[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322E1C3D0-296":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},296,82,"Chapter 82: I’ll Never Be Able to Slip Out of Your Grasp","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The manager and his team had been waiting by the entrance, their posture rigid. The moment the two of them stepped out, they bowed in perfect synchronization at a sharp ninety-degree angle.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Safe travels, President, Madam.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As soon as they settled into the car, Evangeline looked at him, her eyes wide with bewilderment. \"You own this hotel, too?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mhm.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That single, airy syllable landed in Evangeline’s heart, rippling outward like a stone dropped into a still lake.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s actually kind of terrifying.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh? Why?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Because I feel like I’ll never be able to slip out of your grasp.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I won’t be your cage,\" Marcellus said, his voice dropping into a register that was deathly serious. \"I won’t make the same mistake twice.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His tone was sincere, but it left Evangeline feeling restless. \"I’m not sure I’m happy to hear that.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus let out a soft, low chuckle and pinched her cheek. \"That’s the difference between love and obsession.\" When there’s no love, holding someone captive is a cage; when there is love, that same confinement is simply called being held close.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Since you love me so much,\" she countered, arching an eyebrow, \"why did you rush over here with Dr. Spencer to ‘catch me in the act’?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The question caught him off guard. Marcellus looked away, his jaw tightening in a flash of uncharacteristic embarrassment.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I trust you,\" he muttered, \"but I don’t trust that Remi woman. The way she looks at you... it’s hungry.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You’re talking absolute nonsense!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline huffed and swiped at his chest, closing her eyes, refusing to indulge him any further.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She sent me this to provoke me, you know.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus held out his phone. An intimate, sultry melody drifted from the speakers. Evangeline panicked, lunging for the device and turning the volume down to a whisper. On the screen, a woman—herself—was captured with eyes like liquid silk, a vision of pure seduction. To make matters worse, the video ended with Remi flashing a triumphant, knowing smirk at the camera.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus stared at the phone, his expression laced with a quiet, lingering ache. \"That version of you... it’s a look I’ve never seen.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, come on,\" she teased, trying to lighten the air. \"I was just messing around with Remi, that’s all.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Right.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice was laced with a cold, sarcastic edge. The atmosphere in the car turned brittle, and a heavy silence descended. Evangeline snuck a glance at him; he was sitting upright, eyes firmly shut, leaving an unusually large gap of space between them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Is he actually pouting? Does he want to be coaxed? As the realization dawned, Evangeline bit her lip to keep from laughing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The rest of the drive passed in stony silence. Marcellus was clearly struggling to maintain his composure, his temper still simmering over the way Remi had gloated in that clip.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When they reached Elysian Estate, Evangeline hopped out of the car, acting as if nothing had happened. She knew without looking that the man behind her was radiating enough gloom to darken the entire driveway. She went through her routine—shower, bed, lights out—without granting him so much as a second glance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By now, Marcellus realized she was playing him. His indignation flickered between frustration and wounded pride.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Is my Evangeline really just going to ignore me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Remi said it best,\" she murmured, keeping her back to him. \"You can’t give a man too much leeway, or he’ll start taking you for granted.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus grabbed her, forcing her to roll over. Only then did he see the way she was shaking, her face flushed red from trying to suppress her laughter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, you’re playing games, are you? Let’s see how you handle a real penalty.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His eyes swept over her, filled with a hunger so raw it felt as if he wanted to consume her, bone and marrow. Evangeline felt the heat prickling at her skin, and she instinctively braced her arms against his chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Marcellus! Don’t!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"And why not?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent with the precision of a starved wolf circling his prey. Evangeline’s back went rigid, her palms pressed firmly against his face to keep him at bay.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You’ll hurt the baby. Get up.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The words acted like a bucket of ice water. He deflated instantly, falling back onto the pillows with a groan of defeat.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evangeline... what am I supposed to do?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice was a low, jagged rasp, thick with agonizing restraint. Evangeline’s gaze involuntarily drifted downward, landing on the unmistakable evidence of his discomfort.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Oh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I—I don’t know what you want me to say! Do whatever you’ve been doing all this time.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Burning with embarrassment, she rolled over, pulling the covers up until she was a tightly cocooned ball of shame. Finding no other choice, Marcellus let out a defeated sigh, shifting on his side to wrap his arms around her, his body held in a state of rigid tension.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Feeling the radiating heat coming off his back and hearing his labored, ragged breathing, her resolve crumbled. After a long moment of internal debate, she whispered, her voice trembling, \"How... how do you want me to help?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was as if he had been waiting for that exact permission. The moment the words left her lips, he was there, his touch urgent and desperate, seeking to fill the void. Under his coaxing guidance, they explored an intimacy they had never touched upon before.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That night, Evangeline drifted through a series of wild, hazy dreams. She woke the next morning flushed with heat, tapping her cheeks to force herself into wakefulness, but her mind stubbornly replayed the reckless heat of the night before.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her bashful expression didn't escape him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus propped himself up on one elbow, staring at her with a predatory glint. \"Wanting more, are we?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Shut up!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at his face, diving back under the duvet to hide her scarlet face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Come out. You’ll suffocate in there.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Go away, you shameless man!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Fine, I’m shameless. But come out—you’re going to deprive the baby of oxygen.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The mention of the baby worked like a charm. Evangeline poked her head out from the covers, looking guilty. Marcellus chuckled, reaching out to smooth the hair she’d tangled in her frenzy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Stay home and behave yourself today. Don't go running off. The wedding is nearly here; I have no desire to spend my time scouring the city for my runaway bride.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I know.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He touched her face, satisfied. \"Good. Now, get up, eat something, and then you can go back to sleep.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Okay.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus’s sympathy pains were still severe. He barely touched his own breakfast, pushing the bowl away after only a few bites.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline watched him, her brow furrowed in worry. \"You should really ask Dr. Spencer for some medication. If you keep this up, your body is going to give out.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s fine,\" he replied, giving her a lopsided grin. \"This whole experience... it’s actually quite interesting.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Interesting?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It makes me feel like I’m finally playing an active role.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing the suggestive smirk on his face, Evangeline felt her blood rush to her cheeks.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You’ve become absolutely shameless.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He let the banter die there, leaning down to press a tender, lingering kiss to her forehead. \"All right. I’m heading to work. Be a good girl at home.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mhm.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Their days were falling into a routine that felt like an old, married couple—natural, warm, and domestic. Evangeline felt a quiet, persistent sweetness blooming in her chest, a sense of happiness so profound it felt like the pinnacle of everything she had ever wanted.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272914496]