Masked Love

Sophia Taylor lay gasping on the pillow, her fair back covered in hickeys and her hair disheveled.

Click.

The sound of a zipper being pulled and a belt being buckled could be heard.

Sophia raised herself on her elbow and beckoned the man, her face adorned with a white lace mask.

"Come here."

She fumbled for her wedding ring on the bedside table, put it back on her ring finger, and picked up her checkbook.

The man put on his shirt and hurried to the bed.

Sophia tore a check out, looking up proudly at the familiar yet strange man before her.

The man wore a black mask, which covered the lower half of his face, revealing his sharp jawline and thin and luscious lips.

He looked quite like her damn husband.

Sophia's gaze slid downwards - smooth chest muscles, a defined six-pack, and a faintly visible Adonis belt...

Sophia reached out, intending to touch the man's enticing abs, but the man stepped back, avoiding her hand.

He resisted her touch? After all they had done, what was there to be shy about?

She recalled the way he had pinned her down on the bed and ravaged her last night.

His movements were skilled, arousing, and varied.

Indeed, making love was satisfying.

"Don't you speak?" Sophia asked.

The man looked down at her fair skin. She was half-naked under a burgundy thin blanket, her chest half-exposed.

His dark eyes held a cold and desirous depth as he nodded slightly.

So, he was mute...

No wonder she hadn't heard him make any sounds other than gasps last night.

It was disappointing, but on second thought, she felt a man good in bed and unable to speak was even better.

He wouldn't cause trouble for her.

Sophia took the man's belt and stuffed the check into his underwear.

"You made me feel good last night. Here's your tip."

The man gasped as he grabbed her hand.

This crazy woman was still not satisfied after last night...

He stared at Sophia.

Her lips, fiery red, slightly parted to reveal her pearly white teeth. She gave a satisfying smile like a soul-enchanting demoness.

"I look forward to your next performance."

Oakleaf Estates.

"Madam, dinner is ready."

Sophia was getting ready to dine when the door opened.

"Sir, you're back."

"Hm."

Benjamin Taylor took off his well-tailored suit, its white shirt meticulously buttoned to the top.

He strode into the dining room and took a seat opposite Sophia.

Sophia observed her husband, whom she hadn't seen in a week.

Benjamin was a self-made wealthy man in Pinecrest, who, in just five years, rose from an ordinary office worker to a top figure in the internet finance world, thanks to his extraordinary intelligence, long-term vision, and ruthless methods.

Three years ago, he married her, aiming to take his business to the next level.

Right, a loveless political marriage.

Benjamin lifted his eyelids to meet the gaze of the woman sizing him up across the table, his eyes sharp.

Sophia met his gaze unflinchingly.

It wasn't a dining table but a battlefield, where they fought with their eyes.

Sophia had to admit that Benjamin was indeed good-looking.

Sharp jawline, exquisite eyes, aloof demeanor, and a prideful arrogance akin to a king from medieval times.

Everything about this man was perfect, except he was a heartless scoundrel.

Sophia pursed her lips. Thinking of her escapade last night, she felt a vindictive pleasure.

However, why had he suddenly returned home tonight?

In their three years of marriage, the times Benjamin had alone with her were few and far between, with virtually no instances of them dining together.

Could he know about her infidelity last night, hence his return to confront her?

The Marine Paradise Club was the most luxurious and high-end club in Pinecrest with top-notch confidentiality. What happened there wouldn't leak in any case. How could Benjamin possibly know?

Sophia stopped guessing and went straight to the point, "Why did you come back tonight?"

"Don't you want me to have dinner with you?"

Benjamin loosened the top button of his collar and asked indifferently, his presence dominating.

Sophia frowned.

What did he mean?

They never got along, and he never came back for dinner. Why would she want to have dinner with him?

Not wanting to argue, Sophia gave a docile smile, "Of course I do. It's boring to eat alone."

Benjamin scoffed, "I thought you had a good time."

Sophia became alert at Benjamin's words.

"What do you mean by that?"

Benjamin picked up the glass from the table and gently swirled the wine with a meaningful smile on his thin lips as if toying with a bird trapped in a cage.

"Did you have fun with that man last night?"

