DTBBW Chapter 52

Chapter 52

“Ugh…”

Stefan groaned softly, furrowing his brows as if parched. He stirred restlessly, and his hand, which had fallen off the bed, brushed against me.

Startled, I instinctively raised my hand to cover my mouth, but his strong grip pulled my arm forcefully. Losing my balance, I tumbled onto his body.

The loosely tied nightgown I had draped over myself fell open, leaving me in a soft slip that pressed against his skin.

I braced myself on the bed with both hands, trying to lift myself off him, but his large hand moved instinctively along the smooth fabric of my slip.

‘Ugh, no…’

A sense of revulsion bubbled within me, thinking of how his hands had likely been touching another woman just moments ago. Determined, I squirmed harder to escape his grasp, but then his hand firmly gripped my chest.

“Ah…”

I stifled a sound—whether a groan or a cry, I couldn’t tell—as it slipped through my lips.

Did that sound provoke him? He cupped my face with both hands and pressed his lips to mine.

Before I could even feel the sensation of his lips, he devoured mine hungrily. It felt like being swallowed into a deep, searing cave, his fiery heat overwhelming me.

The intense invasion of his kiss carried the taste of wine, intoxicating me and leaving me in a daze. As his fiery tongue explored every inch of my mouth, his hand slid down and tugged at the strap of my slip. When his long fingers brushed against my now sensitive chest, I snapped back to my senses.

‘No!’

I let my hands, which had been supporting me, go limp and pressed myself tightly against him to stop his roaming fingers.

If I surrendered to this seductive touch, I knew it would be nearly impossible to break free. Desperately, I pulled my lips away from his persistent kiss.

As our lips parted abruptly, Stefan licked his own and murmured in a low voice, “Rachel…”

He wrapped his arms around me tightly and drifted back into a deep sleep.

Wary of waking him again, I stayed in his arms for a while.

After some time, I carefully extricated myself and adjusted my clothes. I looked down at his moist lips from our kiss glistening in the dark.

‘What could it mean? Why did he think of me?’

A thought crossed my mind—perhaps he had mistaken me for Hazel. But even if it was a mistake, it didn’t erase the fact that he and she had been together.

Pushing away such thoughts, I hurried out of the study.

Before entering the study, I had been a wife coming to confirm her husband’s infidelity. Now, I felt like a woman fleeing after committing adultery with that very man.

‘Ugh, how disgusting…’

At the same time, the lingering taste and scent of wine in my mouth felt unreasonably bitter. I scrubbed my lips roughly, as if to erase the traces of Stefan that clung to them.

‘He was drunk, so there’s no way he’ll remember kissing me. He’ll probably just think of it as a drunken afterthought.’

Determined, I resolved not to let him realize I had been to the study. Moreover, I decided to feign ignorance of the secret Stefan and Hazel had created together.

Infidelity tends to grow bolder when exposed. For now, I would play the innocent fool, letting him believe I was oblivious. At least this way, he might carry a shred of guilt for a while.

Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to move my plans forward. A guilt-ridden Stefan wouldn’t easily refuse any of my requests.

A faint smile crossed my lips as I slowly made my way back to the bedroom.

—

As Rachel left the study, a shadow fell over Stefan’s face. She had clearly misunderstood what had happened the previous night.

Stefan ran a large hand roughly over his face.

‘Was I too drunk to explain properly?’

The moment Rachel entered the disheveled study, her scent mingled with the lingering aroma of wine, piercing through his haze.

He recalled her trembling form as she clutched the slip Hazel had dropped. The sight of her, shaking and unable to hold even the lightweight fabric, tugged at him.

So he had pulled her onto him, hoping to shield her from the trap she was about to walk into. Yet the feel of her silky slip against him had stirred a deep desire within.

‘She’s truly a woman who leaves no room for complacency.’

As his hand instinctively gripped her chest, a soft moan escaped her lips. Thrilled, Stefan cupped her face and hastily pressed his lips to hers.

Rachel’s lips were as soft and sweet as custard pudding. Stefan bit into them deeply and plunged in further to quench the fiery heat building within him.

He explored her mouth thoroughly, a hot flame scouring every corner. As the thirst brought on by his drunken state eased with her saliva, blood rushed downward once more.

It was because he could feel her erect peaks pressing against his chest. Her unguarded body stirred his instincts like a flower’s stamens swaying provocatively.

‘This is far too dangerous…’

Yet despite his reasoning, his hands moved instinctively, slipping the strap of her slip down. When his fingers brushed against her sensitive peak, Rachel flinched, curling into herself.

Desperately, she clung to him and broke away from the kiss.

‘What is even happening right now?’

Suppressing his arousal, Stefan listened closely to Rachel, who had buried her face in his chest. She was clearly rejecting him with her whole body, her refusal unmistakable.

“Rachel…”

He murmured her name sorrowfully, but nothing changed. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, pretending to fall asleep in an attempt to calm her.

Fortunately, Rachel didn’t notice his act and quietly left the study. Yet, the scent of her retreating presence already filled him with longing.

‘Should I have held her and explained everything? Told her not to be swayed by this absurd situation? Would she have believed me if I’d asked her to trust me?’

As Stefan regretted his foolish choices, someone else entered the study. The disruption of Rachel’s lingering traces made him instinctively open his eyes.

“What are you here to do now?”

“I-I apologize.”

Seeing the figure prostrate on the floor, Stefan rose roughly and pulled on whatever clothes he could grab from the wardrobe beside the cot.

“I thought I made it clear before letting you into the duke’s residence. Your enemy is Rita Edmond, but for now, you’re to pretend to cooperate and cater to her whims.”

“I am doing so…”

Standing before Hazel, who was still bowing low, Stefan flicked the slip on the floor with his foot, as if disposing of something filthy.

“With methods like this?”

“I didn’t expect Rita to stoop so low…”

“Do you understand how despicable this situation is? Then you should’ve stopped it.”

“Your Grace, please hear me out.”

“How much more patience do you think I have for you?”

“I can’t take it anymore.”

“It’s only been two weeks. And you’re already saying you can’t?”

Hazel clenched her fists tightly, struggling to endure Stefan’s rebuke, but her tolerance had reached its limit.

“She’s insane. No, she’s a devil!”

Having been tormented by Rita, Hazel had fled to her room, leaving behind the bloodstained slip in the study. Only when Rita confirmed this did she finally return to her own room.

Hazel, intending to retrieve her slip, saw Rachel enter the study. Stunned, she watched as Rachel later emerged disheveled, prompting her to gather her courage and re-enter the study.

“Please, Your Grace, let me leave this place.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted revenge on Rita?”

“…”

“Can’t even last two weeks? How disappointing.”

“It’s not just two weeks. I’ve had my entire 20-year life stolen by Rita!”

Her face, marked with resentment, flushed a deep red. Seeing her state, Stefan dropped his mocking tone and stiffened his expression.

“Hold out for one more week.”

“One more week?”

“I’ll find an excuse to remove you from the duke’s residence.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

As she bowed excessively, Stefan swallowed a sigh.

‘I didn’t expect much from her, but to give up before even a month has passed… pathetic.’

Hazel, who had been oblivious to the identity of her true enemy until recently, might have been fortunate. Stefan, after all, had endured 21 years by that monster’s side.