Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 555

**TITLE: Created 555**
**Chapter 555: No One But You**

The elevator doors, stubborn and unyielding, swung open and shut, only to reopen again, as if caught in a loop of confusion. The sounds of their passionate kisses mingled with the ragged breaths they shared, echoing in the small, metallic space.

It was Anneliese’s sudden bite on his lip that jolted Jonathan back to reality. The sharp, iron-like taste flooded his mouth, snapping him out of the blissful haze that had enveloped him moments before.

He instinctively loosened his grip, his heart pounding as he looked down at her. To his dismay, he noticed the glistening trails of tears streaming down her cheeks, tears he hadn’t even realized were forming. The harsh fluorescent lights of the elevator illuminated her face, making the tears glimmer like tiny jewels against her skin. Her lips were swollen and crimson from his kisses, while her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a broken light, revealing a depth of emotion that both thrilled and terrified him.

In that moment, she appeared to be teetering on the brink of something—fear or overwhelming emotion, he couldn’t tell which. It was as if she was standing on a precipice, ready to plunge into the depths of feelings she could no longer contain.

“Honey, I—” he began, his voice barely above a whisper, but her expression twisted with pain, tightening the knot in his chest. Just as he prepared to continue, she abruptly lifted her hand.

A sharp crack sliced through the air like a thunderclap.

She slapped him. The force was diminished, her strength waning, but the emotional impact was profound. The warmth that had filled the confined space moments ago evaporated, leaving behind a chilling silence.

Jonathan stared in disbelief at the faint red mark blooming on his cheek, his heart sinking as he witnessed her horror at what she had just done.

“I…” Her voice trembled, each word a struggle as she tried to articulate the apology that hung heavy in the air. She hadn’t meant to hurt him; she wanted to explain, to take it back.

But instead of reacting with anger, he reached out, capturing her hand gently and pulling it toward him.

Lowering his gaze to her reddened fingertips, he pressed them to his lips, a soft, warm gesture that sent a jolt of heat through her body.

Warm. Wet. Soft. The sensation enveloped her skin, igniting a fire that coursed through her limbs.

Anneliese froze, her tears suspended in time, refusing to fall as she looked at him, confusion etched across her features. What was happening?

Jonathan met her gaze, his eyes dark and filled with an intensity that seemed to consume everything around them.

Ignoring the tremors that coursed through her, he took each fingertip in turn, sucking lightly as he spoke in a low, rough voice that sent shivers down her spine.

“Did that hurt? Do you want to try again?”

Anneliese could hardly believe her ears. Had he lost his mind?

A man so gentle, so uncharacteristic of his usual self, had to be hiding something. The thought twisted her heart painfully, and she yanked her hand away from his grasp. The floodgates opened, and her tears cascaded down her cheeks, fast and heavy.

So when the elevator doors opened, and she was standing there, within reach, he lost control. He pulled her close, kissed her fervently, needing to convince himself that she hadn’t vanished, that she still belonged to him.

He had never imagined that she was completely unaware of his identity, crafting her own absurd narrative of being a “substitute.”

Now, he found himself torn between relief that she hadn’t uncovered anything and devastation that she hadn’t recognized him at all.

A man who typically acted with unwavering certainty now stood completely unraveled.

His hands hung limply at his sides, unsure of where to begin.

Another thick tear slipped down her cheek, and instinctively, he leaned forward to kiss it away. But she pushed him back, her voice cracking but her resolve unyielding.

“Don’t touch me!”

He stepped back immediately, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

“Alright. I won’t. Just listen to me. You’ve got it all wrong. You could never be a substitute. I can barely keep up with you. When would I even have time to pine after someone else? Baby, it’s only you, and it always has been.”