Chapter 7 Took Her Breath Away

The excruciating pain made the color drain from Bella's face. She had no idea how Dominic found out about her part-time job, nor did she know how she'd pissed him off. She bit her lip and said nothing. Bella didn't want to explain, nor was there the need to do so. After all, he believed that Dorothy had brought her to Miller Manor because they were wealthy, which resulted in his parents' divorce. She didn't know where to start correcting him. Her silence drove Dominic mad. He pushed her into the couch and mocked, "If you want money, I can give it to you. Wouldn't it be easier to sleep with me rather than flirt with multiple men at a time?" He was behaving like a beast who had lost its inhibitions. Bella curled up and begged, "Don't say that… Please, don't be like that. Things aren't what you think they are—" Dominic sealed her lips with his before she could say more. He'd always kissed fiercely. Bit by bit, he took her breath away. Bella panted. Tears clung to her eyelashes. She didn't want to go down this rabbit hole of longing for his affection. It would only make it harder for her to leave. Suddenly, she bit his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled their mouths. Dominic hissed painfully. His bony fingers locked around her throat. However, he didn't put much pressure on it. Bella's eyes were glassy, and her cheeks were flushed. She caught her breath through parted pink lips. Glaring at him stubbornly, she insisted, "Stop treating me like this. I didn't sleep with you on purpose… I do love you, but I'm not that meek and pitiful. It was just an accident." Indeed, on her 18th birthday, he unexpectedly found out about her crush on him. Then, Dominic heartlessly threw her journal and paintings onto the floor. He turned and left, only coming back in the early hours of the morning. She felt so horrible she couldn't sleep. It was as though the sky had collapsed on her. Dominic had discovered her secret. How would she face him in the future? While she was half awake, she heard him return home. She wanted to explain herself to him. She only knocked on the door after much hesitation. However, he dragged her onto his bed. The hangover soup she'd prepared for him spilled onto the floor. It was a night of passion. After that, he insisted that she had seduced him. Bella didn't mean to absolve herself of all responsibility. If she hadn't gone to his room, they wouldn't have slept with each other. One could say that she had asked for it. Since then, Dominic would occasionally get drunk and head to her room. As the frequency of his visits increased, she fantasized about their future. However, she gradually understood that it didn't matter how many times they did it. She was only humiliating herself. Bella would never become the woman he loved. He chuckled. Then, his lips turned upward mockingly. He asked, "You've never refused it. In fact, you even seemed to welcome it. Were they all accidents?" Bella was speechless. Dominic said nothing else. He merely ripped her shirt open. Suddenly, his phone rang at the most inopportune moment possible. He paused for a moment before answering it. Bella scrambled away from him. As he looked at her figure disappearing into the stairwell, his gaze darkened. "Hello." "I've found it. His name is Felix Quinn, and he's Ms. Jones' classmate from university. They weren't close back then." The wrinkle between Dominic's brows smoothened. He hung up immediately after. Bella had barged into his world. She could forget about escaping from his grasp without his permission. … When Bella came out of the shower, she heard the rumble of his car driving away. Dominic had left. She exhaled deeply. Thankfully, they hadn't done it. If they had sex once more, Bella had no idea whether she'd be able to make herself leave.