Chapter 23
Callum’s tall frame barged right in.
The apartment’s layout was simple, with minimalist furniture, but the touches of purple throughout gave it a surprisingly soft, cozy feel.
It was completely different from his cold, sterile mansion.
There was a faint scent in the air–subtle and almost undetectable.
That smell… He narrowed his eyes, and then it hit him. It was the same scent that had knocked him out on the yacht the night before. His gaze swept the room, finally landing on Nadia. She stood in her pajamas, staring at him guardedly.
“You’re not going to offer me a cup of coffee?” he asked, voice rough from sleep, yet still carrying that unmistakable forcefulness. Nadia folded her arms tighter, het expression icy, “No.”
Callum looked at her, so unbothered and immovable. That flicker of annoyance in his chest shifted unexpectedly into amusement. He stepped closer, towering over her with quiet dominance.
“Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
Nadia instinctively backed away until her spine hit the cold wall behind her. “What explanation?”
“For example, what exactly did you use last night to knock me out?”
He kept pressing in, gaze sharp, like he was trying to strip away every last one of her defenses.
She turned her head, refusing to meet his eyes. Her voice dropped colder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Nadia.”
He said her name low and slow, then raised a hand to gently lift her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
“I’ve realized that I can’t read you at all. You keep surprising me. Don’t you think it’s time we talked about that?” he murmured. Nadia stared back at him, stubborn and unflinching.
“Mr. Ford, it’s been three years. Whether you understand me or not… It’s over. Isn’t it?” she said evenly.
Her voice was so cold, it could’ve frozen the air between them.
Then, almost without thinking, he said, “If you still want to stay by my side… I might consider extending your time.”
He startled himself the moment the words left his mouth.
Nadia suddenly let out a soft laugh, her eyes flashing provocatively. “Mr. Ford, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”
Callum reached out and pulled her in by the waist, drawing her close.
His gaze drifted to her neck, to the faint red mark still lingering on her pale skin. A mark he had left during that moment of lost control the night before.
His eyes darkened instantly, something primal flickering behind them. He lowered his head to her ear, his voice low and thick. “Beg me. Beg me to keep you for another three years.”
Beg him?
Nadia shoved him away like he was something filthy. Her eyes burned with disgust and rejection. “It’s late, Mr. Ford. I’m going to bed. Please leave.” There was no attempt to soften the dismissal in her voice.
Callum stumbled back a step from the force of her push, anger flaring in his chest. “Nadia, who are you,
really? Why did you come into my life in the first place?”
If he had asked her that before, she might have told him.
But now? She didn’t want to anymore.
The comers of her mouth twitched into a cold, mocking smile.
“Probably the kind of woman you hate most, Mr. Ford. I don’t know what kind of late–night breakdown you’re having, but how about you just sign the divorce papers and be done with it?”
She paused, letting her eyes deliberately drift up and down his body, her tone as sharp as glass. “At this point, does it even matter who I am?” Callum stared at her, his gaze heavy and unreadable. He stepped closer, warın breath brushing her face.
“Do you mean to tell me that there’s not even a little part of you that wants to stay?”
His fingers reached out, playing with a loose strand of her hair, demanding an answer.
Bat Nadia’s eyes turned to ice. Her expression was steely
“Callum, the game’s over,” she said coldly.
The words hit him like a blow to the chest, knocking the air clean out of his lungs.
He stared at her blank, indifferent face and suddenly had the wild urge to grab her, scream at her for being so damn heartless.
And yet, a stronger impulse surged up behind it. He wanted to pull her into his arms, crush her against him, and make her his all over again.
The wat inside him tore him apart.
