Episode 71

Resolute, she reached for the door handle, ready to leap from the moving vehicle. As Elizabeth opened the car door, a sharp gust of wind, mingled with icy rain, lashed her face, the cold droplets stinging her skin. She barely managed to angle herself outward when a powerful force pulled her back into a warm embrace.

Meanwhile, Oliver reacted swiftly, slamming on the brakes and swerving sharply. The car's abrupt stop sent a plastic warning sign crashing into a nearby stone pillar, shattering on impact. Had Elijah not pulled her back, Elizabeth might have suffered a similar fate.

A surge of fear coursed through her, but determined to appear indifferent, she maintained a cold expression. Once the car halted, a thick tension filled the air. Trapped in Elijah's arms, Elizabeth found herself immobile. She tilted her head back, her eyes meeting his. His gaze, initially burning with fury, softened to a chilling distance.

Elizabeth's voice shattered the silence, firm yet intense. “Let go of me!” Her words cut through the howling wind, which whipped her disheveled hair and sent rainwater trickling down her cheeks, accentuating her vulnerability.

Elijah ignored her, quickly shutting the car door with one hand, his cold gaze unwavering. "If you're so eager to meet your end, choose a less messy method. Jumping from a moving car will likely injure, not kill you. You'd only harm yourself and inconvenience us."

Elizabeth's response was frosty. "Rest assured, Mr. James, once you've signed the divorce papers, I won't require your concern, even if I'm crippled." Noticing her defiance, Elijah's patience snapped. He leaned in and kissed her forcefully, silencing her.

From the driver's seat, Oliver witnessed the sudden interaction in his rearview mirror. His initial shock gave way to professional instinct. He lowered the partition between the front and back seats, affording them privacy.

The kiss was intense and dominating, a clear attempt to overpower her. Elizabeth felt a wave of humiliation and helplessness as she struggled against him, her efforts futile against his superior strength. Throughout their two-year marriage, she had often fantasized about genuine intimacy, but their reality had been vastly different. Their conjugal life had been uniformly bleak, with the few nights spent in the same bed occurring only after she had fallen asleep. Even then, Elijah always used his own blanket, maintaining emotional distance.