The Full Story of an Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 26

The slight tremble of his eyelids and his subdued voice conveyed his anguish.

As always, Charlotte had expected to be left simmering in frustration over Lucius’s silence once again. So, his unexpectedly forthcoming attitude, confessing before she could even press him, left her inwardly flustered. For someone who had been prepared to even grab him by the collar if necessary, this felt like a rather anticlimactic outcome.

Then, a large hand gently enveloped Charlotte’s smaller one.
“I didn’t know you would take my side.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I am not a satisfactory husband to you in many ways.”
“That’s……”

Charlotte hesitated, unable to outright deny it. Watching her, Lucius gave a small laugh.
“And yet, you saved me.”
“No, it wasn’t that much… It wasn’t so much saving you as it was the only thing to do in that situation.”

Lucius rose from the sofa and knelt before Charlotte.
“I was happy. It felt like you cared for me.”

Then, he gently pulled her wrist and nestled his cheek into her palm. Each time his warm skin touched her palm, his soft silver hair tickled her wrist. As if he had become a child in the few days they were apart, Lucius was being uncharacteristically affectionate. He resembled a large puppy afraid of being abandoned, and it stirred a deep sense of pity within Charlotte.

Tentatively, Charlotte reached out and softly stroked Lucius’s head. For a while, he kept his eyes closed, fully savoring her touch, then lifted his cheek from her palm to press a kiss to it. Chook. His hot lips left faint traces on her wrist and the back of her hand, showering each knuckle with delicate kisses.

Where his lips touched, it tickled. A languid warmth spread through her body from the gentle kisses that felt like a caress, yet a contrasting, hot sensation bloomed lower, binding Charlotte in place, unable to move.

Lucius, who had been toying with her ring finger bearing the wedding band, suddenly flicked his tongue out and licked the entire length of her finger.
“Eek…!”

A moan escaped Charlotte before she could stop it, and she bit her lip in embarrassment. Lucius’s eyes curved into crescents as if amused, and he took her finger into his mouth, beginning to suck on it.

As if her finger were coated in honey, his persistent licking and sucking movements caused her intimate fluids to seep out damply. Feeling the growing wetness between her thighs, Charlotte realized firsthand that even just having her finger sucked could bring her to the edge.

Frantic, Charlotte grabbed hold of Lucius.
“Lu-Lucius!”

Lucius glanced up, his pupils gleaming with a thick, carnal desire. His intense gaze, as if he had no intention of hiding anything, sent a shiver down her spine. While Lucius’s movements paused, Charlotte caught her breath and spoke.

“Why… why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Tell you what.”
“That you’ve been suffering because of Linert all this time.”

Lucius frowned, his expression clearly displeased at the interruption. Charlotte, too, felt a sense of regret, but this time, she didn’t want to get swept up in the mood and let things slide vaguely like before.

Expressing his dissatisfaction by nibbling her finger without hurting her, Lucius sighed and answered obediently.
“Because I didn’t want you to know my weakness. Because I didn’t have the confidence to endure you hating me.”
“What did you say?”

Hearing the reason left her speechless. Did his eyes see her as such a cold person that she would hate him simply for suffering, for being unable to forget his brother’s death? Hurt and disappointed, Charlotte’s voice rose.
“Do you see me as such a wretched person that I would dislike you for something like that?”
“You don’t know.”

Lucius’s face darkened with a self-deprecating sigh.
“You don’t know how weak and terrible a human I am.”
“No.”

Having known Lucius since childhood, she could state this with certainty. She had been drawn to his tender heart and thoughtful nature from the very beginning, and that was entirely different from weakness.