Bride of Retribution: Aloof Billionaire's Dominant Game

”What do you want to talk about?” Charlotte Miller hugged the blanket and managed to squeeze out the words, her lashes cast down to hide all the sorrow she didn’t want anyone to see.

She didn’t want Atlas Hallow to see her like this.

She loved this man, yet that love couldn’t suppress the hatred she felt for him.

She hated that he once wanted her to be a surrogate for another woman; she hated that he used all his tenderness on her, making her unable to extricate herself; she hated that he made her love without dignity, love so humbly; she hated that he made her never dare to believe in love again.

Among all this hatred, the most painful was how a few words from him broke her heart and caused her to lose their child.

It was her own carelessness, but the instigators of it all were Atlas Hallow and Hailey Hill.

She no longer wanted to think about what once was between those two, nor what their relationship was now; just the thought of it made her feel like vomiting.

”Do you want to talk about that scarf? It wasn’t bought by me; it was given by another man.” The resentment surging from her heart made her decisively reveal the truth.

If it could make him detest her, driving her out of the Hallow Family, then that would truly be a good thing.

Atlas Hallow’s fingers gently caressed her face, then lifted her chin to make her meet his eyes.

If she dared to tell him, then she should dare to look at him, right?

His actions left her no escape, nowhere to hide, only to meet his gaze. Charlotte looked into the depths of Atlas Hallow’s pupils, the never-ending darkness, and all the alertness in her made her skin contract rapidly. She seemed hypnotized by the darkness in his eyes, and subconsciously uttered, ”I want a divorce...”

She didn’t know why she suddenly blurted this out. After saying it, she stared blankly at Atlas Hallow, a terrifying silence filling the air.

She had different thoughts in her mind, which he had long noticed, but he hadn’t expected her to actually propose divorce to him.

After hearing this, Atlas Hallow didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed. He pinched her chin, staring into her clear, watery eyes, his deep voice rising in the air, ”Are you throwing a tantrum with me? Or acting spoiled? As for the word ’divorce,’ I’d advise you to take it back, since you can’t afford the consequences of saying it.”

Can’t afford the consequences, as if he could really kill her?

Charlotte bit her lip, stubbornly looking at Atlas Hallow without saying a word.

Since she had already spoken, there was no avoiding it. The true measure of a person’s life always depended on their speed of action. Since she wasn’t someone who liked procrastination, then she wouldn’t delay; if there was going to be a storm, let it come.

”Why?” Why did she suddenly propose divorce? She had said she would try to love him, she had said she would spend her life with him. After her fury, a slow, deep heartache began, growing stronger wave by wave.

”Don’t love.” These two words were enough because Charlotte knew their destructive power was the strongest.

The air seemed filled with tension, but not entirely.

The renewed silence between them made the surrounding temperature ice-cold.

Those cold feelings emanated from Atlas Hallow. Charlotte took deep breaths; the clearest thing in the room was the different yet profound breathing rhythms of the two of them. The mingling scent of light roses and distinct musk created a peculiar chemical reaction in the air—not the usual blend of water and milk, but a collision.

Charlotte lowered her lashes, her gaze falling lightly on the snow-white sheets, and said softly, ”Atlas Hallow, it’s not my fault I don’t love you, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

She wanted to ask Atlas Hallow, ”Have you ever loved me? What’s the point of being together like this?”

Is it simply because my body can provide you with enough pleasure?

But she couldn’t ask. Charlotte and Atlas Hallow were actually the same kind of people, both too proud to question the other.

Moreover, in Charlotte’s eyes, love or non-love had already become not that important. What she wanted was the distant light, to leave behind all the right and wrong. She feared that if she stayed here any longer, Atlas Hallow might truly take her to the hospital for surgery and turn her womb into a tool. If that day ever came, she’d rather die.

Between her and Atlas Hallow, there was the barrier of Hailey Hill, and a vanished child—a barrier as unbreachable as an invisible sea.

As for Atlas Hallow, he had never really wasted any effort on these matters. He easily possessed anything he wanted, including women. Everything was obtainable for him, and he often overlooked others’ feelings. He’d gotten so used to the mindset of taking without asking that this behavioral pattern was deeply embedded in his mind, making it hard for him to accept when Charlotte voiced that.

In fact, Atlas Hallow thought it should have been expected. He’d invested feelings into her, expecting the same in return, even more. Yet, this heartless woman coldly said she didn’t love him, and even mentioned there was nothing she could do about not loving him.

What on earth was wrong with him? In what ways did he not measure up to her? What more did he need to do?

The flames of anger ignited bit by bit deep inside his heart. This was his first time putting so much effort into a woman, only to be met with a simple ’don’t love.’ No woman could toy with him.

Including Charlotte.

”You’re not my type, Atlas Hallow. The Miller Family never owed you anything. Luna Miller’s borrowed money, I’ve already paid back to Jack Smith’s crew, withdrew from it. In this almost a year’s time, you’ve been considerate and caring towards me. But I’ve also paid with my body, making us even, don’t you think?” Charlotte knew how to strike Atlas Hallow’s sore spot.

Sure enough, Charlotte watched as Atlas Hallow’s brows furrowed sharply, like a clear river mark drawn across, with veins bulging on his forehead. Most terrifying was his eyes, waves of a deep sea threatening to drown her.

”You said you wanted to spend your life with me?” Atlas Hallow’s gaze grew more frightening, the turbulent darkness concealing his sorrow, resembling a wounded beast in despair.

”In fact, spending a lifetime with you wouldn’t be such an unfair thing; after all, you are enough to make a woman’s heart flutter. But life is too short. I want to be with someone I like, not sleep in the same bed with you every night, pandering to you. I’m exhausted...” As Charlotte finished speaking, the air in the bedroom seemed to drain out, so thin it became incredibly hard to breathe.

Atlas Hallow’s lips pressed tightly together, his jawline tense, cold, and aloof. When his lips slowly parted, his voice was chilling: ”That must truly wrong you.”

She had dared to place his dignity underfoot, trampling it harshly.

Just a few simple words had shredded Atlas Hallow’s heart to pieces, the pain threatening to be unbearable: ”I’ll give you three days to think it over carefully and talk to me again. I hope you’ll take back what you said today.”

After Atlas Hallow finished speaking, he turned to leave the room. He couldn’t stay any longer; he feared if he did, he wouldn’t be able to resist strangling this heartless woman to death.

The door slammed shut with force, the bang nearly shattering Charlotte Miller’s heart. As he left, a sense of powerlessness swept over her, causing her whole body to collapse, lacking the strength to get back up.

If it was all just fake emotions, why pretend to be hurt?

Which man gave her that scarf?

In this city, she knew few men. Ethan Baird had already returned to the United States and hadn’t been back, nor was there any news. The scarf definitely wasn’t from Ethan Baird, so whose could it be?

That night, Atlas Hallow slept in the study.

Charlotte still changed her clothes the next morning, ready to go out. Today, she wore ripped jeans, subtly showing the skin of her legs. With a big backpack and hair tied back in a ponytail, she came down, startling the housekeeper.

In those clothes, the lady of the house looked as if she wasn’t even twenty. This wasn’t how the eldest lady of the Hallow Family was supposed to look. Now, the daily trouble was figuring out how to report these matters to the master of the house.