Alice placed the cup on the table and wrapped her arms around Joshua’s shoulders. She gently let out a
soft exhale next to his ear. “I thought you said you don’t have work to do tonight?“
Joshua’s brows furrowed. This interaction was normal for every couple, but somehow, her behavior
annoyed and even repulsed him. Perhaps it was because they had been apart for too long, or perhaps
something had changed.
Joshua contemplated for a moment before finally removing her arms from his shoulder. Alice gaped at
him in shock. Joshua did not seem to notice this and instead picked up the cup and took a sip.
After a few more drinks, he regained his composure. “Alice, you should go to bed now. I wanted to finish
up some work…“
Alice frowned and shot him an exasperated look. “ Joshua, do you think your work is more important
than me? Ever since I returned, you’ve never even spent any quality time with me! I thought we used to
be very close. Why did you change?“
Joshua immediately frowned. He squinted and looked up at her. “Do you really think we used to be…
close?“
Alice was aware that she had said something wrong. She immediately shifted her gaze elsewhere and
bit her lip. “I meant…I felt close to you.“
Joshua narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t treat you well at all.”
Joshua was aware that to the public, he and Luna appeared to be a very happy couple. At that time,
Luna had insisted on marrying him, much to everyone’s disapproval. He had also defied his parent’s
arranged marriage with Hailey Walter and insisted on marrying Luna instead. However, Joshua knew that
he did not fulfill his responsibility as a husband at all.
He thought he would never fall in love with Luna, so he spent countless nights away from home and
focused most of his energy on work instead of her. It was not until she left that he realized his mistake
and discovered his true feelings for her. He had spent the last six years shadowed in his guilt of
mistreating Luna, but it was at this moment he found out that Alice did not seem to remember all of that
at all. Instead, she thought their marriage was a happy one.
Joshua did not know how to go about this. He was not sure if she was lying to herself or that he put too
much blame on himself. He rubbed his brows. The guilt and regret he felt in his heart reached a
crescendo, and he turned around and lifted Alice into his arms.
Alice paused, but she immediately coiled her arms around his neck seductively. ”Joshua… ”
Joshua carried her all the way back to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed.
Alice gazed up at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling as she panted rapidly. This was the night that
she would become Joshua Lynch’s woman. This was
the night she had waited for!
The dim lights created a romantic atmosphere. Joshua gently tilted Alice’s chin upward and forced
himself to kiss her.
It felt no different than before. Just as they were about to take things to the next level, he stopped
abruptly.
“What’s wrong?“ Alice asked, her gaze clouded with lust.
“Why don’t you take a shower first?“
Alice froze. Although she was reluctant to do so, she still got up from the bed and headed into the
bathroom.
Joshua watched as the glass fogged over with water vapor, outlining the faint silhouette of a woman. He
closed his eyes.
He still could not do it. Was there something wrong with him? Everything seemed fine when he was with
Luna…
Joshua sighed and forced himself to overcome the anxiety and worries swirling in his mind. He knew that
life had not been easy on Alice—she had suffered and sacrificed so much for him all these years. He
could not take all of this for granted. He had to treat her the way she deserved. At the thought of that,
Joshua’s brow furrowed, and he tugged on the sheets.
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