Betrayed by My Trash Husband, Surrender Myself to the Devil-Chapter 34: Pepper of Kisses

Claudia POV

A loud gasp came out of my mouth as I opened my eyes abruptly. My breath became labored as I wiped the cold sweat off my temple.

"Why did I dream of that again?" I muttered as my eyes stared straight at the cream-colored ceiling.

The last time I dreamt of that was about ten years ago, when I broke up with Ray. It was a nightmare that went away after I married Miles, perhaps because I was content with my life for ten years despite all the struggles, thinking that my family was perfect and able to withstand any storm.

But now that my family has been destroyed by a storm called Clarissa, does that mean the nightmare will come back regularly?

I gritted my teeth, thinking about enduring nights where my own mother told me that my existence was a mistake.

Unfortunately, that nightmare wasn’t something made up. My mother did say those words on her deathbed, and it haunted me into adulthood.

She must have hated my existence just like she hated my father. But I didn’t want to follow in her footsteps.

Yes, despite Miles cheating on me with Clarissa. Aurora was never a mistake in my eyes. She was the fruit of love between a pair of lovebirds, despite one of them leaving the nest forever now.

So why did that nightmare return? Was it because my mother wanted me to spite my daughter just like how she did to me?

...

Okay, that was just ridiculous. It was just a nightmare that came because I was too stressed over my situation. Perhaps once everything had cleared and I could leave with Aurora, the nightmare would end.

I tied my hair up in a bun as I went to the bathroom to wash my face. The hickey on my neck was still too obvious, but then again, I didn’t have to leave the penthouse, so it wasn’t a bother.

Despite our confrontation last night, I still needed his help. I wanted to know the progress of the investigation, and I needed him to protect Aurora.

So I went to cook a simple bacon and egg breakfast for Ray while he was getting ready for another day.

A choking air of silence lingered as he walked to the dining table. We had brief eye contact, but he simply ignored me and sat down to eat his breakfast. Just like yesterday, he kept staring at his food until he glanced at me and said, "Sit. I don’t want to eat alone like in a restaurant."

"Oh—"

I hadn’t forgotten that he wanted to eat together like last night. But I thought he wouldn’t wait for me since the air around us was very awkward right now.

So I sat directly in front of him and ate a bit of my breakfast.

The sound of utensils hitting the plates became unusually loud when the two people at the dining table didn’t even want to talk. I kept stealing glances at him, while he said nothing until he finished his breakfast.

As he wiped his mouth with a tissue, he looked at me and then peered at my neck.

"That hickey will last for days, or maybe a week considering how thin your skin is. Don’t try to cover it. I want Jane to see it."

I almost choked on the bacon in my mouth. "W-why should I do that? That’s so embarrassing."

"So she’d know not to underestimate you," he said as he got up and grabbed his suit. Then he handed me the tie, silently telling me to fix it for him.

I reluctantly walked toward him and grabbed the tie. I used to fix Miles’ tie every single day, so everything felt natural when I rested my arms on Ray’s broad shoulders and put the tie around his collar first.

Ray said nothing at first. Instead, he slowly leaned closer and said in a magnetic voice, "How many times have you done this for Miles?"

"... For the entire duration of our marriage," I replied.

"Then you’ll have to fix my tie for the next ten years," he said. "I learned from my studies that fixing a man’s tie is a habit of housewives back in the day. It seems that you’re keeping the tradition, huh?"

"... My mother told me once that a husband’s appearance shows how well his wife takes care of him at home. Besides, it is a romantic gesture with pepper kisses right after it’s done," I explained. "It’s not a bad thing to take care of your loved one, is it?"

Ray had a thin smirk while he watched me fixing his tie at first. But as I explained my reasoning and mentioned the pepper of kisses, that smirk vanished instantly.

"Okay, all done," I said as I patted his chest, just like what I used to do with Miles.

I was about to take a step back because we were a bit too close for my comfort. However, just like yesterday, Ray wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

Everything was so sudden that I almost gasped.

But that gasp never came because he suddenly planted a kiss on my lips.

It was soft and quick, almost like a feather brushing against my lips. I had no time to react because he continued to kiss my cheek, my earlobe, and lastly on the hickey he made last night.

Once he was done, he released me and turned around.

"We’ll have to do that pepper of kisses every day for the next ten years to complete the usual ritual you did. Understood?"

"W-why?" I asked in a daze.

"No particular reason." he replied curtly before walking towards the main door.

My body felt hot, and every spot he kissed became all tingly. Because it was different from the kiss full of passion and hatred that I received from him two days ago, and definitely not the same as the hickey nibble I got yesterday.

I really didn’t understand what this man was thinking. He was unreadable, so all I could do was follow his whims, hoping that he wouldn’t get angry at me for whatever reason.

Before he left the penthouse, I followed him to the door and asked,

"Ray, h-how is the progress of the investigation? Is there a way to prove my innocence?"