Sophia stared into Benjamin's eyes with a calm smile, showing no sign of guilt or cowardice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He didn't catch her red-handed anyway. She refused to be easily tricked into confessing.

Benjamin's eyebrows arched, and his eyes slightly narrowed, conveying an exceptionally chilling gaze.

He took a sip of his red wine and commented, "This tastes terrible."

Sophia frowned, her heart pounding.

"The wine from the Marine Paradise Club is better, isn't it?" Benjamin sneered.

Sophia's face paled, the false smile vanishing entirely.

He had found out!

"Yes, I went to the Marine Paradise Club and slept with a man last night." Sophia admitted bluntly, then quickly added, "But that's something you allowed, isn't it?"

One week ago, late at night.

Sophia and Benjamin lay on the same bed.

Benjamin slept on his side with a significant gap between him and Sophia, signifying the estrangement within their marriage.

Sophia stared at the ceiling, engulfed in a sea of whiteness as seemingly endless and desolate as her life.

She turned towards him, her gaze lingering on his strong back.

He had finally come home, and this was her chance...

Sophia mustered her courage and wrapped her arms around Benjamin from behind.

"Honey..."

Her hand boldly reached toward his lower abdomen. "Let's have a child."

Having a child might make him love her.

Benjamin opened his eyes, coldly removed Sophia's hand, and sat up on the bed, his eyes narrowed.

"You're still a child yourself. Why would you want another child?" He chuckled, his tone dismissive as if placating a child.

"I still have work to do. Goodnight."

Benjamin headed towards the door, and Sophia threw a pillow at him as she sat up, "Stop right there!"

Their marriage had lasted for three years. When she married him, she was full of fantasies and expectations of love, home, and happiness.

She thought getting married would free her from her hellish family and give her a warm home of her own. However, Benjamin turned out to be just as selfish and cold-hearted as her father, Carter Roberts!

Benjamin stopped in his tracks upon being hit by the pillow and turned his head coldly, his face filled with impatience.

"What is this about?"

Sophia bit her lip, tears swirling in her eyes, "We're husband and wife... Don't you even love me?"

To men, sex didn't necessarily equate to love, but no sex definitely signified no love.

His reluctance to touch her proved he didn't love her.

If he didn't love her, why did he marry her in the first place?

Sophia wasn't the only daughter of the Roberts family. When her father proposed the marriage, Benjamin explicitly chose her.

Back then, she naively thought he loved her, but after marrying her, he placed her prominently in the house like a vase just to show off that he married Carter's daughter, and that was it.

They were husband and wife, but he wouldn't sleep with her. Not even basic communication was deemed worthy of his effort.

Benjamin looked at Sophia, his gaze as cold and distant as a solitary ice sculpture.

After a long while, he spoke harshly, "Sophia, we'll soon get a divorce, and a child would just be a burden."

Sophia bit her lip incredulously.

Divorce?

Had he been planning to divorce her all along?

When did he start planning this?

"You have someone else outside?" Sophia asked with wide eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Benjamin retorted.

"So, when do you plan to divorce me?"

"By the end of the year at the latest. We need to choose an appropriate moment. Our marriage brought significant benefits to both parties. A divorce would impact my company."

Benjamin spoke as if their marriage was a mere business deal, devoid of any emotion.

Sophia sat on the bed, staring blankly ahead.

The end of the year at the latest... It was September now...

Sophia thought that it was time to wake up from her dream.

Benjamin would never love her.

Unwilling to argue with Sophia, Benjamin turned and left.

"I want to have sex."

As Benjamin was about to leave the bedroom, Sophia's soft voice reached his ears.

He turned to look at her ivory silk nightgown and red eyes.

"Control your desires."

Sophia made a bold declaration, "I want men. If you refuse to have sex with me, then I will find another man who will. Is that okay?"

She looked at him, still holding a sliver of hope.

If he disagreed, did that mean he still cared about her?

Click.

Benjamin turned his head and opened the bedroom door.

"Suit yourself."

Bang.

The door was slammed shut.

So, didn't that mean he tacitly consented to her seeking physical satisfaction outside?

Sophia faced the man sitting across the dining table with an untroubled expression.

"Benjamin, I did ask for your permission, and you agreed."