Chapter 471: Helplessness
The car doors locked as the interior lights went off.
Richard stripped off the last piece of clothing from Nina, attempting to use his tenderness to melt her cold heart.
Nina hadn't seduced him, but his desire was already at its peak.
At the critical moment, Nina stopped him, "Enough, Richard!"
Richard stared at her indifferent face, unthreatened.
He leaned in closer, his handsome face hovering above, "Not enough! It will never be enough!"
Nina slowly shook her head, "Why bother?"
Richard bent down, kissing away the tears at the corner of Nina's eyes, his fingers threading through her hair, gently massaging her scalp.
Nina used to enjoy this gesture the most; his caresses could smooth over all the scars in her heart.
He always knew what she needed and was never stingy in giving it. Yet, he neglected the most important thing, allowing something that shouldn't have happened to occur.
"Nina, forgive me," he whispered.
Nina shook her head desperately.
The man held her firmly beneath him; she couldn't break free at all.
In the end, they still made love.
The atmosphere in the car was heated, and during the act, Richard called Nina's name over and over again.
At first, Nina shook her head desperately, but later, as all her strength was exhausted by Richard, she just lay there quietly, her body flushing red.
Afterwards.
After helping her get dressed, Richard held her for a while.
Smelling an indescribable odor filling the car, Nina suddenly felt nauseous, covered her mouth, and gagged a few times, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
Richard kissed her cheek, placed her back in the passenger seat, and buckled her seatbelt, patting her hair, "Take a nap, I'll wake you when we get home."
Nina felt that she couldn't communicate with him anymore.
Even though she had said such resolute words, they were useless to Richard.
He was a dominant man, used to strategizing and having everything under his control. How could he be defeated by a few words from her?
He would only show weakness in front of her when he was willing, but that didn't mean Nina could easily push him away.
Nina felt very tired.
Her body was tired, and her heart was even more exhausted.
To avoid communication, she simply closed her eyes, not wanting to hear anything more from him.
When the car came to a stop, Nina opened her eyes.
She looked at the villa nestled in the woods, her eyes swelling with emotion.
Her car door was opened, and Richard lifted her out of the car.
They walked into the villa, greeted by the smell of dust.
All the furniture was covered with dust cloths, but Richard's eyes were immediately drawn to a bouquet of nearly wilted roses on the table.
He looked down at Nina, "You've been here?"
Nina lowered her eyes, refusing to communicate.
She had indeed been here more than once.
Every time she missed Richard unbearably, she would come to see if he had returned.
The villa was always cold and empty. She would wander upstairs and downstairs; every place here held memories of her and Richard making love.
She would bring a bouquet of flowers, take out a glass vase from the cabinet, trim the flower stems bit by bit, and place them in the vase.
She thought that if Richard ever came back, he would see her handiwork as soon as he walked in.
Unexpectedly, it had now become a kind of irony.
She hadn't been here for a long time.
This bouquet was bought before she went to Silvercrest to try to ruin the wedding. She thought it would have wilted by now, but it was still there.
Richard pulled off the dust cloth from the sofa and placed Nina on it, kissing her forehead, "Wait here for me."
Then he went to the kitchen.
Nina didn't leave because she had seen Richard lock all the doors and windows of the villa.
She couldn't leave.
And she knew that even if she left now, Richard would still find a way to bring her back.
Until she made him completely give up, she had no control.
Nina sighed, staring at the ceiling.
She used to like this man's dominance a bit, but now she found it somewhat repulsive.
The feeling of helplessness she had when Charlie's family entangled her was starting to resurface.
Richard came out of the kitchen, finding Nina was nowhere to be seen on the sofa.
He paused, looking towards the door first.
Nina's shoes were still quietly placed there.
A row of footprints on the floor led upstairs.
For some reason, Richard felt a sense of relief.
He carried a plate of spaghetti upstairs, the bedroom light was on, and the sound of water could be faintly heard from the bathroom.
He put down the spaghetti, turned to the closet to get clean bedding, and changed it. Just as he finished, Nina came out of the bathroom.
She was holding her stomach, one hand on the door frame, her face pale, "Richard."
As soon as she said that, her legs gave out, and she started to collapse.
A pair of strong arms caught her, and she fell into a warm embrace.
Richard carried her to the bed, covering her abdomen with the freshly changed blanket, "I cooked spaghetti for you."
Nina shook her head, "My stomach hurts."
In just a few words, beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead.
Richard felt guilty, "Sorry, I was too rough."
"Painkiller." Nina said, each word causing her pain.
Richard often got injured and always kept some painkillers around.
He feels heartbroken seeing Nina in such pain at this moment. He took out a painkiller from the drawer and put it in Nina's mouth.
The taste of the pill spread on her tongue, and Nina found it too bitter to swallow.
Richard got up to get her some water.
When he returned, Nina was leaning against the headboard, her eyes closed, her face still pale.
"Nina, water." Richard sat on the edge of the bed, putting his arm around her shoulders, and Nina leaned weakly against him.
Her forehead pressed against his jaw, the burning temperature shocking Richard.
Nina is running a high fever and has already lost consciousness.
Richard lifted the blanket and picked her up, only to find a large patch of bright red blood on the white sheets.
When Nina woke up, the first thing she saw was the white ceiling of a hospital.
Nearby, she heard voices.
"Richard, how could you be so careless? Don't you know she just had a miscarriage not long ago? She's at her most vulnerable now, how could you bear to put her through this?" Margaret's voice was choked with emotion.
Steven gently tugged at Margaret, signaling her to lower her voice.
Margaret angrily shook him off and voiced to Richard, "We love our daughter very much. Mr. Mille, since you're already married, please don't bother her anymore!"