Even in the moment of brief inattention, he roughly grabbed her, who had always been delicate to touch, and swung her around carelessly.

Seeing that, Edric’s humanity went out completely like an unplugged light bulb. And he became a machine moved only by the cold judgment that he must quickly kill this beast in heat.

“Aaaaagh-!”

He dispassionately appreciated the clear sound like the wooden fish of a joint snapping in his hand, and thought.

He should break the neck in the same way. But suddenly his mind changed.

‘Why should I do that?’

Though one shouldn’t wound an animal meant to be eaten for the sake of its meat quality, this beast wasn’t even meant to be eaten.

Edric struck away the beast’s filthy body.

“This crazy bastard……”

It was good that he came with his belt with the holster still attached. He’d be able to subdue the stupidly rampaging beast in one breath.

He aimed at the center of its brow and counted.

One. Two……

“No!”

But just before counting three, Melly intervened.

“Please…… put that away.”

With disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, Melly stood in his way.

At that, Edric’s mind, which had been coldly subdued, began to emit heat again.

‘You want to protect that beast even in that state? Or do you have some masochistic tendencies?’

Edric ordered in a heavily suppressed voice.

“Move aside. You might get hit.”

“I can’t move.”

“……”

“If you’re going to shoot, shoot me instead.”

The look in her eyes as she faced him with arms spread was firm. But.

‘I wonder if she really won’t move even like this?’

Edric pointed the gun at her. Then, as if he would really shoot, he bent his finger while staring at her brow with sharp eyes.

But Melly didn’t lower her arms. She was as composed as if she was truly prepared to die.

‘Melly Enwood.’

Suddenly, her maiden name clearly came to mind.

Right now, she was Melly Enwood, not Melissa Pelton.

‘You have to stop here. Otherwise you’ll end up like my father.’

That small and delicate yet firm and solid girl. She had completely regained herself, which she had once lost to her husband, by becoming alone.

No threat or scheme could subordinate her as a person anymore.

No tightly woven snare or net could capture her anymore.

Melly had escaped his grasp. Like a bird that left its cage, completely.

At that fact, Edric’s anger lost its direction.

“……”

He lowered the gun.

His face was full of frustration. As if he had hit an insurmountable limit.

Hudson peeked out from behind Melly in that moment to survey the situation. Then, as if sensing his chance, he quickly fled out of the shop.

The door he pushed open with his body rattled for a while, and the chime bell also clanged noisily in sync, before gradually subsiding.

Only then did Melly lower her arms and sigh. Having exhausted all her strength in an instant, she had to lean on something for support. She steadied herself by gripping the table and said to Edric.

“Thank you. For not making this into a big deal.”

“……”

Even at her first words of goodwill since coming here, Edric had no reaction.

His unfocused gaze didn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular.

Melly hesitated for a moment as she brushed up her disheveled hair, then walked to a corner of the shop.

She picked up a rag lying there and bent down over the carpet to wipe up the spit Hudson had left.

As she did so, her carefully pressed hair sprang loose again, and her bodice gaped open, fully revealing what was inside. Her skirt was crumpled like freshly washed laundry.

Edric’s gaze finally became clear.

“Just to live like this……”

He snatched the rag from her hand and threw it away, then grabbed her shoulder and roughly pulled her to her feet.

“Is this how you wanted to live when you were so stubborn that day? Just to be insulted by someone like that while living?”

For a moment Melly’s eyes widened roundly, then slowly returned to their usual almond shape.

She sighed and said.

“That’s none of your business.”

Seeing Melly respond calmly in an indifferent tone, Edric was dumbfounded.

“None of… my business?”

How is it none of my business? Shouldn’t you at least blame me, saying it’s because of you that things turned out this way, that you made me like this?

“Yes.”

But Melly shook off his hands on her shoulders one by one with her small hands and stated once more.

“This is my business that has nothing to do with you. So, please say what you came for quickly and leave.”

“……”

“Didn’t you come here because you had business with me?”

Watching Melly speak coldly with an attitude colder than a stranger’s, Edric realized.

That he had indeed come here with a purpose.

“Ah, right. I forgot.”

