The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes-Chapter 140- your hands are so cold

After leaving the restaurant, Janet didn’t go straight home but got into Manfred’s car, heading to his place.

When Janet stepped into the spacious, bright apartment where August and Manfred used to live, she noticed how neat it was. A faint but elegant masculine scent lingered in the air. All along, she had ignored the scent of other men, only remembering the subtle Dior perfume Charles wore—the only scent imprinted in her memory of men.

"Are your eyes feeling better? I can take you to the hospital again!"

Just after stepping out of the restaurant, the sudden brightness had caused Janet another brief episode of blindness. Manfred wanted to take her to the hospital, but Janet refused. She was terrified of that word—hospital—afraid to hear worsening news. She couldn’t bear to accept it.

"I’m fine. Where’s the restroom?" Janet waved her hand weakly.

Her face no longer showed the sadness from before but was full of strength.

When Manfred pointed to the right, Janet hurried inside, and soon Manfred heard her vomiting from the restroom.

She had eaten very little at lunch and looked pale. How could she vomit so badly?

A bad feeling crept into Manfred’s heart—there seemed to be something else he didn’t know.

"Janet, your hands are so cold. Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"

Before she came out, Manfred stepped forward and supported her weak body, looking at her thin, pale face with deep pity.

"No, I’ll be fine once I lie down. Can I use your bed for a bit?"

Janet’s coquettish tone surprised him. She trusted Manfred enough to be alone with him, without any calculation this time.

Manfred regretted and blamed himself—how could he have been so vile, colluding with Elvira to trap her?

He carried her back to his room. She was so light in his arms that he felt dizzy, afraid she might disappear in a blink.

"Sleep. I’ll be here watching over you." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Manfred’s voice was like a lullaby. Janet’s overloaded brain relaxed, and as soon as she touched the bed, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Manfred just stared at her, his warm fingers tracing her delicate features. When he took her hand, the dazzling wedding ring on her left finger pricked his own.

He gazed at her foolishly, quietly listening to her murmurs until tears fell...

"I will help you. No matter the cost, I will get you away from here. So, you must live well, understand?"

Manfred’s previously playful and indifferent face now bore only devotion to protect her.

His sleeping beauty would not sleep forever. She needed a prince to wake her—so now, let him be that prince.

Though he wasn’t perfect, not as good as Charles, and had given less, his love for her only grew.

"I’m Manfred. Janet is with me now. Charles—she will be mine from now on!"

Manfred’s provocative words successfully enraged Charles, and he even heard the sound of the door slamming on the other end of the phone.

Manfred smiled softly. Charles was no fool—he wouldn’t be so easily deceived.

Twenty minutes later, Manfred stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel. His wet hair hung around his temples, his Adam’s apple moving as he breathed.

His muscular chest gleamed with a sun-kissed hue.

The doorbell rang, and he lazily opened the door—only to receive a solid punch to the face.

After hearing that Janet had come home with Manfred, Charles forced himself to stay calm.

Because he loved her, he chose to trust her, just as before when she had been trapped by Manfred—unconditionally.

But one phone call from Manfred shattered his composure.

Even if Janet had no feelings for Manfred, to be near a man who lusted after her, Charles couldn’t take the risk.

"Don’t disturb her; she just fell asleep!"

Manfred blocked Charles from entering, his words loaded with meaning that only fueled Charles’s fury.

"My wife doesn’t need you to care about her!"

Charles shoved Manfred aside, roughly kicking the door open.

The woman sleeping quietly on the bed smiled faintly in her sleep, seemingly at peace.

But just as Charles reached to touch her, she slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

Beneath the blanket, she was wearing only lingerie.

The scattered clothes on the floor, and Manfred’s warm gaze on her, spoke volumes about what had happened here before.

But he didn’t believe it—no matter how much the facts were laid before his eyes, he just couldn’t accept it.

Janet felt guilty under his burning gaze. Actually, she had already woken up when Manfred made that call. She knew it was all just a performance, but thinking about how completely Charles trusted her eyes, she still wanted to cry.

Charles didn’t ask a single question. Instead, with elegant movements, he picked up her clothes, pulled her into his arms, and helped her dress piece by piece. At last, he simply said, "We should go."

"Charles, how can you be so calm? Me and him—Manfred—we already..." Janet’s voice faltered.

"Don’t say you’ve slept with him, Janet. You won’t lie to me!" Before she could finish, Charles pressed a finger gently but firmly against her lips. Her eyes didn’t lie—he only trusted his own instincts. He was angry because she had tried to deceive him in such a clumsy way. If he trusted her, he wouldn’t be Charles.

"No, Charles, why do you always do this..."

His treatment of her always made her heart ache. The more he cared for her, the harder it was for her to let go. Charles was so smart—no matter how convincingly she and Manfred had acted, he wouldn’t believe it. Besides him, she wouldn’t be with any other man.

"Get out of my way. I’m only treating Janet as being stubborn. You better not make me angry!" Charles’s warning gaze fell on Manfred, who was blocking the door. His sharp eyes, like a hunting hawk’s, made even a grown man feel a chill. How deep were Charles’s feelings for Janet?

Janet was almost dragged downstairs by Charles. He held her hand tightly. Just watching his back, her heart ached so badly she could barely breathe.

"Janet, I have all the time in the world to wait for you to tell me the truth!"

Suddenly Charles let go of her hand, turning his back to calm the fury in his heart. He had promised never to let her go in this lifetime—unless he died.

His unyielding will and cold dominance meant no matter how she escaped or lied, she couldn’t fool his eyes. Suddenly, Janet panicked. Had his love for her already merged with his very life?

"Charles, what do you want me to do? What should we do?"

Janet’s cold body clung to him from behind, her tears streaming down, burning his heart like molten fire.