Chapter 3

Jesse's POV

I was lifted right off the floor by the scruff of my neck, dangling like a doomed cat.

He was completely naked, his chest pressed flush against my back, his burning breath grazing my ear. Afraid to move, I kept my neck stiff and stammered, "Your legs... since when? And... you can talk?"

He set me back down on my feet, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "I just couldn't be bothered to speak."

I almost dropped to my knees on the spot.

He had stayed silent in front of everyone, letting me treat him like a spoiled, easily bullied patient. But I knew exactly what I had done to him.

I had purposely parked his wheelchair in front of a soccer goal to use him as a meat shield. I had blatantly butchered his sign language in front of his staff. I locked up his pens, tricked everyone into giving the staff raises, and tormented him every night with messy sex tutorials.

I backed into the corner of the bed, hugging my knees. "I can explain. I thought you were mute, so I translated for you. I thought you couldn't walk but wanted to feel included, so I made you play goalie."

"So you treated me like a toy?"

"Not a toy. A... a husband."

He stared at me and suddenly let out a low laugh.

My scalp went numb. I grabbed my clothes and scrambled to put them on. "I suddenly really miss my family. My mom's probably waiting, and my dad said we should visit after the wedding. I'm going back right now. I'll just stay for a few days. I'll come back when you've calmed down."

The second I stood up, his hand clamped around my wrist. The next second, I was yanked right back.

"Running away on the second day of our marriage?"

"Not running away. Visiting."

"You just said you were waiting for me to calm down."

I stared at him. "Are you calm right now?"

"No."

He leaned over me, his fingertips tracing my waist. "Before you go back, we should probably finish all those things you wanted to try last night."

He picked up my phone from the nightstand, scrolled through my watch history, and read it out loud. "Blindfolds, bondage, roleplay, and... whatever that one was you said you wanted to try the most."

I reached for it. "Give me the phone!"

He easily lifted his arm out of my reach while his other arm locked securely around my waist.

"Jesse, tonight, I'm the one making the decisions."

That night, I finally learned what it meant to shoot yourself in the foot.

Kai dropped the sickly patient act completely. Every move he made was so precise there was nowhere to hide, to the point where he controlled the very rhythm of my breathing. All those things I jokingly said I wanted to try—he didn't skip a single one.

I went from talking tough to begging for mercy in less than an hour.

By dawn, I didn't even have the energy to lift my arm. I lay face-down in the pillows, mumbling, "This is revenge."

By the time the sun hit the top of the curtains the next day, my lower back was throbbing.

Kai had already dressed and was sitting back in his wheelchair, looking as composed as if nothing had happened. When I tried to walk out of the bedroom, my legs gave out, and I nearly face-planted. He reached out and caught me seamlessly.

When we arrived at the Marlow residence, my mother, Claire, was already waiting at the door. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Kai. She grabbed his hand. "Darling, you're here."

Kai offered a polite nod.

Claire beamed even brighter. "You're newlyweds, prime time for babies. I've prepared all the fertility boosters—bone broth, oysters, salmon, vitamins."

My lower back spasmed just hearing the word "babies."

Kai glanced at me sideways and signed: Not feeling well?

"I'm fine," I forced a smile. "Just... didn't sleep well last night."

My dad, Noah, walked over with a glass of whiskey and slapped Kai heartily on the shoulder. "Listen, Kai, Jesse's been freakishly strong since she was a kid. If she ever gets physical, just drink more. It won't hurt as much when she beats you."

"Dad!" I nearly crushed the glass in my hand.

Noah just laughed louder. "Just giving him a heads-up."

Kai took the whiskey, gave me a deeply meaningful look, and downed it in one shot.

I suddenly felt like my future was incredibly bleak.

After lunch, my mom pulled me into the kitchen acting all secretive and shoved a black box into my hands. "Take this. It's your mother's secret weapon."

"What is this?"

"Marital aids. And some medicine," she whispered. "If a man doesn't listen, use this."

Stiffly, I opened the box.

Inside lay a blindfold, restraints, a feather, a few suggestively packaged bottles, and some toys I had just seen on my phone last night.

"Mom, this..."

"Don't be shy. Give the Sterling family an heir sooner rather than later."

I was just about to slam the box shut when I turned around—and realized Kai was sitting right in the doorway.