The High-Libido CEO’s Cold Wife Chapter 07
Every wave of the toxin weakened the boundary I had drawn between Julian and me, making his offer increasingly difficult to refuse.
Even so, the scientist in me remained stronger than the chemical reaction burning through my
body.
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At that moment, I was the best available research subject.
I needed to know whether the new compound could counter Sirenthorn.
Turning to Julian could quiet one attack, but it would do nothing to remove the toxin or prevent the dependency from deepening.
Besides, I had always been particular about physical intimacy.
If he had already touched another woman, I could no longer consider turning to him.
I shook my head. “The injection is part of the experiment.
I don’t need your help.”
The suppressant entered beneath my skin.
[She is ruthless enough to use herself as a human test subject.]
[That is completely unhinged.]
[Anyone who lives in a laboratory long enough becomes a little unhinged.]
[Could somebody pay attention to our hero?]
[Julian is locked outside the lab, and his expression is terrifying.]
After administering the injection, Ryan moved to the adjoining control room to monitor my vital
signs remotely.
If anything went wrong, he could reach me immediately and begin emergency care.
Minute by minute, I endured the monitoring, the fever, and the cravings until darkness finally gave
way to morning.
The compound contained an agent that suppressed the toxin, but it was not strong enough to end
the reaction.
It would need to be balanced with compounds from other plants.
The limited suppression barely eased my symptoms.
I endured the entire night through sheer will.
Fortunately, the reaction had peaked and temporarily faded by morning.
When I left the laboratory, Julian was leaning against the wall at the far end of the corridor.
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He hurried over and searched my face. “Are you all right?
Did the experiment work?”
“We made progress, but it isn’t a complete success.”
After a pause, I added, “I’m all right now. I want to sleep at the cottage.”
Before I finished, Julian lifted me into his arms and carried me there.
Julian had apparently refused to return to his car and spent the entire night in the exposed corridor
outside the secured laboratory.
Mosquito bites covered his face and neck.
Yet none of them bothered me as much as the lipstick stain.
After he placed me on the bed, I said quietly, “Please close the door when you leave.”
“I’m not leaving.” He understood that I was dismissing him.
Then he softened his tone. “I’ll sleep in the car.
Call me the moment you need anything.”
“All right.” I closed my eyes.
Julian drew the curtains to block the morning light.
As the room darkened, memories of all the other nights Julian had waited here began returning in
painful detail.
He had waited for me in this cottage countless times.
I would emerge from the laboratory at dawn and find him lying alone on the bed in silence.
Sometimes I made time for him.
Other times, exhaustion limited me to a good-morning kiss.
He never complained. He simply held me and went back to sleep at my side.
His arm never left my waist.
His possessiveness ran deep enough that he seemed to want me fused into his bones.
Still, he had always forced himself to restrain it.
After a while, I heard the door close behind him.
The quiet click of the door left behind an emptiness more painful than the comments of the lingering toxin.
How had we reached this point one small failure at a time?
Sleep finally pulled me under.
After only one encounter with Sirenthorn, I had developed the same dependence as other victims.
The toxin urged me to prick myself again.
My willpower remained strong enough to resist it.
Then I thought of someone who might help my research.
According to the comments, Lydia had a condition caused by Sirenthorn.
I suspected they meant she had been exposed repeatedly to the vine.
That weekend, I left the preserve and called her.
“Ms. Brooks, this is Chloe Caldwell.”
“Would you have time to meet? I need to ask you something.”
Lydia hesitated only a moment. “Sure.
I live on Ocean Drive, and there’s an open-air café nearby with a beautiful ocean view. Want me to send you the address?”
“Yes. I’ll meet you there in two hours.”
[Chloe asked Lydia to meet. Is she finally going to start a fight?]
[But what did our heroine do wrong?]
[If Chloe wants to lose control, she should confront the hero.]
[She couldn’t keep her own husband, so why blame our heroine?]
[Did you hear Lydia say she lives on Ocean Drive?]
[She probably lives in Julian’s oceanfront villa.]
[He hasn’t returned to the Caldwell estate lately. He’s been staying there.]
[Chloe finally couldn’t take it anymore. Get ready for the confrontation.)
The comments would be disappointed.
There would be no confrontation.
