'm on my way."

After hanging up, he looked at Maeve. Every ounce of that gentleness vanished without a trace.

"I don't want something like this happening again. We're having dinner at the family estate in a couple of days Don't bring this up; it's not good for Zoe

His warning acted like a spark, igniting all the suppressed fury and humiliation Maeve had been harboring. She hurled her pillow right at his face.

"Get out! Go back to your precious Zoe!"

After throwing the pillow, she stormed straight into the guest room and slammed the door with all her might.

Frederick listened to the deafening. slam. Standing perfectly still, he stared at the tightly shut guest room doof an inexplicable wave of panic suddenly gripping his chest.