Elly’s POV:

The steam in the bathroom slowly cleared as I wrapped myself in a thick robe, but the chill that entered the room had nothing to do with the temperature. Adam Jones stood at the door, his presence overshadowing the warm light. His eyes, usually as calm as a frozen lake, were now dark with a brewing storm.

"Adam? I didn't expect you back so soon," I whispered, clutching the collar of my robe.

He didn't answer. He stepped into the room, the click of the door closing behind him sounding like a final judgment. He strode toward me, his movements sharp and predatory. Before I could retreat, he caught my shoulder, his grip firm as he forced me to look at him.

"Adam, you're hurting me," I gasped, wincing as I was pressed back against the cold marble of the vanity.

"Hurting you?" His lips curled into a cold, mirthless smile. He leaned in, his shadow enveloping me completely. "Is this not what you wanted? You’ve spent so much time complaining to Grandma about my absence. Well, I’m here now. Are you going to keep up this act of the neglected wife?"

Every word was a shard of ice piercing my heart. Three years. Three years of trying to be the perfect wife, and in his eyes, it was all just a performance.

"I never complained to her," I said, my voice trembling. "I only wanted—"

"I don't care what you wanted," he interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. He looked at me with such pure disdain that it felt more painful than any physical blow. "Tonight, I'll fulfill your 'wish' for attention. But after this, you will stay silent and stay out of my way."

I stopped struggling. The futility of it all washed over me like the cold grey water of the Owathe river. A bitter smile touched my lips as I looked into the eyes of the man I had loved for so long—eyes that held nothing but hatred for me.

For a second, his gaze flickered, a hint of something unreadable crossing his face as he saw the absolute resignation in my expression. But the fury in him was too deep, too rooted in whatever lies he had been told, and the coldness returned, more absolute than before.