And that now that purpose had become meaningless.

“This is my business.”

He lifted Melly up and slung her over his shoulder. Then he walked on, heedless of the shower of small fists raining down on his shoulder.

To a place she had never let him enter before.

“Let go of me!”

Melly struggled on his shoulder. She even pounded his back with her fists with all her might, but he didn’t stop walking as if he felt nothing.

Everything looked upside down.

Even the grain of the worn bedroom door attached to the small room.

He paused for a moment after flinging the door open.

‘How can a person live in such a cramped place?’

He seemed to be thinking that.

Melly twisted her body in an attempt to break free from him in that moment.

She realized she shouldn’t have done that when it was already too late. It only reminded him of what he had to do.

He dumped her onto the single bed attached to the wall like a bundle.

The cheap springs creaked and bounced her body. But the bed quickly settled under the weight of his body pressing down.

Even though he wasn’t putting his full weight on her, Melly couldn’t budge under him. Compared to this man, Hudson’s strength was nothing.

“Mmph-”

Melly felt suffocated by the sudden kiss. He persistently pushed into her tightly closed mouth.

‘No. This isn’t right.’

She bit him hard. That made him pause for a moment as he was forcefully pressing in.

Edric slowly raised his body.

In the darkness, red blood welling up on the inside of his full lower lip was visible. Melly felt her heart sink.

But he calmly wiped his lip sensuously and said:

“Not bad.”

He licked the blood on the tip of his thumb like candy and continued.

“But you know what?”

“……”

“You doing this just drives a person crazier.”

He ripped open the front of his shirt.

Before the taut upper body illuminated by moonlight could be properly perceived, it happened.

“No!”

He lowered his body again. His lips teased her earlobe while his hands quickly undid her bodice.

And his breath was hot enough to melt her ear.

“Please don’t do this!”

Melly pushed him away with all her might once more. But Edric lightly pinned her wrists to the bed and said:

“You should have done this earlier too.”

“……”

“You let that bastard caress you, but why… why are you resisting me with all your might now?”

For a moment his bright blue eyes stared intently at Melly.

As if determined to hear an answer.

But when Melly opened her mouth to say something, he covered it instead.

His lips, which covered hers to prevent her from uttering even a single word, were rough and fierce. And… somehow desperate.

But as time passed, he gradually regained composure. He stimulated her gently and caressed her body with careful, delicate touches.

‘Ah…!’

Melly realized in her increasingly hazy mind.

That he was now attacking her in a different way.

Instead of subduing her with force, he was trying to neutralize her inner will. He was making her melt under his touch.

He was fully capable of doing so.

Because he knew her body too well. Then and now.

“Please……”

Melly hated her body slowly melting under his touch.

She feebly resisted with the tips of her fingers that had lost all strength, but it was meaningless like a misaligned screw spinning uselessly.

“Stop now…… please.”

“Do you really want me to stop?”

His languid voice stimulated her ear along with his hot breath.

“I think you still want me.”

The hem of her skirt slowly rose up her calves. Her body hair stood on end at his gentle touch.

“The body doesn’t lie. Melly.”

The skirt was now rolled up over her thighs.

Melly’s body was screaming ecstatically at the long-missed stimulation, against her will. It was truly a humiliating moment.

Melly bit her lip hard and made up her mind.

If she had to endure such a humiliating relationship, she would make sure he knew clearly.

“You’re the worst, Edric Pelton!”

“……”

His hand stroking up her leg stopped. His hot breath also stopped.

Melly shouted even more clearly, riding this momentum.

“If you like my body so much, take it. But not even a hair’s breadth of my heart will turn towards you.”

He remained still for a while. She could feel his strong pulse over her captive wrist. And she grew anxious as it gradually quickened.

She thought she had further provoked a man whose blood was already boiling.

“……Is that so?”

But Edric’s voice whispering in her ear was low and subdued.

“Do you hate me that much?”

“……”

There was even a wistful emotion in his voice with a faint tremor. But.

“Yes. I hate you.”

Melly said in a resolute voice.

“So do what you want quickly, and stamp the divorce papers.”

“……”

“That’s all I want.”